In this blog, you will learn:
The key challenges and opportunities in the Schools White Paper according to a SEND Officer.
What needs to change to create a system that works better for everyone, according to this SEND Officer.
How to find and apply for the best SEND jobs.
Over the past few months, we’ve spoken with dozens of local authority professionals to understand their response to the Schools White Paper and the realities behind the proposed reforms. Most recently, we spoke to SEND Case Officer Stacey, who has over 20 years of experience in the SEND sector.
Stacey has in-depth knowledge of the EHCP process and the challenges of appeals and tribunals, having navigated it first-hand as both a parent and a SEND professional.
Throughout this interview, we delve into how the proposed reforms could impact SEND provision and what needs to change to create a system that works better for children, families and the professionals supporting them.
What are your initial thoughts on the Schools White Paper and the direction it sets for the future of SEND provision?
The Schools White Paper is ambitious, but it feels like it describes a different system from the one I work in. We all know the current model is broken; spend any time in a local authority office or a school staff room and you can feel the strain of the constant fight for support.
What’s encouraging is the government’s recognition that reform can’t focus solely on statutory processes. We’ve been trapped in a cycle of litigation for far too long.
The government wants consistency across the country, but they are also pushing for local flexibility. In my experience, that usually translates to a postcode lottery.
The direction feels right, but it’s high-level strategy meeting reality - and the reality is, local authority deficits aren't going to be fixed by a policy document alone.
The government proposes digitising EHCP processes and creating a more streamlined system. What risks or benefits do you foresee?
Digitisation has the potential to transform aspects of the SEND system. Many professionals still work across fragmented systems, duplicate information requests and endure lengthy administrative processes.
A more integrated digital approach could improve transparency, reduce delays and provide families with clearer visibility of progress. However, technology is rarely a solution in itself.
Delays in EHCP processes aren't just caused by paperwork; they are often driven by shortages of Educational Psychologists, Speech and Language Therapists, Specialist teachers and local authority caseworkers.
There is also a risk that digitisation prioritises efficiency over relationships. SEND provision relies heavily on professional judgement, collaboration and understanding individual circumstances.
Success will depend on technology being used to enhance professional practice rather than replace it.
Do you think mainstream settings are currently equipped to meet the government's plans to improve inclusion and accessibility? What needs to change?
In theory, yes. In reality, most schools are drowning. I’ve seen incredible examples of inclusive practice, but they almost always depend on one or two ‘super-teachers’ or a Headteacher who has the energy to fight for every penny. That’s not a system; that’s a charity model.
To make this work, we need to stop the performative aspect of inclusion, such as telling a school to be ‘highly inclusive’ while judging it purely on attainment outcomes that don't account for the complexity of the children it’s actually teaching.
Until the accountability measures change to reward the process of inclusion rather than just exam results, we’re asking schools to do the impossible.
The government wants all schools to join or form Multi-Academy Trusts. How might this structural change impact SEND delivery at a local level?
Multi-Academy Trusts offer both opportunities and risks. At their best, they can create economies of scale, centralise specialist expertise and improve access to professional development.
Smaller schools, in particular, may benefit from shared resources that would otherwise be unavailable. However, there is a risk that increased centralisation weakens local relationships.
SEND provision often relies on close collaboration between schools, local authorities, health services and families. If decision-making becomes too distant from local communities, responsiveness may suffer.
The key question isn't whether schools sit within a MAT structure, but whether those structures genuinely prioritise local partnership working.
Do you feel the Schools White Paper adequately addresses current workforce pressures within schools and local authorities?
You can digitise the forms and streamline the process, but if you don't have an Educational Psychologist available for an assessment, the paperwork is just a digital document sitting in a queue.
We’ve got caseworkers managing impossible caseloads and Teaching Assistants who are essentially holding entire departments together while burning out.
The Schools White Paper acknowledges the shortages, but it doesn't seem to grasp that this is a crisis of sustainability. If you ask already stretched staff to do ‘more with less’ under the guise of ‘streamlining’, you won't get reform; you’ll get a mass exodus.
How will early intervention plans and Alternative Provision reforms reduce demand for EHCPs and tribunal appeals over the long term?
In theory, early intervention should reduce demand for statutory processes. One reason EHCP numbers have risen is that many families view plans as the only reliable route to securing support.
If schools consistently receive the resources and expertise required to meet needs early, fewer parents may feel compelled to seek statutory protection.
Unless the new system provides confidence that support will be delivered consistently without a plan, demand for EHCPs will remain high. Reducing tribunal appeals will require more than just process reform; it will require rebuilding trust between families and services.
How do you think the Schools White Paper's ambition for every child to ‘achieve and thrive’ could be achieved in practice?
The phrase ‘achieve and thrive’ is important because it moves beyond academic outcomes alone. For many children with SEND, thriving includes belonging, confidence, wellbeing and meaningful participation in school life. Achieving this requires a genuinely holistic approach.
Education, health and social care must work together more effectively. Families must be treated as partners rather than stakeholders to be consulted.
Most importantly, children and young people themselves must have a stronger voice in the decisions that affect them.
The Schools White Paper highlights improving attendance and reducing persistent absence for children with SEND. How realistic are these proposals and what challenges might schools and local authorities face?
Improving attendance is a worthwhile goal, but it would be simplistic to treat it as a behavioural issue alone. Many children with SEND experience barriers that make school attendance genuinely difficult, be it anxiety, sensory needs, or unmet support requirements.
Schools can improve attendance by increasing belonging and flexibility, but strategies that focus primarily on monitoring and accountability are unlikely to succeed if underlying needs remain unmet.
Improved attendance is often a consequence of effective inclusion rather than a separate intervention.
What elements of the Schools White Paper surprised you the most?
The scale of the proposed cultural shift: previous reforms have often focused on structures, but this Schools White Paper places greater emphasis on mainstream capacity and system-wide responsibility.
What surprised many practitioners is the extent to which the government is seeking to reshape expectations around where and how support should be delivered.
What elements of the Schools White Paper do you think are most at risk of failing?
The greatest risk lies in implementation. The proposals rely on the assumption that mainstream capacity can expand quickly, that workforce shortages can be solved and that local partnerships can be strengthened simultaneously.
History suggests that system reform struggles when expectations outpace available resources. The reforms most vulnerable to failure are those that depend on significant cultural change without corresponding investment.
Looking ahead, what do you think will be the most successful element of the Schools White Paper?
If implemented effectively, the strongest legacy could be a renewed focus on early intervention. It is one of the few areas where educational, social and financial benefits align.
Ultimately, the success of the Schools White Paper will not be judged by the policies it introduces, but by whether families experience a system that feels fairer, faster and more responsive than the one it seeks to replace.
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