The 2026 Schools White Paper places schools right at the centre of SEND reform. As a headteacher, the proposals represent both significant responsibility and genuine opportunity. So, what does this actually mean for your school and what could you be doing now to stay ahead of the curve?

Schools Will Be Expected to Implement Individual Support Plans

Digital Individual Support Plans (ISPs) for every child with SEND are set to become a requirement. While many schools already use Individual Education Plans (IEPs) or similar systems, for others this will represent a significant shift in practice. The challenge won’t just be compliance, it will be operational. Schools will need to think carefully about systems, staff training, time allocation, and the capacity of the SENCo to lead this work effectively. In my experience as a SENCo, rolling this out successfully requires more than just introducing a new template. In my previous school, the real impact came from embedding IEPs as part of everyday practice, ensuring they were actively used, regularly reviewed and genuinely shaped provision. The schools that will do this well are those that start building the infrastructure now, rather than waiting for statutory guidance. In many ways, this is already best practice as set out in the SEND Code of Practice (2015). The key is to ensure ISPs are living, working documents, that are clear, specific, and useful, rather than becoming a compliance exercise.

Many Schools Will Need to Consider Their SENCo Working Differently

The proposed three-tier model places considerably greater demand on SENCos, particularly in co-ordinating Targeted and Targeted Plus support across a broader group of children. At the same time, the proposed updated Code of Practice makes whole staff SEND training a requirement; meaning that your SENCo should be leading professional development, not drowning in administration or constantly fire-fighting. This shift requires a fundamental rethink of the role. A SENCo cannot drive whole-school improvement in SEND if they are stretched too thin or positioned outside of strategic decision-making. In practice, this means properly resourcing the role: protected leadership time, a clear voice at senior leadership level, and the capacity to focus on meeting the needs of the children behind the plans rather than solely the paperwork. Having worked in a SENCo role that was part of senior leadership, I saw first-hand the difference that level of influence and protected time can make. When the SENCo is empowered to lead, rather than simply manage processes, the impact on staff confidence, consistency of provision, and outcomes for children is significant.

Your Mainstream Provision Will Be Expected to Do More

Expectations of what mainstream schools can meet are increasing. The introduction of inclusion bases within some schools signals a move towards developing specialist provision on site, but even without an inclusion base, all mainstream settings will be expected to meet a wider range of needs through a stronger graduated response and well-supported staff. For school leaders, this has direct implications for improvement planning. It is no longer enough to see SEND as a discrete area of provision; this is about whole school capability. Curriculum design, adaptive teaching, staff development, and the use of support staff all need to be aligned with a more ambitious vision for inclusion. The schools that respond most effectively will be those that start now by auditing current provision, identifying gaps in expertise, and building a strategic plan to meet a broader range of needs within their existing setting.

Whole Staff SEND Training from September 2026

With £200+ million committed to CPD and a clear direction of travel set out in the proposed updated Code of Practice, there is a growing expectation that all school staff will develop a secure understanding of SEND. For schools, this raises important questions about what a coherent, whole-school approach to training looks like in practice. One-off sessions won’t be enough; this is about sustained, purposeful development that builds confidence over time and is closely linked to what staff are seeing in their classrooms every day. A more confident and knowledgeable workforce has the potential to make a significant difference, not only to children with identified SEND, but across the wider school community. When all staff feel more confident and better equipped, support becomes more consistent, more responsive, and more effective. However, training alone is unlikely to address the full picture. Many schools already have skilled and committed staff, and the challenge is often less about knowledge and more about capacity. Delivering high-quality, adaptive provision in classrooms with increasing levels of need remains difficult without the time, staffing, and structures to support it effectively. Investing in SEND training is therefore an important part of the solution, but its impact will depend on how well it is matched with the realities of school capacity and the wider system.

What to do Before Full Implementation

While much of this reform will take time to fully embed, there are clear steps school leaders can take now.

1. Start with an honest audit of your current SEND provision. Where are the gaps? What is working well and what may need to be developed further? The more useful audits are often those that reflect the day-to-day experience of children and staff. The SEN Expert can assist with this process, offering guidance and practical tools to help you carry out an effective audit. For more information and resources visit: https://thesenexpert.co.uk or book an advice call for more tailored support.

2. Take a close look at your SENCo’s role. Do they currently have the time and capacity to lead strategically, or are they tied up in administration? Creating the space for SENCos to lead this work can make a significant difference to how effectively changes are implemented.

3. Building whole staff SEND CPD now is another priority. Starting early can help build confidence and consistency across the school, as well as supporting readiness for the September 2026 expectations. The SEN Expert can work alongside schools to design and deliver SEND training that reflects the needs of their staff and context.

4. Your local authority’s Inclusion Plan should provide a clearer picture of how provision is likely to develop in your area. With the public consultation open until 18th May 2026, there is a valuable opportunity for headteachers to influence what comes next.

5. Finally, there may be value in thinking ahead about how your provision could continue to develop. If capital funding becomes available, what might specialist provision look like within your school? The more effective models are often those embedded at the heart of the school, not positioned on the margins.

Conclusion

The schools that thrive post White Paper will not be the ones waiting for statutory guidance before acting. They will be the ones already building inclusive cultures, investing in their SENCos, training their staff, and genuinely meeting the needs of every child. These reforms are coming. The question is whether your school can lead the change, rather than react to it.

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