Get ahead of SEND reform requirements

With the start of the new academic year schools across the UK are working to prepare for the upcoming SEND reform. While the full roll out of the SEND reform is still a while away, it’s been recommended that schools start updating their provision to align it with the new requirements. This article will discuss what is expected from schools in the SEND reform and how you can start improving the specialist support your school offers. 

What is the SEND reform?

The “Every child achieving and thriving” whitepaper and accompanying consultation document released earlier this year have set out the Department for Education’s (DfE) plans for updating England’s Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) provision. Through specialist training and aligning all mainstream schools, the DfE aims to have more available support for pupils with SEND. 

What is the SEND reform looking to resolve? 

There are currently over 1.7 million pupils in England with SEND and schools are struggling to keep up. The key change to the existing policy highlighted by the SEND reform is the shift in treatment of SEND provision as a parallel system to mainstream education, instead looking to embed inclusion within all school settings. 

This change aims to tackle several growing concerns with the current SEND process, hoping to simplify the current stressful and length procedure that parents and pupils need to endure in order to get support. The new simplified plan should help to make the process less adversarial and rebuild trust between parents and schools. 

Additionally, while the government has currently committed 4 billion pound to make mainstream schools more inclusive, the long-term changes aim to reduce cost for schools and local authorities. 

How the DfE prepares for the SEND reform

New Ofsted inspection guidelines

Ofsted has published its education inspection update for the upcoming academic year starting from September 2026. In this article we will cover the key changes presented in the new education inspection framework (EIF) to help your school prepare for the new academic year. 

Inclusion remains a major priority and is defined broadly, covering: 

• disadvantaged children and learners 

• pupils with SEND 

• those known to children's social care 

• a wider group facing barriers to learning or wellbeing 

Ofsted has added the term “leaders who have an inclusion role”, recognising that inclusion is not solely the responsibility of the SENCo and may involve designated teachers, inclusion leads and other leaders.

Inclusive Mainstream Fund and Inclusion Strategy

Following the announcement of the upcoming SEND reform and the introduction of the inclusive mainstream fund (IMF) the Department for Education (DfE) has advised that schools must publish an inclusion strategy by the end of 2026. Your school’s inclusion strategy must discuss how your school aims to make use of its allocation of the IMF as well as detail of activity invested in to alleviate barriers to learning and participation and budgeted costs (we have provided a template you can use to help you develop your strategy).

A focus on specialist support 

To be able to better support pupils, the SEND reform documents highlighted the need for providing specialist support early. The DfE is set to introduce the Experts at Hand programme, a service is set to increase the support available in mainstream schools, colleges and nurseries by offering access to specialist expertise. This includes occupational therapy, educational psychology, and speech and language therapy support.  While this service will be available for all schools, it is key for schools to work to enhance their internal specialist support by providing training to their staff. 

Prepare your school through recruiting SEND Teaching Assistants

The new SEND reform is layered and complex, but one thing is clear: the aim is to provide children and young people with accessible specialist support as early as possible. As more gets revealed and the plans are set in motion, schools should be prepared to enhance their current SEND provision, starting with recruiting more SEND qualified support staff.

Inspire ATA provides a bespoke SEND Level 3 Teaching Assistant programme, aimed at enhancing the SEND skills available in schools. Recruiting new SEND dedicated support staff now will help your school be ready for the new academic year, aligning yourself to the upcoming SEND requirements and help you in building your school’s inclusion strategy.

About Inspire ATA

Inspire ATA provide short and long-term staffing solutions for a range of organisations. We recruit, employ and support apprentices on behalf of employers helping you develop the talent of tomorrow at a lower cost and with peace of mind.   

Our flexible apprenticeship placements are tailored to meet the dynamic needs of modern businesses. Whether you want to grow your team or bring fresh energy into your workforce, we make it easy.   

To learn more about how Inspire ATA can help your school prepare for the upcoming SEND reform, book a discovery call with a member of the Inspire ATA team.