Schools White Paper | Reading Families Forum

Schools White Paper February 2026

The Schools White Paper was published on 23rd February 2026. There will now be a 12 week period of consultation on the proposals in the white paper. The consultation closes on 18 May 2026. More information on the consultation can be found below.

Reading Families Forum will be providing our own response to the consultation. While there are some positive proposals in the white paper, we also have significant concerns about how the changes will affect families in Reading and across the country.

How to share your views

Attend one of our events to find out more and give us your feedback that we can include in our response - details below.
Fill in our feedback form (link coming soon) or email us with your feedback that we can include in our response.
Respond to the consultation yourself - see our resource sheet Responding to the SEND Reforms Consultation.

SCHOOLS WHITE PAPER AND SEND REFORMS CONSULTATION ON-LINE DISCUSSIONS

Would you like to find out more about these important proposals and contribute your views to the consultation? Reading Families’ Forum would like to invite you to join one of the on-line sessions below to hear what we have learned so far. We will collect families’ views to include in our response to the consultation and support you to submit your own response.

Tuesday, 5 May, 7.30 pm - 9.30 pm
Friday, 8 May, 10 am - 12 noon

To Book: email fran@readingfamiliesforum.co.uk or phone/text 07516 185380

SHARE YOUR THOUGHTS : please answer 3 quick questions about the reforms at https://forms.gle/KWQ9WyyEo96si2fK6

FIND OUT MORE ABOUT THE PROPOSALS: CDC webinar https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ee8p83R5F-Q

We cannot stress enough that there are no immediate changes to any support available to children and young people and the existing law remains in place until any new law is passed by parliament.

If you are concerned about your legal rights or the provision your child / young person is receiving, you can get impartial advice from Reading IASS.

For general information about services in Reading available to your family, contact Reading Local Offer / Family Information Service.

For more information about Reading Families' Forum, or to join our mailing list, please visit the relevant pages of this site.

Contact Reading Families Forum or email us at info@readingfamiliesforum.co.uk

Alongside the Schools White Paper and SEND Reform consultation, the Department for Education (DfE) has published a series of clear, accessible summary guides outlining the key proposals and reforms. These documents are designed to help parents, carers and professionals better understand what is being proposed — and what it could mean for children and young people with SEND. The guides are in pdf format and each pdf is between two and nine pages long, offering concise, easy-to-read summaries of key proposals.

• What parents of children and young people with SEND need to know
• What to expect from your child’s journey through education
• What every parent can expect from the proposed reforms
• Information for those working in early years settings
• Information for mainstream school staff and leaders
• Information for leaders of special schools, AP and specialist post-16 institutions
• Information for those working in post-16 settings
• Guidance for parents and carers of children with EHCPs
• Guidance for families with children in special schools
• Guidance for families whose children receive SEND support in mainstream schools and colleges

Schools White Paper (html version)

Schools White Paper (easy read)

SEND reform consultation (full version)

SEND reform consultation (easy read)

Reading Families’ Forum (RFF) is an independent charity run by and for families of disabled children and young adults aged 0 – 25 years. We are Reading’s local parent carer forum and are part of the National Network of Parent Carer Forums. We work to ensure that local parent carers and young people with additional needs have a voice about the local services that they use.