What school leaders need to know about the 2026 schools white paper

February 23, 2026

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On the 23^rd February, 2026, the government published its new school’s white paper.

‘Every Child Achieving and Thriving’, sets out a ten-year vision for education in England, covering SEND reform, curriculum changes, funding, attendance, behaviour, and the structure of the school system itself.

This blog pulls together the key points school leaders need to understand, flags what’s still uncertain, and gives you an idea of what’s coming and when.

What is the schools white paper, and why does it matter?

 

What is the schools white paper?

The official title of the schools white paper is Every Child Achieving and Thriving , and it covers the full breadth of the school’s policy, with SEND reform being one significant chapter within it.

The SEND-specific document published on the same day is the companion consultation, titled SEND Reform: Putting Children and Young People First.

What it aims to do

Three shifts sit at the heart of the 2026 white paper:

• Narrow to broad, meaning a richer curriculum and enrichment opportunities for every child
• Sidelined to included, focusing on SEND reform, closing the disadvantage gap, and making inclusion a baseline expectation for every school
• Withdrawn to engaging, covering attendance, behaviour, and the relationship between schools and families

The headline targets include halving the disadvantage gap, children averaging grade 5 or above across their GCSEs, attendance reaching over 94% by 2028/29, and 75% of five-year-olds reaching a good level of development by 2028.

What will the white paper change over time?

Over the coming years, schools can expect an updated SEND Code of Practice, National Inclusion Standards developed by 2028, a new Enrichment Framework this academic year, a new Pupil Engagement Framework, a refreshed national curriculum for first teaching in 2028, and new Trust Standards.

Ofsted’s new inclusion judgement is also worth flagging separately, as it’s already live and in place.

It’s important to note that this is a ten-year plan. It will run beyond this Parliament, and whether the current or a future government delivers it in full will shape how it is delivered in the long-term.

Legislation doesn’t move through Parliament overnight, consultations take time to conclude, and funding has to flow through new commissioning routes before it reaches schools.

Some of what’s proposed requires further Bills to complete their full Parliamentary passage. The SEND proposals are still out for consultation, so the detailed legal framework hasn’t been confirmed yet.

The biggest SEND changes for school leaders

A new structure of support

The proposed model works across four layers.

The universal offer is the baseline every mainstream school is expected to provide through adaptive teaching, an inclusive environment, and strong family partnerships. Above that sits targeted support, then targeted plus, and finally specialist support for children with the most complex needs.

Individual support plans

Every school will be required to create a digital Individual Support Plan (ISP) for any child with identified SEND. No diagnosis is needed to trigger this.

ISPs will cover barriers to learning, day-to-day provision, reasonable adjustments, and intended outcomes. They’re developed with parents and reviewed at least annually. The ISP describes day-to-day provision in school.

For children with the most complex needs, the EHCP will continue to describe their statutory entitlements.

What’s happening with EHCPs?

EHCPs aren’t going away. Children who currently hold one will keep it until the end of their current education phase. No changes to existing support will happen before at least September 2030.

Under the proposed new system, children will be reviewed at each phase transition to determine whether they need a continued EHCP. The EHCP rate currently stands at around 5.3% and is expected to return to roughly that level by 2035 as more needs are met earlier in the mainstream system.

Specialist provision packages

For children with the most complex needs, new nationally defined, evidence-based Specialist Provision Packages will be developed by an independent expert panel. These will underpin future EHCPs and aim to bring greater consistency to what children across the country are entitled to.

The triple lock

Three protections are built into the transition to the proposed changes of the SEND white paper:

• No child currently receiving effective support will lose it
• Every pupil with a special school place in September 2029 can stay for as long as they choose
• And no child will be moved from a special school unless they want to be

Inclusion strategy

Schools will be required to publish an Inclusion Strategy setting out how all inclusion funding is deployed. This is a new requirement and will sit within Ofsted’s oversight framework.

Proposed SEND funding for schools

• £1.6bn Inclusive Mainstream Fund from 2026/27, paid directly to all schools for early targeted interventions with no formal assessment required
• £1.8bn Experts at Hand service, commissioned by local authorities and ICBs, expected to equate to roughly 40 days of specialist time per year for an average primary and around 160 days for an average secondary by the end of 2028/29
• £200m+ SEND CPD training for all school staff, available from September 2026
• £3.7bn+ capital investment for new specialist places, inclusion bases, and estate adaptations
• Pupil Premium already over £3bn for 2025/26, with a new disadvantage funding model under development and a consultation planned for Summer 2026

Some of this funding will flow directly to schools. Other parts are commissioned through local authorities and ICBs before reaching school level.

