Mainstream schools will receive direct funding to support children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) as part of a £4bn package to make the system more inclusive.
Targeted interventions such as small-group language work will receive funding, and there will be help for staff to introduce adaptive teaching styles, as part of a major government overhaul to be announced on Monday.
Some £1.6bn over three years will be provided to early years, schools and colleges through an “inclusive mainstream fund”.
Another £1.8bn over the same period will go towards creating an “experts at hand” service, made up of specialists such as SEND teachers and speech and language therapists in every area.
Schools will be able to draw from this bank on demand regardless of whether pupils have education, health and care plans (EHCPs) – legal documents setting out the support children with SEND are entitled to – the Department for Education (DfE) said.
A further £200m will be invested in SEND outreach teams for communities, and another £200m for local authorities to “transform how they operate in line with our reforms while maintaining current SEND services”, the DfE said.
Unions broadly welcomed the commitment to reform but warned they would be scrutinising the detail when the Schools White Paper is released to see whether the changes are enough.
Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer promised “tailored support” for families and an end to the “one size fits all system”.
“I’ve heard first hand the struggles and exhaustion faced by too many parents who feel they have to fight the system to get their child the support they need,” he said.
“But…
