Powell says government will take ‘however long’ is needed
The government’s reforms to the SEND system are set for further delays, with legislation now not expected to be produced this year. A consultation on the government’s plans, SEND Reform: Putting children and young people first was launched in February this year, and was open for submissions until mid-May. Since the consultation closed however, both the prime minister and the education secretary have changed. It has now become clear that draft legislation will not be published this autumn as originally expected, but instead is likely to be produced ‘very early’ in the new year. Delays to the legislation could impact the timeline to implement the proposed changes from September 2029.
Appearing before parliament’s education select committee this week, secretary of state Lucy Powell was asked when the legislation could be expected. She said, ‘We are taking the time this needs. This is a once in a generation opportunity to reform a system that really isn’t working for parents or children.’ She added: ‘One of the things I said when I came in as secretary of state was the worst thing we could do is to produce legislation that isn’t quite right and that people don’t have trust in. So however long that takes to get that right, is what we will do. We are looking at very early on in the new year to publish the Bill. But I can also say that alongside the Bill we will be publishing a full policy response to the consultation. We will also publish the national inclusion standards and the specialist provision packages so parents, schools and local authorities can see the standards expected and what support they can expect to get for their child. That’s why we want to take the time to produce it all together.’
It is not the first time the reforms have faced delays. Prior to being published in February this year, the government’s proposed changes to the SEND system had been expected to be made public in the autumn of 2025. They were pushed back by then education secretary Bridget Phillipson, who said at the time that the delay was needed to give the Department for Education (DfE) more time to test and refine the reforms.
Commenting on the latest delay, Kate Heath, chief executive of Gaia Learning, an inclusive learner support platform, said it would create more uncertainty for families: ‘Families and schools have been waiting a long time for clarity on SEND reform, and another slip into the new year will be hard for them to hear. The DfE hasn’t yet said when it will respond, and that uncertainty leaves schools unsure how to plan for a system that’s expected to put far more weight on mainstream provision. We are calling for the government to give schools and local authorities a clear timeline and certainty as soon as possible for more clarity on what changes are coming.’
However, the proposed changes have not received universal support, and others were more welcoming of more time being taken. Matt Wrack, general secretary of the NASUWT union, commented: ‘We have raised numerous and serious concerns with the proposed plans for the SEND system and if this delay results in these being addressed then we would welcome this pause. It is essential to get these changes right, than to rush through what we consider to be underfunded and ill-thought out plans. Teachers are concerned that badly planned changes risk pushing more responsibility onto the shoulders of teachers and school leaders, with no guarantee of better outcomes for pupils and families. Any plans for SEND must ensure the right school infrastructure, staffing levels and specialist support and these need the guaranteed funding to deliver this.’