By Gavin Mackintosh-
The British government has pledged to overhaul the way young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) move from school into post-16 education, with ministers warning that the current transition system is failing thousands of learners across England.
In some of the strongest language used by ministers and senior advisers on SEND provision in recent years, the Department for Education signalled that schools could face tougher accountability measures if they fail to properly prepare pupils with additional needs for college or other post-16 settings.
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The proposals form part of the government’s £4 billion SEND reform programme, which ministers say is designed to rebuild confidence in a system that has become increasingly strained by rising demand, financial pressures and growing dissatisfaction among families.
Speaking during a Department for Education SEND webinar, the education secretary’s SEND delivery adviser Kevan Collins condemned the current arrangements as “not good enough for anybody” and described aspects of existing practice as “shameful”.
His comments reflected mounting concern within government that transition points — particularly the move from compulsory schooling into further education — have become one of the weakest parts of the SEND system.
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“When it comes to the point of transition, too many of them test it and find it’s not working,” Collins said, referring to young people with additional needs moving between educational settings. His remarks suggest ministers are increasingly willing to publicly acknowledge long-standing criticisms raised by colleges, parents and disability advocates who argue that learners are routinely left unsupported during one of the most critical stages of their education.
Under the proposed reforms, schools could face strengthened requirements around information-sharing and transition planning, while colleges may be expected to begin preparations for incoming learners as much as 12 months before enrolment.
The Department for Education is also exploring the use of destinations data and closer collaboration with Ofsted to introduce what Collins described as “harder accountability” measures for providers responsible for supporting SEND learners into new educational environments.
The reforms represent one of the most ambitious attempts in over a decade to reshape SEND provision across England. Ministers have confirmed that implementation is expected to begin from 2029, although spending linked to the proposals will start earlier during the current spending review period in an effort to deliver visible improvements before legislative changes formally take effect.
At the centre of the plans is a new “layered” approach to support, including a gradual move away from the current Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP) system for some learners. In its place, the government intends to introduce individual support plans for young people with less complex needs, while retaining more specialist arrangements for those requiring higher levels of intervention.
The digitisation of support plans is expected to play a key role in improving continuity between schools and colleges. Ministers believe electronic records could reduce delays, improve communication between providers and ensure that colleges receive accurate information about learners’ needs well in advance of transition.
Skills minister Jacqui Smith said post-16 institutions frequently report that they are capable of delivering excellent support, but are often hampered by poor communication from schools or local authorities before students arrive.
“People in colleges often tell me about the excellent provision that they have, but also how much better it could be for individual young people if they were clear about who was coming to the college or the post-16 provision, what their needs were, and therefore could plan at an earlier stage,” Smith said.
The issue of transition planning has long been a source of frustration within the further education sector. Colleges have repeatedly argued that they are expected to provide increasingly complex support without sufficient advance notice, while schools are often accused of failing to fully communicate learners’ educational, behavioural or therapeutic needs before transfer.
The consequences can be severe. Parents frequently describe transition periods as chaotic and stressful, with uncertainty over funding, support arrangements and transport provision leaving young people vulnerable to disruption at a critical stage in their development.
Advocacy groups have warned for years that poor transitions can contribute to disengagement from education, worsening mental health and reduced long-term employment opportunities for disabled learners.
The historical roots of these challenges stretch back decades. Britain’s approach to special educational needs was fundamentally reshaped by the 1978 Warnock Report, which moved policy away from categorising children by disability ,and towards recognising a broader spectrum of educational needs.
The report laid the foundations for the modern SEND framework by promoting inclusion and establishing the principle that children with additional needs should, wherever possible, be educated within mainstream settings.
Subsequent reforms built on those principles, most notably through the Children and Families Act 2014, which introduced Education, Health and Care Plans extending support entitlements up to the age of 25. The legislation was widely welcomed at the time for attempting to create a more joined-up system across education, healthcare and social services.
However, the expansion of legal entitlements also coincided with rapidly increasing demand. Over the past decade, the number of pupils requiring SEND support has risen sharply, driven by growing awareness of conditions such as autism spectrum disorder, speech and language difficulties and social, emotional and mental health needs. inadequate.
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