Reforming SEND: Why children and young people’s voices must be heard

Blog post Part of special issue: Key changes to SEND in England in the 2026 schools white paper

Reforming SEND: Why children and young people’s voices must be heard

Tricia Shaw, Reader at University of Hull 31 Jul 2026

Background

In its efforts to improve outcomes for children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) in the UK, the Department for Education (DfE) is currently consulting on proposed reforms to the SEND system. In its , the DfE states that it is interested in hearing from everyone with a stake in the reforms including children and young people (CYP), voices that are often excluded from such processes.

In previous consultations, the DfE faced significant criticism for failing to provide accessible documents that can be easily read and understood by people in the disabled community, and arguably, CYP. While it is encouraging to see that some of these concerns have been addressed through the provision of an explaining the proposed changes, and an accompanying , the tone and content still appear to be directed primarily at adults (that is, parents, teachers) rather than at the CYP whose experiences are central to the reforms.

Engaging with children and young people’s voices

The DfE acknowledges the importance of engaging with children’s voices in the policy paper, stating: ‘When children are not included in the system – their voices ignored and needs unmet – it leads to disengagement, isolation, and lasting educational inequality.’ While the reforms are presented as cocreated with stakeholders, including CYP, the DfE relies heavily on evidence from the (2024/5) survey, (average response rate 36.2 per cent), raising concerns about whose voices are represented. Data on pupils’ school experiences were collected through the , and only from students in years 7–11, limiting how far the findings reflect the experiences of the wider student population, especially younger children and those with SEND.

Within the consultation paper, the DfE acknowledges children’s rights in line with the and the . The DfE engaged with CYP as part of its (2026), working in conjunction with the Council for Disabled Children. In this process, they noted CYP’s wishes to ‘see us as individuals’ and that there should be ‘nothing about young people without us’. Yet their commitment to ongoing engagement appears to be missing from this crucial consultation phase. Instead, the consultation relies on vague phrases such as ‘we will continue in that spirit as we move into formal conversation’, without providing detail about how this engagement will take place.

Conflicting priorities

The DfE’s commitment to placing ‘children’s voices at the heart of decision making’, is not reflected in the online consultation materials, mechanisms for feedback, or development of the new Pupil Engagement Framework (PEF) (to be introduced summer 2026). This sits uneasily alongside their acknowledgement of ‘the importance of communication and consistent support with children and young people at every stage of the system’. For example, Appendix C of the SEND reform consultation paper, asks respondents to identify themselves, including options such as ‘student’, ‘parent’ and ‘teacher’. This suggests the consultation aims to capture a wide range of voices, including CYP. However, many of the questions in Part B appear to be directed primarily at adults. One example, ‘How can we ensure that children are best supported by the Universal offer?’ clearly relies on technical language; this makes it difficult for many CYP to engage with the consultation directly.

Concerns also arise over the development of the PEF, which draws insight from CYP via the PPLV, and their parents, school leaders and other experts. As highlighted earlier, this raises important questions about how the voices of the vulnerable yet powerful group of students with SEND will be heard.

Absence of child and young people’s voices in consultations

‘If the DfE is committed to understanding the views and experiences of those most affected by these reforms, it must prioritise authentic engagement with children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities.’

Finally, it is important to recognise that the voices of CYP with SEND are rarely consulted, with many positioned as end users of policies developed in their name rather than active participants in their design. If the DfE is committed to understanding the views and experiences of those most affected by these reforms, it must prioritise authentic engagement with CYP with SEND. This is not a new concern: prior to the SEND reform paper, workshops by the emphasised that coproduction with CY&P is essential to meaningful reform. Yet the evidence presented here suggests that the DfE has not placed CYP at the forefront of its consultation, representing a significant missed opportunity to ground reform in lived experience.

Tricia Shaw, Dr

Reader at University of Hull

Tricia Shaw is a Reader in the School of Education, University of Hull, with experience of teaching and developing inclusion programmes at undergraduate and postgraduate levels. Her research centres on understanding children and young people’s perspectives of inclusion in school. She has contributed to several funded projects, including ‘The platformised school: Widening opportunities or exacerbating inequalities?’, which involved pupils, parents and teachers in two secondary schools. Before moving into academia, Tricia worked as a primary school teacher for 20 years, including eight years as a special educational needs co-ordinator. Here, she developed a strong interest in engaging with voices of children with special educational needs and disabilities; this led her to undertake a Master’s in Educational, Management and Change at York St John University. She completed her PhD at the University of Southampton in 2017, exploring young children’s perceptions of inclusion...