The Government's New Plans for SEND Support – What This Means for CBSC Families

You may have seen news about the government's plans to change how special educational needs (SEND) support works in schools. We want to explain simply what this is, and – most importantly – what it means for your child right now.

In February 2026, the government published a White Paper (a document setting out future plans) called ‘Every Child Achieving and Thriving’. It proposes a new type of plan for pupils with SEND, called an Individual Support Plan (ISP), which would eventually sit alongside – or in some cases replace – some of the support plans schools use now.

• Nothing has changed yet. These are proposals, not new laws.
• Your child's current support, Individual Education Plan (IEP), or Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP) is not affected.
• Any review meetings, targets, or support already in place will continue exactly as normal.
• If your child has an EHCP, this is not being taken away. The government has said EHCPs will continue for children with the most complex needs.

The government's own timeline suggests any real changes for families are still several years away, with the earliest expected around 2029. Before anything changes for CBSC pupils, we would expect clear guidance from our local authority (Sutton) and its SEND service, Cognus, and we would write to affected families directly.

• We are keeping a close eye on the guidance as it develops.
• We are making sure our current support plans already cover the things a future plan would need – clear day-to-day support, clear goals, and regular review – so that if anything does change, it will be a smooth transition, not a disruption.
• We will update this page, and write to parents directly, if anything changes that affects your child.

If you'd like to talk through what this means for your child specifically, please don't hesitate to get in touch with the SEND team.

Best wishes,

Paul

Assistant Principal and SENCo