Schools White Paper: Every Child Achieving and Thriving

Peter Swallow Excerpts

Monday 23rd February 2026 Commons Chamber

[Madam Deputy Speaker]

Order. Can we have much shorter questions, please?

[Peter Swallow (Bracknell) (Lab)]

Countless parents in my constituency have described the constant fight to get support for their SEND children. They have to battle to get a piece of paper that sets out rights that they then cannot access because the support is not there. Will the Secretary of State set out what the new system will mean for the day-to-day lives of children and their parents, and how we can rebuild trust after so many have been let down for so long?

[Bridget Phillipson]

My hon. Friend has championed this cause locally and is doing a huge amount to ensure his constituents get the best possible education and care for their children. The principal difference is that support will come earlier and more quickly, and families will not have to fight so hard to get what they need. Children will not need a statutory plan or an EHCP to receive targeted support. The support will be designed with parents through individual support plans, with extra investment—the investment that I have announced today alone is an extra £4 billion. That will make a huge difference to families across the country.