Committee publication · Correspondence · 3 March 2026
Letter from Secretary of State for Education on Schools White Paper and SEND Consultation, dated 23 February 2026
From: Education Committee
Inquiry: Solving the SEND Crisis
Summary
Secretary of State Bridget Phillipson writes to the Education Committee on 23 February 2026 announcing publication of the Schools White Paper 'Every Child Achieving and Thriving' and the SEND Consultation 'Putting Children and Young People First'. The letter outlines government plans for education reform across three key shifts: broadening curricula, including marginalised children, and improving community engagement. It details £3.4 billion in new SEND funding, National Inclusion Standards, an 'Experts at Hand' service, and a target to halve the disadvantage gap by key stage 4.
Key findings
- Three key shifts proposed: from narrow to broad curriculum; including children sidelined by the system; moving from withdrawal to engagement with schools.
- Long-term ambition to halve the disadvantage gap and achieve grade 5 or above across GCSEs when current generation finishes school, representing over 1.3 million grade improvements.
- £3.4 billion new SEND funding: £1.6 billion Inclusive Mainstream Fund over three years, £1.8 billion for 'Experts at Hand' service plus £200 million for local authority implementation.
- New SEND support model with three layers (Universal, Targeted, Targeted Plus) underpinned by National Inclusion Standards from 2028 and updated SEND Code of Practice.
- Commitment to 6,500 additional expert teachers, all schools to be part of trusts, and 60,000 new SEND places across the country by 2030.
Tone
ProceduralTopics
Key actors
Bridget Phillipson, Helen Hayes MP, Department for Education, Education Committee, Integrated Care Boards, Local authorities
Notable line
“This equates to over 1.3 million grade improvements across the cohort, and over 30,000 more disadvantaged children passing English and maths at grade 4 or above each year The White Paper sets …”
Key Quotes
“Together, these set out our plans to build an education system that supports every child to achieve and thrive, and where inclusion and high standards are two sides of the same coin.”
“We will take children's experience of education from narrow to broad, delivering a knowledge-rich and broad curriculum, improving transitions between phases of education, providing an enrichment entitlement for every child, and enabling breadth through accountability.”
“When the generation of children born under this government finish secondary school, it is our ambition that all children are stretched to achieve higher standards and the disadvantage gap will be halved.”
“Our aim is to provide earlier support and intervention enabling many more children to thrive in their local mainstream school with appropriate support, and without needing to go through statutory assessment processes.”
“We are introducing National Inclusion Standards and updating the SEND Code of Practice to clarify expectations and strengthen universal evidence-based support in every mainstream nursery, school and college.”
Source · parliament.uk record ↗