When the government published Every Child Achieving and Thriving in February 2026, it described the proposals as a "radical expansion" of rights for children with special educational needs and disabilities. For those working in SEND schools, the white paper landed with the weight of a decade's worth of deferred reforms and an awful lot of questions.
That is precisely why Earwig Academic's national conference on 11th June is so timely. Bringing together SEND leaders, SENCOs, practitioners and school governors at the DoubleTree by Hilton in Stratford-upon-Avon, this CPD-accredited full-day event will cut through the policy language to ask: what does this actually mean in the classroom, the staffroom and the boardroom?
These numbers tell a story of a system under enormous strain. The Commons Education Committee concluded in 2025 that the SEND system had arguably already passed crisis point. Local authority finances have buckled under the weight of Education, Health and Care Plans (EHCPs), specialist placements have surged, and too many children have waited too long for support that should have been there from the start.
The white paper is the government's response to this. Its stated ambition is bold: to create a simpler, more logical system that reaches children earlier, distributes support more evenly, and reduces the adversarial process that has left so many families exhausted.
At the heart of the reforms is a new four-tier model of support, replacing what critics have called the current all-or-nothing approach centred on EHCPs. Under the new framework, all children will receive a universal baseline high-quality adaptive teaching, calm environments and early intervention in every school. Beyond that, children with greater needs will access targeted, targeted-plus, or specialist support, the last of which retains the EHCP and a new Specialist Provision Package.
For SEND and specialist schools, one of the most significant changes concerns funding and placements. The white paper proposes to change the law on independent special schools to ensure local authorities pay a reasonable price, a recognition that the current market has become unsustainable. At the same time, a new £200 million teacher training programme aims to upskill mainstream staff, potentially reshaping who ends up in specialist provision in the first place.
Perhaps the most immediate practical change is the introduction of digital Individual Support Plans (ISPs) for every child with identified additional needs. These will replace the current patchwork of paper-based records and be accessible to both teachers and parents. For SEND schools already navigating complex documentation, understanding how ISPs will integrate with existing systems and what Earwig's own platform tools can do to help will be a key focus of the day.
Crucially, the government has confirmed that no changes to existing EHCP provision will begin before September 2030, and the consultation on the proposals remained open until 18th May 2026. There is still time to shape your school's response and the conference will help you know where to focus.
The programme features a series of practical themes designed for school teams to work through the implications together. Whether you lead a specialist school, manage a growing SEND caseload in a mainstream setting, or are responsible for staff development, your priorities will be addressed.
The conference agenda is designed to be hands-on, leaving delegates with clear actions to take back to their schools not just an overview of what the white paper says, but a working plan for what to do next.
THE IMPLICATIONS OF THE SEND WHITE PAPER FOR SPECIAL SCHOOLS
Amy Creatura brings fifteen years of experience in special education, twelve of which have been spent in senior leadership roles including Headteacher and Deputy Executive Principal. Her work spans both grassroots practice and strategic leadership, giving her a rare, grounded perspective on the challenges and opportunities that face the sector at this pivotal moment.
As someone who is neuro-divergent herself, Amy combines professional expertise with personal insight a perspective that shapes her passionate advocacy for more inclusive, empowering and effective special education.
She is co-founder of the Divergent Schools initiative, a pioneering model of education for children who need more support than mainstream settings offer, but whose needs aren't met by traditional special schools. Through this work she has been instrumental in promoting neuro-inclusive practice that genuinely values each child's strengths and potential.
Her keynote will focus on The Implications of the SEND White Paper for Special Schools” an especially timely address as the sector responds to national policy developments and pushes for better outcomes for learners with SEND. Amy's commitment to disrupting outdated systems and championing meaningful progress makes her a compelling and necessary voice to open this conference.
This conference is designed for headteachers and principals, SENCOs and inclusion leads in Earwig schools who want to understand what the reforms mean for their day-to-day work as well as learning how Earwig's documentation and observation tools are being developed in response to the ISP requirements set out in the white paper.
Taking place at the beautiful DoubleTree by Hilton in Stratford-upon-Avon, the conference promises expert-led discussions, interactive workshops, networking opportunities and practical takeaways for delegates from across the country. Whether your focus is AI in education, the new white paper, assessment and reporting, or broader leadership in special education, this is the event to be at this summer.
Reserve your place at the CPD-accredited Earwig National Conference 11th June, DoubleTree by Hilton, Stratford-upon-Avon