Pupils with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) are set to be allocated new “digital passports” and designated into a four-tiered system as part of sweeping reforms to the sector, The i Paper can reveal.
Education, Health and Care Plans (EHCPs), the legal documents that entitle children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) to support, are also expected to be reserved for pupils whose needs cannot be met via the four tiers.
Every child with additional needs will be given an “individual support passport” – a digital document to make their needs accessible at every stage of education, from early years to sixth form, sources close to the reforms said.
These digital passports are intended to ease transition periods for SEND pupils by ensuring their needs are easily accessible across different settings so support can be put in place more quickly.
The i Paper understands that the precise wording of each of the tiers is subject to being finalised in the coming days.
The details come amid reports that the reforms could be pushed back into the next Parliament to avoid a backlash from Labour MPs over the controversial reforms. Any reforms are likely to come in by the 2029-30 academic year at the earliest.
But a senior MP and a Government source insisted that the overhaul to the system was always likely to take time and be fully implemented over several years.
Sources have told The i Paper that children with additional needs would start by receiving “universal” support. If this is not sufficient, they would move through the tiers until their needs are met.
If needs cannot be met by even the highest tier, a child could qualify for an EHCP, which unlocks funding and support beyond what mainstream schools can typically offer.
A source close to the reforms said EHCPs will be reserved for children with needs that “can’t be met by the other tiers”.
It is understood that children born with complex needs, such as cerebral palsy, will get an EHCP from birth, but children whose needs progress over time will go through the tiered system.
Fears of MP rebellion over SEND
The final details of the reforms are set to be unveiled in the Schools White Paper next month, after it was delayed from autumn last year amid fears of a rebellion by Labour backbenchers.
A senior backbencher said: “Ministers have kept MPs regularly updated on the reforms, and they realise how sensitive an issue this is for many of us. They know they don’t want to repeat the chaos that took place over welfare reforms.”
It comes amid fresh reports that Number 10 will have oversight of the SEND overhaul due to fears over backlash against plans to reserve EHCPs for children with the most severe and complex needs.
An insider insisted, however, that while Downing Street was keeping tabs on the plans, the expectation was that the measures would be set out in the latter part of February.
Council high needs spending is spiralling out of control, with the Office for Budget Responsibility forecasting a £6bn black hole between expected spending and funding by 2028–29.
Ministers want to reform the system by moving more children with additional needs into mainstream schools, reserving specialist provision for the most complex cases.
It is unclear whether children with existing EHCPs will keep them under the reforms, with the Government previously saying that only “effective” existing support would be protected, without clarifying what this means.
With parents alarmed by the prospect of losing the hard-won EHCPs, it is possible there could be a double system running during the transition period. For example, children could retain existing EHCPs, but the legal documents could become harder to get in the future.
SEND funding system to be overhauled
The Government is understood to be rebuilding the funding system from scratch, with schools expected to get “a lot more money” to cope with additional needs – but with “significant requirements” attached to that, sources have said.
It is understood that groups of schools will be given a pot of money to commission services where needed, such as for NHS psychologists or speech and language therapists to provide support for “groups of children”.
The majority of SEND funding will no longer be attached to individual children via EHCPs, giving schools more leeway over how best to support their pupils.
Last week, the Department for Education (DfE) announced a £200m funding package to make all teachers SEND teachers – a policy first revealed by The i Paper in June.
However, this move has sparked concerns that the SEND training involved could pull teachers “away from the classroom” when resources are already “strained”.
The Government has also promised to invest £3bn in creating 60,000 places for children with SEND in mainstream schools.
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Ministers are yet to set out exactly where the money for the reforms will come from after it was announced last year that the cost of SEND provision will be fully absorbed into existing central government budgets, rather than the budget for local authorities. This move leaves a £6bn annual shortfall.
Schools minister Georgia Gould recently confirmed the upcoming Schools White Paper would “set out additional funding for both schools and local authorities to drive forward much needed reform of the SEN and disability system”.
The Department for Education has been contacted for comment.
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