Feeling unsure about the future of your child’s SEND support?
We explain what the proposed Education for All Bill and SEND reforms could mean for EHCPs, Individual Support Plans, and mainstream inclusion, so you can stay informed, organised, and ready for whatever comes next.
The proposed Education for All Bill has raised understandable questions for parents and carers of children with special educational needs and disabilities.
If your child has an Education, Health and Care Plan, is receiving SEN support, cannot attend school, needs alternative provision, or may require Education Other Than At School, it is natural to wonder what these reforms could mean in practice.
Will your child lose their EHCP?
Will an Individual Support Plan offer the same protection?
Could mainstream inclusion mean your child is expected to return to a school that was previously unable to meet their needs?
And if your child is anxious, medically unwell, excluded, without a placement, or approaching post-16 transition, who will be responsible for making sure they still receive suitable education?
These are not abstract policy questions. For families, they touch daily life: school attendance, anxiety, provision, funding, evidence, reviews, placement, and the future.
At this stage, the most important thing to understand is that the law has not yet changed. The Education for All Bill has been announced, but parents should distinguish between current legal rights, government proposals, consultation material and future legislation.
This guide explains the main areas parents should watch, the questions to ask, and how to prepare without panic.
For many parents, this is the first and most frightening question.
An EHCP is not just paperwork. For many families, it represents years of evidence, meetings, assessments, appeals, frustration and advocacy. It may be the thing that finally got their child recognised, supported or placed in the right setting.
So when parents hear about a proposed move from EHCPs to Individual Support Plans, the fear is immediate:
“Is my child about to lose the protection we fought so hard to secure?”
The short answer is that current EHCP rights remain in force unless and until the law changes. Local authorities and schools cannot lawfully treat proposed reforms as if they have already replaced the current system.
If your child already has an EHCP, you should continue treating it as the operative legal document. That means paying careful attention to:
However, the proposed reforms do suggest a different future structure. Based on current public materials, the government appears to be considering a system where every child or young person with SEND would have an Individual Support Plan, while EHCPs would be reserved for children with the most complex needs who qualify for nationally defined Specialist Provision Packages.
That means some children who currently have, or might previously have obtained, an EHCP could in future be treated as ISP cases rather than EHCP cases. That is why parents are right to pay attention.
The most useful question is not only:
“Will my child keep their EHCP?”
It is also:
“What evidence shows that my child still needs the provision, placement or specialist package currently being delivered through the EHCP?”
If your child already has an EHCP, keep clear records of:
This evidence matters now, and it may matter even more if future reforms introduce new thresholds for specialist provision.
This is likely to become one of the biggest parent questions.
An Individual Support Plan, or ISP, is expected to be a school or college-held plan for a child or young person with SEND. The aim is to record the child’s needs, barriers to learning, and the support being provided day to day.
In principle, that could be positive.
Many children currently wait too long for support. Some families are told that nothing meaningful can happen until there is a diagnosis, assessment or EHCP process. A well-designed ISP system could mean support starts earlier and is recorded more clearly.
But parents will naturally ask whether an ISP gives the same protection as an EHCP.
Based on current proposals, the answer appears to be: not in the same way.
An EHCP is a statutory plan created through a local authority process. It can place a legal duty on the local authority to secure the special educational provision specified in the plan. Parents and young people also have rights of appeal to the SEND Tribunal over key decisions.
An ISP may be legally required, but the public materials so far do not show the same kind of independent merits-based appeal route over the content or delivery of an ISP. Concerns about ISPs may be handled more through school complaints procedures, potentially with an independent SEND expert involved in the complaint process.
For parents, that distinction matters.
An ISP may make support easier to start, but if the plan is vague, underfunded, poorly delivered or repeatedly delayed, parents may have fewer direct legal tools than they currently have with an EHCP.
This is why parents should ask practical questions whenever an ISP is discussed:
A plan is only useful if it changes what happens for the child.
Parents should therefore look beyond the existence of a plan and ask whether it is clear, specific, reviewed, evidenced and delivered.
The proposed reforms place strong emphasis on mainstream inclusion.
For some families, that will sound positive. Many children with SEND should be better supported in mainstream schools. They should not need an EHCP battle simply to receive reasonable, thoughtful, well-planned support.
