Children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) will get faster access to specialist support without needing a diagnosis, as the Government launches its new Experts at Hand service across England.

Backed by £1.8bn in new investment, every local area will begin expanding access to speech and language therapists, occupational therapists, specialist teachers and educational psychologists, who will work directly alongside mainstream schools, early years settings and colleges from September 2026.

The initiative aims to end what the Government describes as a ‘postcode lottery’, bringing specialist expertise out of waiting lists and into the communities where children learn.

The Government also announced a national panel of experts, co-chaired by Tom Rees and Dr Anne Gordon, to help shape National Inclusion Standards and Specialist Provision Packages, setting out clearly what support children with the most complex needs should expect to receive.

Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson said families had spent years ‘fighting for support their child should simply have received.’

‘From September, every local area will start to increase access to speech therapists, educational psychologists, occupational therapists and specialist teachers working directly in mainstream schools,’ she continued.

‘Our new expert panel will help set a new national standard for SEND support, shaped by the people who work with children every day. This is about rolling out the right help, in the right place, without having to fight for it.’

According to a recent survey of 54 councils published by the Local Government Association (LGA) and the County Councils Network (CCN), local authorities have a number of concerns over the Government’s SEND reforms, including timescales involved, accountability of local government, and whether the reforms will improve the financial sustainability of services.