What is the white paper?
On 23 February 2026, the Department of Education published the latest schools and education white paper, Every Child Achieving and Thriving, which sets out the governments long-term strategy for schools and reforms special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) in England. It is a document that outlines the proposed legislation and framework.
The white paper sets out its proposals in chapters under two parts:
Part 1: Setting every child up to succeed
Part 1 sets out the pupil-facing reforms and focuses on the direct experience children face such as curriculum, inclusion, SEND support, engagement, and attendance. The emphasis is on improving outcomes by broadening opportunity and strengthening mainstream provision. It is structured around four main areas:
Our children’s futures
Chapter 1 aims to establish the government’s long-term vision and covers a broader definition of educational success to include personal development and academic achievements. It links educational outcomes with future employment, discusses reducing attainment gaps and raising expectations for all students.
Narrow to broad
Chapter 2 sets out the government’s curriculum and assessment reforms. It discusses refreshing the national curriculum, ensuring access to a broader mix of subjects, moves beyond a heavy exam driven model, and reviews accountability measures.
Sidelined to included
Chapter 3 is one of the most significant reform areas set out within the white paper. It sets out the government’s proposal for inclusion and SEND reform. Its intention is to reform the entire SEND system, introducing clearer tiers of support, greater mainstream inclusion, changes to how Education Health and Care Plan’s (EHCPs) are used, and a desire to strengthen specialist and multi-disciplinary support.
Withdrawn to engaging
Chapter 4 focuses on keeping children actively involved in education, with the government’s focus to improve attendance and engagement. It covers tackling persistent absence, improving behaviour and pupil participation, strengthening relationships with families, and making school information clearer for parents.
Part 2: Stronger foundations to deliver change
This sets out the structural, workforce and governance change it seeks to enable delivery. The focus is around three main areas:
Support and investment in high-quality staff
Chapter 5 covers how the government seek to strengthen the education workforce. It covers recruiting additional teachers and specialist staff, improving retention via pay along with workload and professional development reforms, strengthening SEND expertise across the workforce, leadership development, and expanding training and career progression pathways.
Collaboration between schools and partners
Chapter 6 puts the emphasis on moving from isolated institutions to a more coherent, collaborative system model and reforms the structure and governance of the school system. It wants to develop the structure of school trusts, clarify the role of Local Authorities within a trust led system, encourage greater collaboration between schools and wider services, and seeks to strengthen regional capacity for improvement.
Enabling innovation and ambition
This chapter positions innovation as a controlled enabler rather than a standalone reform by modernising delivery and accountability. It covers using data more effectively across the system, responsible adoption of technology including AI, encouraging innovation within regulatory frameworks, and improve transparency, accountability and evidence-based practice.
What does all this mean?
On the surface, when summed up as above, it all sounds very positive. However, when you delve deeper into each chapter there are multiple areas that require further scrutiny and review.
Depending on whether you are a parent, a teacher, representing a school, or anyone else that works in or is impacted by the education and SEND system, it will potentially change how you view the proposals with how they affect you personally.
We will be providing greater insight into each of the proposals in further articles, but the most important thing to remember is…
The law remains unchanged and is not expected to change before 2029 at the earliest. Until any reforms are formally enacted, the current statutory framework continues to apply. Parents, carers and professionals must rely on the existing legal position rather than the proposals set out in the white paper.
What happens next?
The government has opened a formal consultation on the SEND reforms and other proposals, where stakeholders including families, schools, professional bodies, and providers can submit their responses to the proposals.
It is important that if you have an opinion on the proposals that you share these via the consultation process as your input may influence final policy details.
The current deadline for consultations is 18 May 2026. You can respond to the consultation here.
After the consultation closes, the government will review the feedback it receives and may adjust its proposals in response. It will then decide which changes need new laws. Where legislation is required, a Bill will be introduced to Parliament. MPs and peers will debate the proposals, examine them in detail, and may suggest amendments before agreeing on a final version. Once both Houses approve the Bill and it receives Royal Assent, it becomes law.
Some changes may not require a new Act of Parliament and could instead be introduced through regulations or updated statutory guidance.
Implementation is unlikely to happen all at once. Based on the white paper, reforms are expected to be introduced gradually, in phases, over several years.
If you want to read the white paper you can do so here: Every child achieving and thriving – GOV.UK
