10 March 2026

IPSEA is working alongside partners in the Save Our Children’s Rights campaign to organise a national demonstration calling on the Government to protect and strengthen the legal rights of children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND).

The demonstration has been announced in response to the Government’s recent proposals for SEND reform detailed in the Schools White Paper, which campaign partners believe risk weakening long-established legal safeguards relied upon by families across England.

Following publication of the White Paper, IPSEA’s legal team has been reviewing the proposals and their potential implications for children and young people with SEND. Our analysis suggests that several important legal protections could be weakened, including:

• The right to provision based on a child’s individual needs, through a shift towards standardised Specialist Provision Packages (SPPs) into which individual children may not easily fit.
• The right to enforceable provision, with children potentially moving from legally binding Education, Health and Care (EHC) plans to Individual Support Plans (ISPs) that appear to have no clear mechanism for enforcement.
• The right to an EHC needs assessment and plan, with unclear thresholds and eligibility potentially restricted to children and young people with undefined “complex needs”.
• The right for parents to request and secure a specific school or college placement, with proposals appearing to reduce the Tribunal’s power to name a placement.

Join the national demonstration:

The demonstration will take place  on Saturday 9 May 2026 - during the 12-week consultation period for the White Paper.

Alongside a central demonstration, coordinated regional events across England will take place at the same time. Opportunities will also be available for families who cannot attend in person to take part and make their voices heard.

The aim of the demonstration is not to resist reform, but to ensure that any reform strengthens, rather than weakens, the legal foundations on which children and young people with SEND depend.

Further details about the event and ways to participate can be found on our campaign Facebook page. 

If you would like to stay informed, you can join the Save Our Children’s Rights mailing list, or follow our campaign social media accounts on Facebook and Instagram.

Madeleine Cassidy, Chief Executive of IPSEA, said:

“The system for supporting children and young people with SEND is not working as it should, but it can be improved without weakening the legal rights families rely on. Legal rights are not optional extras and any new system must ensure that support is statutory, enforceable and backed by a clear right of appeal. If reform is to rebuild confidence with families, it must strengthen – not strip away – the protections that children and young people depend on.

We are proud to stand with partners in the Save Our Children’s Rights coalition to organise a peaceful, family-led national demonstration highlighting the vital importance of protecting SEND legal rights. We urge ministers to use this consultation wisely: act in the best interests of families, reinforce existing protections, introduce independent accountability, and ensure any reforms genuinely work for all children and young people with SEND.”

Read: Schools White Paper – what you need to know

Learn more about our joint campaign to Save Our Children’s Rights