UNISON members supporting children and young people with SEND have seen what a decade of cuts to special needs services have resulted in.
On 24 February 2026, the Government published their white paper, ‘Every child achieving and thriving’, which outlines proposed reforms to the schools and SEND system in England.
UNISON welcomes the £1.6 billion in funding promised by the white paper. Investment in SEND reforms is desperately needed. But we question whether this amount will be enough, and what mechanisms will be in place to make sure the money goes where it is needed.
The white paper’s ambition on inclusion is welcome. A stronger mainstream offer, earlier intervention and clearer graduated support are all objectives UNISON supports. However, reforms must properly recognise and reward the vital role support staff play in delivering for children with SEND.
UNISON knows that teaching assistants are pivotal to inclusion. They are often the staff who:
- deliver targeted and small group interventions
- scaffold classroom learning
- support communication, regulation and behaviour
- implement elements of graduated response
- work most closely with pupils with EHCPs
There is evidence that thoughtful deployment of TAs, linked to high quality teaching and focused on promoting independence, improves outcomes.
However, funding pressures in schools mean that the role of the TA has been stretched to include ever-more responsibilities. In some settings, teaching assistants are routinely deployed to cover teacher absence, while in others, they have taken on increasingly complex SEND and therapeutic responsibilities. School staff, and primarily support staff, are increasingly expected to carry out clinical care for pupils with medical conditions.
Therefore, SEND reforms need to look more closely at how support staff fit into the school structure. They need to make sure that the contribution of support staff to children and young people with SEND is not only acknowledged, but properly funded and recognised with fair pay, clear role definition, and properly funded training and supervision.
The white paper promises a welcome investment of £200 million in SEND training.
It is essential that this training is not restricted to teachers; support staff must be able to access it too. Any reform that ignores support staff ignores a central part of SEND provision.
UNISON will be responding to the Government’s consultation, ‘SEND reform: putting children and young people first’, and we want to hear your views.
Your thoughts on the SEND review
The need for reform from a SEND caseworker
Karen Jackson, a SEND caseworker and UNISON activist, reflects on the need for the SEND review, and outlines key issues it needs to address:
“Since the new SEND reforms have come in Sept 2014 there was very little direction for schools on how deliver SEND provision in the setting. Also with the reduction of an inclusive curriculum, we have seen the children who once managed in school at SEND Support status struggle significantly, which unfortunately has led to some of them disengaging in their learning or being permanently excluded. Therefore what we have now on a daily basis is the following:
- Lack of specialist schools. Especially in specialist ASD provision. As diagnosis’ is increasing year on year. I often wonder now how much environmental is a factor is some cases, (This is just my own perception). To further impact mainstream schools have a higher proportion of children and young people who have complex needs placed in their school, without the appropriate support. Which is no fault of schools.
- School having to deliver a narrowed curriculum that only a certain proportion of children can access nationally. (We need a broad and balanced curriculum so children can thrive and where their strengths can be harnessed in order for them to experience success in their education and then on into adulthood.
- School budgets have been slashed which has led to experienced support staff and teachers having to leave the profession to secure other employment. Which in turn, has left schools to manage children / young people with complex needs, who require the adults to have skills at a level that can be responsive to their needs. Which on occasions can lead to a child or young person displaying outbursts of aggression.
It is my own personal view that support staff are one of the critical frontline services in schools, very often the last line of defence for children and young people who have complex needs. They are the staff that make the key difference to enable a child or young person to experience success, enjoyment and develop skills that give them the opportunities to develop resilience to prepare for adulthood. Which is very much needed in society today, but we must be fair and give members the support tools and the access to high quality CPD to support them in the key roles they provide to the education system.
Without this vital body of professional, flexible and highly skilled staff working in our schools, many of our children and young people would not be able to access the routines of the school day or the curriculum at level appropriate to meet their additional and sometimes complex needs.
This is why school support staff should be recognised in their own right as professionals in the Government’s SEND reforms and education as a whole.”