The Government proposals are based on support being readily available in settings across, universal, targeted and targeted-plus layers.

The Government intends to introduce National Inclusion Standards to address the current inconsistency in provision across settings and regions. The standards will aim to provide education providers with clear, evidence-based guidance and practical tools, so that they can adopt inclusive whole-setting approaches and strategies, and quickly recognise and respond to barriers to learning and participation.

The government has committed to provide £200 million over three years to fund a new training package on inclusion for all staff working across early years, schools and Post‑16 settings

The Government proposes to introduce a duty on schools and colleges to produce an ISP for any child or young person with SEND – a digital documents used to record and monitor a child or young person’s special educational needs and provision.

Local areas will receive funding to develop an Experts at Hand offer which enables professionals – such as speech and language therapists or education psychologists – to work directly with mainstream settings to enable support across the universal, targeted and targeted plus layers.

The document also sets out plans to increase the speech and language therapy workforce.

The Government consultation does not include a specific question about its plans to increase the speech and language therapy workforce, but we would like to hear your thoughts and ideas.

The Government is providing funding to create tens of thousands of new places in Inclusion Bases in mainstream settings, intended to deliver high-quality teaching and support to children with more complex needs who would benefit from provision that bridges the current gap between mainstream and specialist settings.

The government proposes that only children and young people with “the most complex needs” who require an offer which is substantially different from the usual curriculum model and approach delivered in mainstream setting will receive specialist support, based on nationally defined ‘Specialist Provision Packages’. Eligibility for an Education, Health and Care Plan will be based on whether the child requires the support set out in a Specialist Provision Package.

The Government proposes to replace the current four ‘broad areas of need’ (communication and interaction; cognition and learning; social, emotional and mental health; physical and/or sensory) with five new areas of development. The change include separating mental health needs from social and emotional development.

The proposals stress the importance of early identification and intervention, and put Best Start Family Hubs and early years settings at the heart of their approach.

The government says it is working to ensure that transition to higher education, training or employment is as smooth as possible for young people with SEND.

Over time, the Government intend to rebalance funding towards mainstream schools and colleges, by moving a portion of funding currently distributed through local authorities from high needs budgets directly into mainstream core budgets so they can respond to children and young people’s needs more quickly and flexibly.

The Government proposes to introduce new accountability measures at different levels, including for local areas where it recognises that local authority SEND leadership and local Area SEND partnerships are critical’

The Government plans to retain the Tribunal as a backstop, but proposes some changes to its powers.

The Government consultation does not include a question about Tribunals, but the RCSLT would like to understand our members’ views about this.