Protect legal right to support for children with SEND
117,334 people signed this petition to the UK Parliament after it opened on 14 April 2026; it closed on 14 October 2026. The Government responded on 22 June 2026.
The petition
The petition's creator is not named in the Petitions site's published record. Quoted in full from the UK Parliament petitions site.
Protect legal right to support for children with SEND
I believe that the Government’s proposed SEND reforms could limit EHCPs, weaken legal rights, replace individual plans with packages, reduce appeals, and remove school choice. In my view, children could be left without the support they need as a result.
I think the Government’s SEND reforms could limit EHCPs, weaken legal rights, raise thresholds, replace individual plans with generic packages, reduce appeal rights, remove school choice, and push children into inclusion zones without proper support. Many children rely on these rights to support every day, without them many could be left behind, struggling, unsupported, and unheard.
The Government's response
The Government published its response on 22 June 2026; the petitions site lists the Department for Education as responsible. Its summary:
The government’s SEND reform proposal will strengthen legal duties, better support children with SEND in mainstream settings and ensure EHCPs secure statutory support for children with complex needs.
The opening 343 words of the 852-word response:
The government’s proposed reforms strengthen the legal duties to support children with SEND in mainstream settings. The SEND consultation proposes a new legal requirement for schools to create individual support plans (ISPs) for all children with SEND, developed by their nursery, school or college in discussion with parents, children and any other professionals such as healthcare experts involved in that child’s care. ISPs would evolve with the child’s needs, enable information about their needs and support to transfer with them as a digital record throughout the education system ensuring support can be planned and parents aren’t having to retell stories or repeatedly fight for support, ultimately helping to transform the life chances of children with SEND. EHCPs will continue for children with complex needs, securing statutory right to education and healthcare support.
Under our proposed reforms, educational provision in a reformed EHCP would be underpinned by evidence-based specialist provision packages commissioned by local authorities (LAs) and delivered by settings. Because settings know the child or young person best, we propose they work with families before EHCPs are finalised to set out the provision aligned with the package(s) that the child needs. Settings will have a legal duty to deliver what is in the EHCP.
Effective early identification and intervention is critical in improving the outcomes of children and young people with SEND. To support schools to meet this legal duty, we have appointed an Independent Expert Panel to develop National Inclusion Standards. The Standards should set out minimum standards that all settings must adhere to, and include a range of evidence-informed tools, strategies and approaches for educators to draw on to identify and support children and young people with additional needs. With earlier identification and a more inclusive mainstream, children and young people with SEND should get the support they need, as soon as they need it. This will be backed by investment of £1.6 billion over the next three years for early years settings, schools and colleges to deliver whole school approaches and individual support in line with the National Inclusion Standards.
Read the full response on the petitions site.
Where the signatures came from
Signatures came from 650 constituencies. Measured against each constituency's electorate at the 2024 general election, the most came from Congleton, with 12.1 signatures per 1,000 electors (902 in all).
117,042 of the signatures were from the UK and 292 from elsewhere, by the location signers gave.
| Constituency | Signatures | Electorate, July 2024 | Per 1,000 electors |
|---|---|---|---|
| Congleton | 902 | 74,243 | 12.1 |
| Hove and Portslade | 736 | 74,063 | 9.9 |
| Crewe and Nantwich | 764 | 78,423 | 9.7 |
| Brighton Pavilion | 663 | 74,786 | 8.9 |
| Brighton Kemptown and Peacehaven | 603 | 68,784 | 8.8 |
| Macclesfield | 625 | 76,416 | 8.2 |
| Tatton | 507 | 75,978 | 6.7 |
| Castle Point | 472 | 71,026 | 6.6 |
| Guildford | 428 | 70,662 | 6.1 |
| East Worthing and Shoreham | 447 | 74,738 | 6.0 |
| Region | Signatures |
|---|---|
| South East | 24,855 |
| North West | 14,979 |
| London | 14,048 |
| East of England | 13,387 |
| South West | 12,272 |
| West Midlands | 10,501 |
| Yorkshire and The Humber | 9,155 |
| East Midlands | 9,077 |
| North East | 4,207 |
| Wales | 2,170 |
| Scotland | 1,539 |
| Northern Ireland | 526 |
Source and receipt
- https://petition.parliament.uk/petitions/764268.jsonUK Parliament Petitions API · read 2026-10-15 · SHA-256
43afb6c589607671… - The petition on petition.parliament.uk
The petition's words are its creator's and the response is the Government's; this site quotes both and gives no view on either. Signature counts can still change while a petition is open. To report an error, send a correction request.