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SEND reform could change how tutors support SEN pupils

England’s proposed SEND reforms could introduce Individual Support Plans and a clearer support ladder. For tutors, the practical issue is how to work alongside school plans without overstepping into diagnosis, legal advice or SENCO decisions.

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Editorial

  • Portrait of Robin GibbonsLead authorFounder & CEO·Latimer Tuition
  • Reviewed byHeather LatimerTutor Matching & Customer Service·Latimer Tuition
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Current answer

What has changed — and what has not changed yet?

The SEND reform proposals covered here are England-focused proposals, not new tutor duties already in force. The Department for Education says the changes were announced as part of the schools white paper, Every Child Achieving and Thriving, and that the Education for All Bill confirms the Government’s intention to legislate. The same DfE explainer says the Bill is subject to consultation outcomes and uses this important status wording:

“not the introduction of legislation” — Department for Education

For tutors, the practical point is not that private tutoring must suddenly follow a new statutory form. It is that SEND tutoring may increasingly need to sit neatly alongside school plans, EHCP outcomes, SEN Support information or future Individual Support Plans where a parent chooses to share them. A tutor can prepare by keeping session aims, notes and parent updates clear, factual and linked to the support already being used at school.

This page uses SEND and EHCP language mainly in the English education-policy context. Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland have separate frameworks and terminology, so the proposed Individual Support Plan, National Inclusion Standards and EHCP transition details should not be treated as automatically UK-wide.

SEND reform: key points for tutors

Use these as the working facts before getting into the details.

The reforms are proposed, not settled law

The DfE describes the white paper and Education for All Bill as the path towards legislation, while also saying the announcement is not itself legislation. Tutors should avoid saying ISPs or National Inclusion Standards are already current legal duties.

Individual Support Plans are the main tutor-facing change to watch

Under the proposals, an Individual Support Plan would be a digital record of a child’s needs and day-to-day support, accessible to teachers and parents. Department for Education

The proposed model has a support ladder

DfE describes Universal support for all pupils, then Targeted, Targeted Plus and Specialist support for children with additional needs. Tutors should treat those tiers as proposed policy language until final law and guidance are in place.

EHCPs are not changing immediately

DfE says EHCPs would remain for children needing more than mainstream support can routinely provide, and says changes to EHCP-backed support would not begin before September 2030. Department for Education

The current England framework still matters

The SEND Code of Practice remains the key statutory guidance for England’s current SEND system until any new legislation and commencement changes that position. GOV.UK SEND Code of Practice

Tutors can align, but should not overclaim

Where parents share an EHCP, SEN Support plan, school support plan or future ISP, tutors can shape sessions around the documented targets and strategies. That is best practice, not a new statutory duty for private tutors.

SEND notes can be sensitive

Only collect and share relevant information, keep access limited, and use parent permission for ordinary school liaison. Extra care is needed when information concerns a child’s learning, health or support needs.

Key terms in the SEND reform discussion

These definitions help tutors keep current SEND language separate from proposed reform language.

Plain-English definitions for current and proposed SEND terms relevant to tutors.

TermPlain-English meaningCurrent status

SEND

Special educational needs and disabilities. In this page, the detailed reform wording is mainly England-focused.

Current term, but frameworks differ across UK nations.

SEN Support

Current school or college support before or without an EHC plan. GOV.UK gives examples such as extra help, small-group work and communication support.

Current England guidance. See GOV.UK.

EHC plan / EHCP

A current statutory plan for children and young people up to age 25 who need more support than SEN Support can provide.

Current England guidance. See GOV.UK.

Individual Support Plan (ISP)

A proposed digital plan recording a child’s needs, day-to-day support and how support will be given.

Proposed reform language; not a current universal legal requirement.

National Inclusion Standards

Proposed national standards linked to the SEND reforms. Avoid assuming detailed content until the standards are published or formally defined.

Proposed reform language.

Tiered support model

DfE’s proposed ladder of additional support above the universal classroom offer.

Proposed reform language.

Current SEND support and the proposed model

This table is a working translation for tutors. It does not replace school, SENCO or local-authority advice.

Comparison of current England SEND support language and proposed SEND reform language.

AreaCurrent positionProposed directionTutor implication

In-school support

SEN Support may include extra help, adapted programmes, smaller-group work, observation or communication support.

Targeted support would be recorded in an ISP, with examples such as small-group speech and language support or sensory support.

Ask parents whether there are current targets or strategies that can sensibly shape tutoring aims.

More specialist input

Some pupils may receive school-arranged specialist advice or move towards an EHC needs assessment where school support is not enough.

Targeted Plus would involve more specialist support from education and health professionals, including the planned Experts at Hand offer.

Use strategies shared by parents or the school; do not create your own therapeutic plan or make diagnostic claims.

