Fleur Anderson Welcomes Proposed Changes to SEND Provision
MP says Putney families have waited too long for meaningful reform
Fleur Anderson holding the government’s White Paper on SEND
March 4, 2026
Fleur Anderson has welcomed the government’s overhaul of the SEND system, arguing that families in Putney have been waiting years for meaningful reform.
Speaking after visiting the Wandsworth-based charity Beyond Autism, she said the new plans mark a long-overdue shift towards earlier, more reliable support for children who have too often been left fighting for help.
The Putney MP said many parents in her constituency had been “demanding this change for so long”, describing a system that has forced families into exhausting battles for assessments, therapies and school places.
She argued that the reforms would move children with SEND “from sidelined and excluded to seen, heard and included”, giving them the support they need as a matter of routine rather than confrontation. She also criticised the current system, saying it was designed for far fewer children and has reached breaking point after years of rising demand.
The reforms introduce Individual Support Plans for every child with SEND, backed by a national framework of interventions and a commitment that support will be available without the long delays and disputes that have become common. EHCPs will remain for children with more complex needs, with strengthened legal entitlements through a new Specialist Provision Package.
The government has pledged £4 billion to expand specialist school places, improve mainstream inclusion and increase access to services such as speech and language therapy. Ministers say this investment will stabilise a system that has been under strain for years.
Although ministers insist that no child will lose support during the transition, some families and sector experts have raised concerns about how the new system will work in practice. Children who currently qualify for an EHCP but whose needs are judged to be manageable within an ISP may worry that their legal protections could weaken over time, even with the promised safeguards. Mainstream schools, already under pressure, may struggle to deliver the level of support expected without significant increases in staffing and specialist capacity.
There is also uncertainty about how consistently ISPs will be implemented across different schools and local authorities, and whether families who have fought hard for existing provision will feel confident that the new framework offers the same security. While the government argues that investment and clearer national standards will prevent any loss of support, the success of the reforms will depend heavily on whether funding, training and specialist services can keep pace with rising demand.
Ms Anderson’s support for the reforms sits within a broader national picture in which councils have struggled to meet rising SEND costs. Many local authorities have accumulated large deficits as the number of EHCPs has grown, and shortages of specialist staff and school places have added to the pressure. While the government’s investment aims to address these issues, it will take time for new places, training programmes and regulatory changes to take effect. Families and schools are likely to experience a period of adjustment as the new system is phased in over the next decade.
The reforms include protections to ensure no child loses support during the transition. Children in special schools in 2029 will be able to stay there until they finish education, and children with EHCPs in mainstream schools will only move to ISPs from 2030 and only when they naturally change school phases. Parents will continue to have the right to appeal through the SEND Tribunal, which remains the legal backstop for disputes over assessments, support packages and school placements.
Ms Anderson framed the reforms as part of a wider mission to ensure that every child can thrive in school regardless of background or need. She said great teachers have not had the support they need and that the new system will give families confidence that help will be available when it is needed. Her response reflects both relief that long-promised reforms are finally taking shape and recognition that the success of the new system will depend on whether funding and specialist capacity can keep pace with demand.
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