17/03/2026
You may have seen conversations about the new SEND Reform and something called “Specialist Provision Packages.”
Many professionals are discussing what this could mean.
But what does it mean for your child?
The idea behind these packages is to create more consistency across the country — so support doesn’t depend on your postcode. That intention matters.
However, children are not standard profiles.
Two children with the same diagnosis can have completely different experiences in school. One may cope with small adjustments. Another may need regular sensory regulation, movement breaks or environmental changes to feel safe enough to learn.
Support should always be based on how a child functions not just what label appears on paper.
One of the concerns being raised is about children who sit in the “middle band” of need.
The children who:
• Are bright but exhausted
• Mask well but melt down at home
• Are managing academically but struggling emotionally
• Don’t look “complex enough” on paper
These children still need structured, thoughtful support.
Inclusion is not simply being placed in a classroom.
It is being able to participate in it.
Reform can be positive if it protects flexibility, values professional assessment and keeps the focus on functional participation.
At Open Arms Support Services, we will always advocate for support that sees the whole child their sensory needs, their regulation, their motor development and their emotional safety.
Systems may change.
Children’s need to feel understood does not.
If you’re feeling unsure about what this reform means for your child, you are not alone and conversations like this matter.
