SEND Reform

About

ALLFIE’s campaign on how the SEND system must change, to recognise and realise Disabled children and Young peoples’ rights to Inclusive Education.

Schools White Paper and SEND Reform Consultation

ALLFIE is campaigning in response to the UK government’s SEND Reform consultation, which was published alongside the Schools White Paper on 23 February 2026.

The White Paper: Every Child Achieving and Thriving sets out the government’s direction for SEND reform and includes proposals that threaten Disabled children and young people’s right to Inclusive Education in mainstream schools.

The further 12-week consultation, outlined in the Green Paper: SEND reform: putting children and young people first, provides the final opportunity to influence the policy proposals before they are brought before Parliament.

We are currently mobilising members and supporters to respond to this consultation and ensure the rights of Disabled children and young people are not undermined. We are calling on all parents and families, young Disabled people, education professionals, Legal practitioners, DPOs, allies and to join the Inclusive Education Movement and participate in our campaign to ensure the voices of Disabled people are represented in government decisions around SEND reform.

Our collective power can dismantle segregation and build an Inclusive Education system where Disabled people belong, thrive and lead.

Demand Inclusive Education – NOW!

Background:

On Monday 23rd February 2026, the government published two documents, SEND reform: putting children and young people first and Every child achieving and thriving, raising serious concerns about their commitment to Inclusive Education.

ALLFIE immediately raised serious and urgent concerns about this Schools White Paper and SEND reform Consultation in a press release.

• Easy Read White Paper

Why are we campaigning?

Disabled children and Young people are being systematically failed by an education system that chooses segregation over inclusion and exclusion over dignity. We say enough is enough. We reject a system that deepens harm, normalises segregation, and denies Disabled children and young people their futures.

At ALLFIE, we believe:

• In an education system built on inclusion, equality, and dignity for all. Every child has the right to learn, play, and grow alongside their peers, not apart from them. Inclusive education is the foundation of a fair society, where difference is understood, respected, and valued.
• Segregation has no place in our schools. Placing Disabled children in Units within mainstream settings separates them from school life and undermines their right to belong. Inclusion cannot exist in name only, it must be experienced in everyday learning, relationships, and opportunities.
• All children deserve equal access to high-quality teaching and the full curriculum. When Disabled children are disproportionately taught outside the classroom, by less qualified staff, or without access to the national curriculum, they are denied the same opportunities as their peers.
• Every child should be treated with equal worth and expectation. Anything less risks perpetuating inequality and may amount to discrimination.
• Inclusive Education is not a favour. It is not optional. It is a right.
• An education system that values inclusion over segregation is essential, because anything less fails Disabled children and young people.

What do we want?

Our demands for the UK Government:

• A clear plan to phase out segregated education with enforceable targets.
• Investment in inclusive teacher training, including recruitment and support for Disabled teachers.
• Action to end disablism, ablism and intersectional discrimination within education policy and practice.
• The development of monitoring systems to track progress towards genuine inclusion, rooted in rights and social justice.
• End the use of force, restraint and seclusion units in education settings
• Remove reservation on Article 24 on Inclusive Education of the UNCRD

What ALLFIE is doing

• Hosting consultation events to respond to the government: Add events page
• Holding a hybrid event to launch a regional Inclusive Education Movement
• We will be publishing a series of SEND Reform articles to guide you through the White Paper.
• We will keep you updated: Sign up for email updates

What you can do – Call to Action

• Join our Inclusive Education Movement – it’s free!
• Attend a SEND Reform consultation event
• Attend the regional launch, either in-person or online

Educate, Don’t Segregate rally

On Human Rights Day, 10th December 2025, Disabled People’s Organisations, activists, parliamentarians and supporters united online to campaign for an Inclusive Education system that values the rights of all Disabled people. The aim – to end injustice caused by segregated education and raise concerns about the government’s proposals for the Schools White Paper on SEND.

Disabled people and allies delivered a clear message: Inclusive Education is a right – not a privilege. Segregation has caused generations of injustice, and we won’t accept government SEND White Paper reforms that weaken our rights. United in solidarity, we demand: No new special schools or SEN units. No funding cuts. No force or exclusion! The government must uphold the Equality Act 2010 and the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.

Rally report: Educate Don’t Segregate: Disabled People Demand Their Human Rights – ALLFIE

Disabled People’s Organisations, activists, parliamentarians and supporters are uniting to oppose government agenda that increases segregation in education. Together, we are demanding an education system that values Inclusive Education and the rights of all Disabled people.

We demand an end to:

• Building new special schools and SEN Units
• Delaying the School’s White Paper on SEND reform
• Funding structures favouring segregated schooling
• Cuts to SEND resources in mainstream schools
• The use of force, restraint and seclusion in educational settings
• Systemic barriers that exclude Disabled people
• Government failing to uphold the UNCRPD commitment to Inclusive Education