10 April 2026

If you are the parent of a child or young person with SEND, your to-do list will be endless. It always is! So we don’t lightly say that you should add “Influence the Government” to that list. We fully understand that you have enough going on.

And yet, the Government plans to introduce a series of legislative reforms that could quite drastically change the special educational provision and support that children and young people receive in future. Government ministers’ aspiration is that every child receives the support they need close to home and without endless delays. But some of what they are proposing risks undermining existing entitlements and legal protections.

The SEND consultation paper that was published at the end of February sets out the direction ministers want to go in, and what they intend to do to change the system. It’s reasonable to assume that what’s proposed will form the basis of new SEND legislation in the next session of Parliament, which begins in mid-May.

New SEND legislation

A new session of Parliament begins with a speech by the monarch, written by the Government, setting out which new laws it intends to bring in. We can expect next month’s King’s Speech to say something about a bill on provision for children and young people with SEND. It’s likely that civil servants and lawyers at the Department for Education are working right now on what this bill might include.

Yet in the meantime, the Government is carrying out an official public consultation on the reforms it is proposing to introduce. It appears that ministers have decided on the main changes they want to make, and are consulting on the detail of how these changes might work in practice. They aren’t asking whether we agree that these are the right reforms or whether, in our view, something entirely different should be done.

But that doesn’t mean that we shouldn’t all feel free to share our honest views with the Government. In fact I’d go further and say it’s essential that we do. 

You don’t have to be confined by the consultation questions, which are quite limited in scope. The questions in the consultation document don’t cover all the proposed changes, and in fact leave out some proposals entirely – such as the plan to remove the power of the SEND Tribunal to name a school or college in a child or young person’s EHC plan.

The plan to reduce the Tribunal’s powers in this way is the subject of a potential legal challenge on behalf of a little girl who needs specialist provision. The Government’s lawyers have responded by saying that there are no consultation questions on this because the decision has already been made. Which is a surprising admission at this stage of a consultation process in which ministers have insisted they want to hear people’s views. (They then sent a subsequent letter saying that ministers do, in fact, welcome representations on any aspect of the proposed reforms.)

It may be tempting to think “Is there even any point in responding to the consultation if decisions have already been made”. But I would really caution against that.

If the Government doesn’t hear parents’ concerns about what these reforms might mean for their children, it might assume everyone is in agreement with their diagnosis of what the problem is with the SEND system and how it should be solved.

To respond to the consultation, go to the online form on the Department for Education website. You can answer as many or as few questions as you wish: you don’t have to respond to them all.

You may feel that the questions don’t provide the opportunity to say everything you’d like to tell policymakers about your experience of the system. If so, you can make use of the last question – question 39 – to add “anything further you would like to contribute”. Or you can email your views to DfE at [email protected], or send a good old-fashioned letter in the post to SENDAP Reform, Sanctuary Buildings, Great Smith Street, London, SW1P 3BT.

You should feel entirely free to say – if you wish – that you think the consultation questions are limited and unsatisfactory, because they don’t cover everything the Government is proposing to do. That will certainly be our approach.

Tell your MP what you think!

In our view at IPSEA, it’s very important to respond directly to the Government if you can. But it’s also important to be aware these reforms will only happen if Parliament votes for them, so it’s absolutely essential that MPs have a good understanding of what the changes might mean in practice and how children and young people may be affected.

Our team is in regular contact with MPs from all parties, but it’s vital that they hear from their constituents directly. If you feel strongly about what the Government is proposing, you may wish to get in touch with your MP directly. We’ve produced a template letter to start you off, along with a link to finding out who your MP is and how to contact them.

Tell your MP about your experiences of the SEND system and your thoughts on how it could work better for every child and young person. Consider making an appointment to go and meet them in person, and ask them to make a commitment to protecting children and young people’s vital legal protections.

The right of every child and young person to an education that meets their needs is as important now as it has ever been. Legal rights are too important to be replaced by reassurances that children and young people will get what they need.

About the author

Catriona is responsible for IPSEA’s work in bringing about change by influencing the development of SEND policy nationally. Her background is in public policy and communications, and she has worked for a number of charities and public sector organisations, as well as in Parliament. In the past she has served as an elected councillor in a London borough, a special school governor and a charity trustee. She has personal experience of having a disabled child. In her spare time, she enjoys walking, reading, going to the theatre and being by the sea.

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