But for other parents, the phrase “mainstream inclusion” may feel frightening.
If your child has experienced school-related anxiety, repeated exclusions, reduced timetables, bullying, sensory overwhelm, trauma, medical absence, unmet needs or placement breakdown, you may hear “mainstream inclusion” and worry that it means:
“My child will be pushed back into a setting that already harmed them or failed them.”
That fear should not be dismissed.
Inclusion should not mean placing a child into a classroom without the support, environment, relationships or adjustments they need. Real inclusion means the child can access education safely and meaningfully.
For some children, that may mean support within a mainstream classroom.
For others, it may mean a specialist base, flexible timetable, therapeutic input, mentoring, one-to-one support, alternative provision, or a carefully planned reintegration route.
For some children, it may mean that school-based education is not currently appropriate.
The key question for parents is:
“What does inclusion mean for my child, in practice?”
Before any placement change, reintegration plan or support adjustment, parents should ask:
Mainstream inclusion should not become a shortcut for unsupported placement.
The right question is not whether mainstream is good or bad in the abstract. The right question is whether the provision, environment and timing are suitable for the child in front of us.
When a child’s education becomes difficult to access, one of the most important questions is:
“Who is responsible now?”
Parents are often passed between school, local authority, health services, tutors, alternative provision providers and specialist settings. Everyone may express concern, but nobody seems to take clear responsibility.
That is exhausting for families.
Responsibility can depend on the child’s situation. For example:
For parents, the important thing is to get responsibility clarified in writing.
Useful questions include:
When a child is not receiving suitable education, labels matter less than responsibility. Parents need to know who is accountable for making sure the child is not left without support.
SEND and education language can become confusing very quickly.
Parents may hear terms like AP, EOTAS, EHE, home tuition, medical needs tuition, off-site direction, reduced timetable, specialist provision, ISP, EHCP and Section 19.
Some of these terms are used casually in conversation, but they can have very different legal, funding and responsibility implications.
Three terms are especially important.
Alternative Provision, often shortened to AP, is education arranged outside the usual mainstream classroom route.
It may be used where a child cannot currently attend mainstream school because of exclusion, illness, anxiety, medical needs, placement breakdown or another reason.
AP can be short term, part time, full time, school-arranged or local-authority-arranged, depending on the circumstances. It should not simply be a place where a child is hidden away. Good AP should provide education, support, structure, safeguarding, review and, where appropriate, a route back into school or onward to another suitable placement.
EOTAS means Education Other Than At School.
It is usually discussed in relation to children or young people with an EHCP where it is inappropriate for their special educational provision to be delivered in a school or other institution.
EOTAS is not the same as a parent deciding to home educate. It is a specific route where the local authority remains responsible for arranging the provision set out for the child.
This distinction matters because EOTAS can form part of a child’s statutory education package, while ordinary home education places responsibility on the parent.
EHE means Elective Home Education.
This is when parents choose to educate their child at home. In this route, parents take responsibility for arranging the child’s education.
Some families choose EHE positively and thoughtfully. Others report feeling that it was the only realistic option after prolonged difficulties accessing suitable support.
Parents should be very careful before agreeing to anything that sounds like “home education” if what they actually need is local-authority-arranged provision, alternative provision or EOTAS.
Before making or accepting any change, ask:
The alphabet soup is confusing, but the core distinction is simple:
Before agreeing to any route, make sure you understand who is responsible for arranging and funding your child’s education.
No parent wants to become a case manager for their child.
But in SEND, clear records can make a real difference.
If the proposed reforms go ahead, evidence may become even more important because more support could sit in school-level plans, review meetings, complaints processes and transition decisions.
Parents may need to show:
This does not mean parents need to write legal submissions every week. It means building a calm, factual paper trail.
Useful habits include:
A simple email after a meeting can be powerful:
“Thank you for meeting today. My understanding is that the following support was agreed: [list support]. Please let me know if I have misunderstood anything.”
This keeps communication calm and factual.
If your child is given an ISP, ask for the plan in writing and check whether it says:
The more informal the system becomes, the more important written clarity becomes.
Many parents have complicated relationships with schools and local authorities.