Complex needs

An EHC plan sets out education, health and social care needs plus additional support for children and young people up to age 25.

Specialist support would sit alongside a Specialist Provision Package and EHCP, with day-to-day support also recorded in an ISP.

Align tutoring with the parent-shared outcomes and strategies, and keep notes focused on learning progress.

National Inclusion Standards

The current baseline is the existing England SEND framework and SEND Code of Practice.

DfE has proposed National Inclusion Standards, but the final content and legal effect should not be assumed from the name alone.

Use the phrase carefully. Do not tell parents that a specific national standard already entitles their child to a particular tutoring approach.

The proposed support ladder: Universal to Specialist

The DfE’s proposed model is useful for tutors because it shows how support may become more explicit. Treat these as proposed tiers, not final eligibility rules.

Universal support

The base offer for all pupils, described by DfE as including adaptive teaching, calm environments and early help. A tutor might mirror the same clarity: predictable lesson structure, clear instructions, manageable tasks and regular checks for understanding.

Targeted support

Structured additional support for a child with additional needs, with DfE examples including small-group speech and language support or help managing sensory needs. A tutor can ask whether the parent can share any relevant target or strategy already being used at school.

Targeted Plus

More specialist support from education and health professionals, including through the planned Experts at Hand offer. A tutor should follow agreed strategies shared by parents or school, rather than attempting specialist assessment or therapy.

Specialist support

Comprehensive specialist support for children with complex needs, linked in the DfE proposal to a Specialist Provision Package and EHCP. Tutoring should stay anchored to the EHCP outcomes or school advice the parent shares.

What tutors can do now

These steps help tutors work alongside school support without pretending that proposed ISPs are already current law.

  • Ask what already exists

    Before or early in tutoring, ask the parent whether the pupil has an EHCP, SEN Support plan, school support plan or other school guidance they are happy to share.

  • Use the plan to set lesson aims

    Turn relevant outcomes or strategies into specific tutoring aims: for example, reading fluency, written structure, working memory strategies, vocabulary development or confidence with multi-step tasks.

  • Record what was tried and what helped

    Session notes are most useful when they say what the pupil worked on, which adjustment was used, how the pupil responded and what the next sensible step is.

  • Keep parent updates factual

    Write in learning terms, not diagnostic terms. Say “short movement breaks helped attention during the second task” rather than “this proves the pupil needs a different plan”.

  • Use parent permission for school contact

    If SENCO or teacher input would help, ask the parent first. Agree what will be shared, why it is useful, and whether the parent wants to send it themselves.

  • Collect the minimum necessary information

    The ICO says organisations should be especially careful when sharing children’s personal information. Keep notes relevant, limit access and avoid forwarding sensitive documents unless there is a clear reason. ICO

  • Know the boundary

    Tutors can support learning and provide factual observations. They should not diagnose SEND, give legal advice, replace a SENCO, secure an EHCP or guarantee a placement.

Example: useful session notes without overclaiming

A good note can help parents and schools understand what happened in tutoring without turning the tutor into a clinician, legal adviser or school decision-maker.

Examples of weaker and stronger SEND tutoring notes.

SituationLess useful wordingBetter wordingWhy the better version helps

Reading fluency target

The pupil is behind and needs more help.

Worked on reading fluency using repeated reading of a short paragraph. Accuracy improved after modelling and phrase-by-phrase practice; next step is to practise expression and pacing.

It links the activity to a support need, records the adjustment and gives a next step without making a diagnosis.

Attention during written work

The pupil cannot concentrate for long.

A two-minute movement break after ten minutes helped the pupil return to the writing task and complete the planned paragraph scaffold.

It describes what was observed and what helped, which can be shared with parents if relevant.

Parent shares a plan target

We covered English.

Linked the session to the shared target on planning sentences before writing. The pupil used a three-box plan independently for two short responses.

It shows how tutoring connects with a documented target instead of giving a vague curriculum summary.

Tutor notices persistent difficulty

The pupil definitely needs an EHCP.

The same difficulty appeared across three tasks despite cues and reduced writing load. It may be worth discussing this pattern with the SENCO or relevant professional.

It is factual and useful, while leaving formal assessment and decisions to the right people.

A parent update you can adapt

Suggested wording if a parent asks what SEND reform means for tutoring

When this applies

Use when a parent asks whether the proposed SEND reforms change their child’s tutoring immediately.

Suggested wording

Hello [Name], at the moment these SEND reform proposals do not change [Child]’s current school support or EHCP. The Government has proposed Individual Support Plans in England, but the Department for Education says the current announcement is not itself legislation. For tutoring, the useful step now is that I can align our sessions with any current EHCP, SEN Support or school support targets you are happy to share. I will keep notes focused on learning targets, adjustments and progress, and I will avoid making diagnostic or legal judgements. If you would like school input, you may want to ask the SENCO which strategies they would like reinforced in tutoring.

