Schools White Paper pushed back to 2026

Education Secretary, Bridget Phillipson MP, has announced that the much-anticipated Schools White Paper will be delayed until next year. The white paper, originally expected this Autumn, will outline the Government's plans for large-scale reform of SEND (Special Educational Needs and Disabilities) policy. 

In a letter to the Education Select Committee chair, Helen Hayes MP, the Minister explains that the reason for the delay is to give time for a “further period of co-creation, testing our proposals with the people who matter most in this reform - the families - alongside teachers and other experts.” Recognising that the Department for Education’s reforms to SEND are some of the most critical changes this Government will make, Phillipson highlights the importance of taking the time “to listen and get it right.”

Since the announcement that SEND reforms were on the horizon, campaigners have persistently raised concerns regarding the Government’s plans. A petition calling for the protection of Disabled children’s rights reached more than 132,000 signatures, triggering a Westminster Hall debate on the subject last month.

Although the details of the white paper aren’t publicly known, it’s expected that the plans will involve limiting Disabled children’s rights and placing additional barriers on accessing Education, Health and Care Plans (EHCPs). Government SEND advisor Dame Christine Lenehan also alluded to restricting EHCPs to pupils in specialist settings or to those who require additional support outside education (including health and social care). This comes after politicians and the media have long cited ‘financial unsustainability’ and ‘unmanageable demand’ as reasons for changing the law.

During the wait for the white paper, SEND policy has received a lot of attention. The Education Select Committee released a report following a public inquiry on Solving the SEND Crisis. The SEND All Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) also released a report on reforming the SEND system in England. And the SEND and Education APPGs co-chaired an event looking ahead to the Schools White Paper - where Disability Rights UK contributed evidence.

1.7 million children and young people in England are Disabled, which is around 19% of the school population. Currently, only 1 in 4 Disabled pupils has access to an EHCP, and many go without the support they’re legally entitled to. At the APPGs co-chaired event this week, chair of the Education APPG, Steve Witherden MP highlighted how cutting a family’s lifeline to support doesn’t fix a broken system, it only leaves those families to drown. 

Bethany Bale, DR UK Education Policy Officer, said “We welcome the Minister’s renewed enthusiasm for co-production, especially as we were concerned that the Department’s choice to jump straight to a white paper would mean families and practitioners would have no opportunity to share their views via a public consultation.

We hope to see meaningful co-production with those most affected, and reforms that protect and enhance our rights - rather than diminish them.”