Our statement - School's white paper 2026

We welcome the announcement of significant new investment to strengthen SEND support in schools and the publication of Every Child Achieving and Thriving White Paper which outlines the Government’s ambition to ensure that every child with additional needs will benefit from better tailored support.
 
We support the vision for schools that are more inclusive by design, and which recognise that SEND support and provision must be at the very heart of education, not bolted on as an afterthought. 
 
We are particularly encouraged by the focus on inclusion in mainstream classrooms. When teachers are supported to recognise and respond to commonly occurring needs such as dyslexia, children do not have to struggle in silence or fall behind before help arrives. The additional funding should help put inclusion at the heart of every school and enable all schools to fund interventions like small group support, or support staff to identify and support dyslexic challenges by adapting teaching styles, so that every pupil can thrive.
 
The additional funding is positive, but funding alone will not change school culture, so it is good to see even more focus on training and upskilling classroom teachers and support staff in mainstream settings, supported by easier access to specialists. 
 
There is still a need for a national dyslexia strategy to ensure consistent early identification, evidence-based support and accountability across England. Without a specific focus on literacy related needs, there is a risk that children with dyslexia remain overlooked within broader reforms.
 
Ellen Broomé, CEO, said:
“We are delighted to see the proposals around putting SEN support on a statutory footing; this is what parents and carers of dyslexic children have been asking for. But we remain concerned that the accountability framework around SEN support needs to be strengthened to make sure all children and young people receive the support they require, and that parents and carers can challenge schools when it is not being provided.
 
We hope that access to The Experts at Hand bank of specialists which schools can access on demand means that dyslexic children can access specialist support without a formal diagnosis or an EHCP.  But for the reforms to be successful, the current shortage of specialist teachers in local authorities must be fixed and priority given to recruitment and training.“
 
We will be responding to the consultation and look forward to working with government, schools and families to make sure these reforms deliver meaningful change for dyslexic children and young people.
 
 
You can respond to the consultation here. Closing date is 18 May 2026