UK SEND support and educational reforms

Efforts to improve support for students with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) are being addressed through both systemic training proposals and local government implementation in the United Kingdom.

On a structural level, the National Association of Special Educational Needs Teachers in Training (NASBTT) has proposed redesigning teacher preparation to better manage uncertainty and adapt teaching methods. This includes calls for a national content map for SEND and improved school-based mentoring. Additionally, research highlights a significant gap in support for dually identified students, with 75 percent of educators reporting a lack of appropriately trained staff to assist English learners within special education.

At the local level, UK councils are deploying specific reforms to manage service delivery. Somerset has utilized a £5.3 million investment to reduce assessment backlogs and ensure successful school transfers for students with Education, Health and Care Plans (EHCPs). Meanwhile, Warwickshire County Council is expanding specialist capacity by recruiting frontline professionals and significantly increasing Resourced Provision places, with the goal of reducing long-term waits for ADHD diagnoses by 2029.