Special Educational Needs
The question
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment her Department has made of the potential benefits of treating SEND provision as essential national infrastructure.
Answered by Georgia Gould
While special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) provision is not formally classified as national infrastructure, high-quality support for children with additional needs is a national priority.
Our proposals for reforming the system, published in the SEND consultation in February 2026, set out a vision for a more inclusive system in which children’s needs are identified and supported earlier, within mainstream settings where appropriate. These reforms are designed to ensure that all schools are equipped to meet a wide range of needs, supported by clearer National Inclusion Standards.
The SEND consultation ran for 12 weeks and closed in May. We are considering responses and will publish our response in due course, with legislation to follow as set out in the King’s Speech.
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