The future of Education, Health and Care Plans (EHCPs) is under intense scrutiny. With growing pressure on the SEND system and signals from key figures that major reform could be on the way, parents, educators and advocacy groups are seeking clarity about whether EHCPs will remain a core part of the support framework for children with SEND.

EHCPs were introduced in 2014 as a legal document to ensure that children and young people with additional needs receive tailored educational, health and care provision. However, recent developments suggest that the government is reassessing the role of EHC plans, and possibly their existence, as it prepares to publish a Schools White Paper in autumn 2025. Below is a timeline of events that sheds light on how the conversation has evolved and what could come next.

Timeline of events

December 2024
The Education Committee launched an inquiry into short-term actions needed to stabilise the SEND system and explore options for long-term sustainability. Committee Chair and MP Helen Hayes stated:

“In recent years, report after report has documented the failures of the SEND system to deliver the support children and their families need […] As a Committee we now want to move beyond simply pointing out the problems and focus on finding solutions that are realistic and practical for the Government to implement.”

May 2025
At the Schools and Academies Show, Dame Christine Lenehan, the Department for Education’s strategic adviser on SEND, discussed potential changes to EHCPs, sparking speculation and concern about the future of EHCPs. She is quoted as saying:

“[…] what is the purpose of EHCPs? Are they delivering what they need to? And is the relationship in schools and local authorities in terms of putting the EHCP together and then delivering what the outcomes are, the right relationship with the right amount of stuff in.”

She later told Tes: “We are considering whether EHCPs are the right vehicle to go forward. They were introduced in 2014; is this the right system for supporting children’s needs?”

June 2025
As part of the Spending Review, the government announced that its approach to reforming the SEND system would be detailed in a new Schools White Paper in autumn 2025.

1st July 2025
Schools Minister Catherine McKinnell gave evidence during the final session of the Education Committee’s inquiry. She acknowledged that Local Authorities have seen a significant increase in the number of assessment requests for EHC plans and that the government therefore aims to create a more inclusive mainstream education system:

“The Department for Education commissioned independent insights and they were clear that the SEND system, if it was extensively improved (and that’s what we’re determined to do, including much better early intervention, more resources for mainstream schools) that tens of thousands more children and young people with SEND could have their needs met without an EHCP and could be educated in mainstream settings along with their peers.”

While stressing a focus on early intervention and mainstream inclusion, she assured the panel that “we haven’t made any decisions yet about any future changes on EHC plans” and reiterated that “we will avoid removing effective provision that is evidence-based and is working and is delivering for children and young people”.

McKinnell confirmed that more details will be published in the upcoming White Paper, including how ‘effective’ support will be determined.

18th July 2025
Dame Christine Lenehan spoke again at the Westminster Education Forum’s ‘Next steps for SEND provision in England’ online conference, pointing to two core challenges within the SEND / EHCP system: financial sustainability and poor outcomes.

“The system is no longer sustainable. We know that at schools, there are massive funding pressures. We know that local authorities are struggling to avoid bankruptcy […] The second thing, but the very separate thing is that the outcomes for children in the system are not good enough. And the Secretary of State is very clear that even if the financial challenge was not what it is, we would we want to be re looking at this system, because we can’t be satisfied for the outcomes of children that we’ve got.”

On the government’s focus on inclusion, she explained: “We also wanted to move away from a very strange place which we appeared to have got to, which is that there were SEND children and non-SEND children. There aren’t. There are children who have varying needs in the system, but have an equal right to an education and a life which is successful. So we wanted to understand what was the best of an inclusive education system.”

On EHCPs, she clarified:

“The government has not reached a decision […] We are still trying to work through this process in terms of, how do we hold onto [EHC] Plans? Who needs Plans? Are Plans the best route to delivering support for families, and what does it look like?”

She added that the White Paper will be subject to consultation: “Please know that a White Paper, when it comes out, is attached to a formal consultation process. So the government has to lay out its direction of travel. It has to lay out what it needs to be, and it has to open that up so that all of you who are obviously passionate about SEND […] have a chance to interrogate it, understand it, and ask us questions about it.”

What can you do now?

With significant uncertainty surrounding the role of EHCPs in future SEND reforms, campaigners are mobilising to ensure children’s legal rights are protected.

Special Needs Jungle (SNJ) has launched the Save Our Children’s Rights (SOCR) campaign in response to the ongoing developments. Their aim is to raise awareness and prompt action from families, educators and policymakers.

You can get involved by:

• Reading the SOCR Press Release
• Signing the petition, contacting your MP, or joining the photo campaign via the Save Our Children’s Rights website

As the government prepares to lay out its vision for the SEND system in the forthcoming White Paper, now is the time to ensure your voice, and those of the children most affected, is heard.