We use cookies 🍪
We use essential cookies to keep you logged in. We also use analytics cookies to understand how parents use SEN Letters UK so we can improve it. Cookie Policy | Privacy Policy
A new white paper, digital EHCPs, Individual Support Plans. The 2026 SEND reforms are generating a lot of noise. This guide cuts through it and tells you what parents actually need to know right now.
This guide explains the legal framework and what you need to know. When you are ready to write the actual letter, SEN Letters UK generates it for you.
If you have a child with special educational needs, you have probably heard a lot about the government's SEND reforms this year. A new white paper, a public consultation, talk of digital EHCPs and Individual Support Plans. It is a lot to take in, especially when you are already navigating a system that can feel overwhelming on a good day.
This guide cuts through the noise. Here is what is actually changing, what is staying the same, and why writing clear, well-evidenced letters to your local authority is still one of the most important things you can do for your child right now.
In early 2026, the government published a SEND reform white paper setting out proposals to overhaul how support for children with special educational needs is delivered across England. The reforms are designed to make the system more consistent, more transparent, and easier for families to navigate.
A public consultation on these proposals is open until 18 May 2026. That means the details are not yet finalised, and parents have an opportunity to feed into the process. If you want to have a say in what the reforms look like when they do arrive, you can find the consultation at gov.uk. Parent voices matter in this process.
The headline changes proposed under the reforms are significant, but they are proposals for the future rather than rules that apply today.
Digital EHCPs. The government wants to replace paper-based Education, Health and Care Plans with a standardised digital format. The aim is to make EHCPs easier to understand, compare and enforce, and to reduce the postcode lottery where families in different areas face completely different paperwork and processes.
Individual Support Plans. Alongside the EHCP, each child will have an Individual Support Plan, a digital record of their day-to-day support in school. Both parents and teachers will be able to access it. Individual Support Plans are designed to be co-created with families, so your input will matter.
A standardised EHCP format. Currently, how an EHCP is written and structured can vary significantly depending on which local authority you are in. The reforms aim to introduce a single, consistent format across England, which would make it far harder for local authorities to use ambiguous or vague language to water down provision.
This is the part that matters most for any parent navigating the system today.
No changes to EHCPs will come into force before September 2030. Every existing EHCP and every protection that comes with it remains fully in place until then.
Your child's current EHCP is legally binding and must be followed. The provision specified in Section F of the plan is not optional and is not subject to resource constraints. If the school is not delivering what the plan specifies, that is a breach of a legal duty under Section 42 of the Children and Families Act 2014.
Local authorities still have the same statutory duties to assess, issue and review EHCPs. If you request an EHC needs assessment, the local authority must respond within six weeks. If it refuses, it must give reasons. If you disagree with its decision, you can appeal.
The appeal and tribunal process remains exactly the same. The First-tier Tribunal (Special Educational Needs and Disability) remains the independent body that can overturn local authority decisions. It is free to use and you do not need legal representation.
Your right to request an EHCP assessment, challenge a refusal, or appeal a plan's contents is unchanged. Section 36(1) of the Children and Families Act 2014 gives parents the right to request an assessment directly. The school does not need to support the request.
The reforms are coming. But they are not here yet. The system you are working in today is the same system it was last year.
Whether you are requesting an EHCP assessment for the first time, challenging a decision your local authority has made, or pushing back on a plan that does not reflect your child's needs, the letters you write are still the most direct way to exercise your rights.
Local authorities receive thousands of requests. The ones that get taken seriously tend to share a few things in common. They are specific about the child's needs. They reference the right legislation. They are clear about what outcome the parent is asking for.
That is harder than it sounds when you are also trying to look after your child, hold down a job, and make sense of a 50-page document written in educational and legal language.
That is exactly why SEN Letters UK exists.
This is one of the most common questions parents are asking right now.
An EHCP is a legal document that specifies a child's needs, the outcomes to be achieved, and the provision that must be made. The local authority is legally required to secure everything in Section F. It is enforceable.
An Individual Support Plan, as proposed under the reforms, would be a separate digital record of the day-to-day support in place at school level. It would be co-created with parents and accessible to both families and teachers. The key difference is that the EHCP retains its legal force. The Individual Support Plan is intended to sit alongside it, not replace it.
This means for the foreseeable future, your child's EHCP remains the document that carries legal weight. Securing provision that is written specifically and unambiguously into the EHCP is still the most important thing to fight for.
The government hopes so. One of the stated aims of the reform is to reduce the variation between local authorities in how plans are written. At the moment, some local authorities use vague language such as "access to" a service rather than specifying the frequency, duration, and who delivers it. Vague language is harder to enforce.
A standardised format, if it requires specific and measurable descriptions of provision, could make enforcement significantly easier. But those changes are years away. Right now, if your child's current EHCP uses vague or ambiguous language, you can challenge that at the next annual review or through a formal request to amend the plan.
When will the SEND reforms come into effect?
No changes to EHCPs will come into force before September 2030. The reforms are at the consultation and proposal stage.
Will my child's current EHCP still be valid?
Yes. Every existing EHCP remains legally binding and must be followed in full.
Do I still have the right to request an EHC needs assessment?
Yes. The right under Section 36(1) of the Children and Families Act 2014 is unchanged. You can still request an assessment directly from the local authority without the school's agreement.
What is the difference between an EHCP and an Individual Support Plan?
An EHCP is a statutory, legally enforceable document. An Individual Support Plan, as proposed, would be a non-statutory day-to-day record of in-school support, accessible to parents and teachers. The EHCP retains its legal force.
Can I still appeal a local authority decision?
Yes. The appeal route to the First-tier Tribunal (Special Educational Needs and Disability) is unchanged. You have two months from a decision to lodge an appeal.
Is the SEND consultation still open?
The public consultation is open until 18 May 2026. You can respond at gov.uk.
SEN Letters UK is a tool built specifically for UK parents navigating the SEN system. It generates personalised, legally-aware letters for the situations that matter most, including requesting an EHC needs assessment, challenging a refusal to assess, disputing the content of a draft EHCP, requesting an annual review, and making complaints about provision.
You answer a few questions about your child and your situation. SEN Letters UK produces a clear, well-structured letter you can send to your local authority, tailored to your specific circumstances.
It does not replace a solicitor or specialist SEN adviser if you need one. But for the hundreds of letters that parents write every year just to get the process moving, it saves hours of stress and guesswork.
The system is changing. But right now, today, your child's rights are exactly what they have always been. A well-written letter is still the most powerful tool you have.
SEN Letters UK writes the letter for you, professionally worded, legally informed, tailored to your child's situation.
Preview free. Full letters from £4.99, credits never expire.
Get notified of new articles
We publish plain-English articles on SEN rights, EHCPs, and school support. No spam, just useful information when it's ready.
Found this useful?
Share it in your SEND Facebook group, another parent will thank you for it.
MORE GUIDES