Some have had positive experiences. Others feel they were ignored, blamed, delayed or forced to fight for every piece of support.
The proposed reforms may increase the amount of school-level discussion, planning and review around SEND support. That means parents may need to work with schools and local authorities while also protecting their child’s interests.
That balance is difficult.
Where possible, keep communication clear, factual and child-centred.
Instead of saying only:
“My child is not coping.”
Try to ask:
“What support is currently in place?”, “How is it being reviewed?”, “What evidence is being used?”, “What is the plan if this does not improve?”, “Who is responsible for the next step?”, “Can you confirm that in writing?”
If your child cannot attend school, is on a reduced timetable, has been excluded, or is not receiving suitable education, ask directly:
Parents should not be afraid to ask for clarity.
A calm paper trail is often more useful than repeated verbal conversations. It helps everyone understand what has been agreed and reduces the risk that your child drifts without support.
Where legal rights are unclear or disputed, parents should seek independent SEND advice. Organisations such as SENDIASS, parent carer forums, specialist charities and legal advice services can help families understand their options.
Bright Heart can support the education side of the picture, but legal decisions about entitlement, appeals or statutory duties should be taken with appropriate independent advice.
Policy change affects parents, but children feel the atmosphere around them.
They may not understand the Education for All Bill, EHCPs, ISPs or local authority processes. But they may understand that adults are worried. They may hear conversations about school, placement, “not coping,” “support,” “review,” “appeal” or “what happens next.”
For children whose education has already been disrupted, this can add to anxiety.
Parents can help by keeping the child’s experience at the centre.
Your child is not a policy problem. They are a young person whose education needs to be made accessible again.
During periods of uncertainty, try to protect:
Where possible, involve your child in ways that are safe and appropriate.
Some children can explain clearly what helps and what makes school harder. Others may communicate through behaviour, shutdown, distress, avoidance, sleep changes or physical symptoms.
Important questions include:
For some children, the goal may be full-time mainstream attendance.
For others, the first goal may be rebuilding trust, routine, confidence, emotional regulation or access to learning after a period of distress.
Progress is not always linear. A child who has been out of education, anxious, unwell or repeatedly let down may need careful, phased support.
The key is not to force a child through a system-shaped door. The key is to understand what kind of support makes education possible again.
For parents of older children, SEND reform brings another layer of anxiety.
The question shifts from:
“What school support will my child receive?”
to:
“What future is available for my child?”
Post-16 transition can already feel like a cliff edge. Families may worry about college, further education, apprenticeships, supported internships, functional skills, transport, independence, mental health, social care, employment and adult services.
Under current law, EHCPs can continue beyond 16 and, where necessary, up to age 25. But support after 16 must be linked to education or training, and local authorities can review whether a plan should continue.
If future reforms introduce new specialist thresholds or transition review points, parents will want to understand how those decisions affect young people who still need support but may not fit a narrow definition of “most complex needs.”
For parents of teenagers, important questions include:
For young people, transition is not only administrative. It is deeply personal.
They may be asking:
Support should therefore connect education to confidence, life skills, independence, emotional wellbeing and realistic next steps.
A good post-16 plan should not only ask where the young person will go next. It should ask what support they need to move forward safely and meaningfully.
The law has not yet changed, but parents can prepare.
You do not need to panic. You do need to stay informed and organised.
Practical steps include:
If your child already has an EHCP, continue to pay attention to annual reviews, phase transfers and the wording of provision.
If your child does not have an EHCP, keep evidence of need, support tried, gaps in provision and the impact on your child.
If your child cannot attend school, do not let the situation drift without written questions about responsibility, provision and review.
If your child is approaching post-16, start transition planning early.
Bright Heart supports children and young people whose education has become difficult to access.
That may include children and young people:
Our role is not to replace independent legal advice. Instead, we support the education side of the picture: helping children access learning, rebuild confidence, continue education during difficult periods, and receive specialist support matched to their needs.
For parents, the coming reforms may feel uncertain. But your child’s needs still matter.
The most important steps are to understand which route your child is on, ask who is responsible for support, keep clear evidence, and make sure any plan reflects your child’s real needs.
The Education for All Bill may change how SEND support is planned, recorded and reviewed. It does not change the fact that every child deserves an education they can actually access.
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