What schools will be expected to do

• Join a local SEND group within three years and contribute to a collective funding pool
• Publish an Inclusion Strategy showing how all inclusion funding is deployed
• Create digital ISPs for all children with identified SEND
• Ensure all staff receive SEND training, which will be a requirement in the updated Code of Practice
• Monitor pupil belonging and engagement, with every school expected to be doing this by 2029
• Meet a personalised attendance improvement target already assigned to each school through AI benchmarking tools
• Apply updated behaviour guidance, including new flexibility to suspend pupils while keeping them on site
• Introduce Reintegration Support Partnerships following suspensions
• Meet minimum expectations for home-school communication and partnership
• Use the new School Profiles service when it launches next academic year

Curriculum, enrichment and accountability

The national curriculum will be refreshed for first teaching from 2028, with updated GCSEs following from 2029.

Citizenship is to become compulsory in primary schools and oracy, financial, digital and media literacy will be embedded across the curriculum.

The Enrichment Framework will be published this academic year, setting out a minimum offer expected of all schools across five areas:

• Civic engagement
• Arts and culture
• Nature and outdoor activities
• Sport
• Wider life skills

Ofsted’s inspection toolkits will reflect the enrichment benchmarks from September 2026.

 

What school leaders should know about early years and local authorities

 

Early years settings will receive a share of the Inclusive Mainstream Fund and will carry the same new duty to produce ISPs.

Funded partnerships between early years providers and primary schools are planned to support transitions, including for children with SEND. A fast-track route to specialist provision is being developed for children under five with the most complex needs, alongside the NHS.

For local authorities, the white paper represents a significantly expanded strategic role. LAs and Integrated Care Boards will jointly commission the Experts at Hand service, shape local SEND group structures, and take on new statutory duties through the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill, including maintaining a register of children not in school and extending the remit of Virtual School Heads.

LAs are also being given the ability to establish their own school trusts for the first time.

The expectation running through the paper is that schools, LAs, ICBs and wider services work as a joined-up local system with shared accountability for children’s outcomes.

What your local authority does with its expanded responsibilities will matter for how things work in practice for your school.

A rough timeline for the schools white paper proposals

 

Now through 2025/26

• Ofsted’s inclusion judgement is already live.
• RISE support programmes are running.
• AI attendance benchmarking with personalised targets is already in schools.
• The Unlocking Reading CPD launched in January 2026, and the 12-week SEND consultation is open.

What to expect 2026/27

• The Inclusive Mainstream Fund starts flowing to schools.
• SEND CPD training will be available from September 2026.
• Experts at Hand commissioning is set to begin.
• Progress 8 and disadvantage funding consultations are planned for Summer 2026.

And from 2027/28

• Teacher and leader maternity pay improves, with full pay doubled from 4 to 8 weeks.
• 2028 New curriculum programmes ready for first teaching.
• National Inclusion Standards are expected to be in place.

Moving into 2028/29

• Experts at Hand will be fully operational.
• The attendance target for over 94% goal deadline.

From 2029 onwards

• EHCP assessments under the new system from September 2029.
• The first cohort transitions from September 2030.
• No changes to existing SEND support before at least September 2030.

 

It’s important to remember that many of these dates are aspirational and depend on legislation passing, consultations concluding, government elections and funding flowing as planned.

Whatever the coming years bring in terms of evolving policy detail, one thing running through this white paper is clear: the expectation that mainstream schools are equipped, funded and accountable for meeting a wide range of needs is the priority.

The funding is being designed around it, the inspection framework already reflects it, and the workforce training is being built to support it.

For school leaders who’ve been working towards inclusive practice for years, much of this will feel familiar. For those still finding their footing, the message from this paper is that the time to start is now.

 

More articles you’ll like:

The Children’s Commissioner Report 2025: What this means for mainstream inclusion

How AI in Education is making inclusive practice possible in 2026

Mental health or challenging behaviour? A checklist for decoding pupil behaviour