Mainstream schools will receive direct funding to support children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) as part of a £4bn package to make the system more inclusive.
Targeted interventions such as small-group language work will receive funding, and there will be help for staff to introduce adaptive teaching styles, as part of a major government overhaul to be announced on Monday.
Some £1.6bn over three years will be provided to early years, schools and colleges through an “inclusive mainstream fund”.
Another £1.8bn over the same period will go towards creating an “experts at hand” service, made up of specialists such as SEND teachers and speech and language therapists in every area.
Schools will be able to draw from this bank on demand regardless of whether pupils have education, health and care plans (EHCPs) – legal documents setting out the support children with SEND are entitled to – the Department for Education (DfE) said.
A further £200m will be invested in SEND outreach teams for communities, and another £200m for local authorities to “transform how they operate in line with our reforms while maintaining current SEND services”, the DfE said.
Unions broadly welcomed the commitment to reform but warned they would be scrutinising the detail when the Schools White Paper is released to see whether the changes are enough.
Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer promised “tailored support” for families and an end to the “one size fits all system”.
“I’ve heard first hand the struggles and exhaustion faced by too many parents who feel they have to fight the system to get their child the support they need,” he said.
“But getting the right support should never be a battle – it should be a given.”
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Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson said the government was “fiercely ambitious for children and young people with SEND”, who deserve a system that “lifts them up, and that puts no limit on what they can go on to achieve”.
She said: “These reforms are a watershed moment for a generation of young people and generations to come, and a major milestone in this government’s mission to make sure opportunity is for each and every child.”
But public service union Unison said the money “has to go where it’s needed” and “exactly how that will happen under these new plans is not clear”.
Head of education at the union Mike Short said: “The broad themes in the White Paper are encouraging and cutting the disadvantage gap is key if every child is to achieve and thrive.
“Any reforms must ensure there’s enough funding to support all children and pay staff properly for the work they do.”
He added: “Ministers and schools must properly recognise and reward the vital role support staff play in delivering for children with SEND.”
The National Association of Headteachers welcomed the “principle” of more support for pupils in mainstream schools and said “along with this significant investment, we will be scrutinising the details closely and speaking to school leaders to weigh up whether it is sufficient”.
“There will always be some pupils whose needs are so great that they require support in a special school, and it’s crucial the government’s plans ensure all children get the support they need at the right time in the right setting,” Paul Whiteman, general secretary of the union, said.
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Jon Sparkes, chief executive of learning disability charity Mencap, said: “The move to make mainstream schools more inclusive is welcome news.
“Families must have their children’s needs identified early and for them to be given the right help straight away, backed by services fully funded to do the job, and rights underpinned by law.”
The Institute for Public Policy Research think tank said “no plan will be perfect” but that reforms to the system should not become the next “political flashpoint” in Westminster.
“The costs of delay are already being felt,” associate director Avnee Morjaria said.
“This must now be a moment for everyone to get behind a serious programme of reform.”