Why this helps

It gives the parent a direct answer, keeps the reform status accurate, offers a practical next step and makes the tutor’s boundary clear.

Sources used for this explainer

This article uses official sources for date-sensitive SEND reform, EHCP and children’s information points.

  • Department for Education

    Education Hub explainer, posted 13 May 2026 — SEND reform proposals, Individual Support Plans, tiered support and EHCP timing.

    Open source

  • GOV.UK SEND Code of Practice

    Statutory guidance for England’s current SEND system, published 11 June 2014 and last updated 12 September 2024.

    Open source

  • GOV.UK EHC plans

    Current GOV.UK guidance on EHC plans and extra help for children and young people with SEND.

    Open source

  • GOV.UK SEN Support

    Current GOV.UK guidance on special educational needs support in school or college.

    Open source

  • ICO children’s information guidance

    Official guidance on children’s information and data protection by design, with updates shown in May 2026.

    Open source

  • ICO: sharing children’s personal information

    Official guidance on sharing children’s personal information with third parties.

    Open source

  • Scottish Government: additional support for learning

    Used only for the brief caveat that Scotland has a separate additional support for learning framework.

    Open source

Related Ed Centre pages

Continue exploring Tutoring news and sector guides for UK tutors

These linked pages help students and parents move between closely related guidance instead of reaching a dead end.

Related guide

Exam access arrangements are now a bigger tutoring issue

Ofqual’s 2024–25 England figures show high and rising approvals, especially 25% extra time. Tutors need to explain evidence, normal way of working and private-candidate centre rules without promising an outcome.

Support and clarity

Frequently asked questions

Straight answers to the questions people ask most often.

What is SEND reform?

In this article, SEND reform means England-focused Government proposals for the special educational needs and disabilities system, including Individual Support Plans, National Inclusion Standards and a proposed support ladder. The DfE announcement should be treated as proposed reform, not as a change that has already created new duties for tutors.

Is the SEND reform already law?

No. DfE says the Education for All Bill confirms an intention to legislate, but the Bill is not itself the legislation. The current English SEND framework, including the SEND Code of Practice, remains the baseline until new law and start dates change it. Department for Education GOV.UK

What is an Individual Support Plan?

An Individual Support Plan, or ISP, is a proposed digital record of a child’s needs, day-to-day support and how support will be given. Under the proposal, the duty to create and review one would sit with schools, nurseries and colleges, not private tutors.

Will EHCPs change under SEND reform?

DfE says EHCPs will stay in place for children who need more support than is routinely available in mainstream schools. It also says every child with an EHCP would have an ISP, and that changes to EHCP-backed support would not begin before September 2030. Department for Education

How should tutors use an EHCP, SEN Support plan or school support plan?

With parent permission, tutors can use relevant targets, outcomes and strategies to shape session aims, adjustments and progress notes. The safest notes are factual: what was worked on, what support was used, how the pupil responded and what the next step is.

Can a tutor contact a pupil’s SENCO?

For routine communication, ask the parent first. Share only information that is relevant to the agreed purpose, such as a concise summary of strategies that helped in tutoring. For formal SEND decisions, parents should speak directly with the school, SENCO, local authority or a qualified adviser. The ICO advises particular care when sharing children’s information. ICO

Does this apply across the UK?

The named ISP, National Inclusion Standards, tiered support and EHCP transition details are England-focused. Tutors in Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland should use the terminology and processes in their nation’s framework rather than assuming English EHCP or ISP language applies.

Sources and references

Sources and references

  • 1.
    Department for Education

    Department for Education / The Education Hub · · Accessed

    Main official source for the schools white paper SEND reform explainer, proposed Individual Support Plans, tiered support and EHCP transition timing.

  • 2.
    GOV.UK SEND Code of Practice

    Department for Education and Department of Health and Social Care · · Accessed

    Current statutory guidance for the SEND system for children and young people aged 0 to 25 in England; originally published 11 June 2014 and last updated 12 September 2024.

  • 3.
    GOV.UK EHC plans

    GOV.UK · Accessed

    Current GOV.UK guidance explaining EHC plans, extra help and the threshold wording used in the article.

  • 4.
    GOV.UK SEN Support

    GOV.UK · Accessed

    Current GOV.UK guidance on SEN Support and school-based support examples.

  • 5.
    ICO children’s information guidance

    Information Commissioner’s Office · · Accessed

    Official guidance used for children’s information, data minimisation, strict access and careful sharing.

  • 6.
    ICO sharing children’s personal information

    Information Commissioner’s Office · · Accessed

    Official guidance for the quoted wording on taking extra care when sharing children’s personal information with third parties.

  • 7.
    Scottish Government additional support for learning

    Scottish Government · Accessed

    Background reference for the brief Scotland caveat that additional support for learning is a separate framework.