The long-awaited schools white paper, intended to overhaul special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) provision in England, will now be delayed until early 2026.
The postponement was confirmed in a letter from the education secretary, Bridget Phillipson, to Helen Hayes, chair of the Commons Education Select Committee.
Phillipson stated the delay would allow ‘a further period of co-creation, testing our proposals with the people who matter most in this reform – the families – alongside teachers and other experts’.
Cllr Bill Revans, SEND spokesperson for the County Councils Network, expressed concern over the delay, saying the SEND system was ‘in crisis’.
‘The number of young people receiving Education, Health and Care Plans is rising faster than ever before and the cost of that support is increasing massively,’ he said.
‘Councils are on course to amass £6bn in deficits by March next year, whilst families are waiting ever longer for the support their children desperately need.’
He added: ‘Time is of the essence - so this delay is massively disappointing. We need comprehensive changes that will make the system sustainable and address the dramatic rise in costs we have seen over the last decade.’
Autumn Budget Insights: SEND reform needed to break vicious cycle
