The Children's Wellbeing and Schools Act is now law. What does it mean for disabled children?

The Children's Wellbeing and Schools Act received Royal Assent on 29 April 2026. The SEND consultation has closed. An Education for All Bill has been announced. Here is what families need to know.

The Children's Wellbeing and Schools Act 2026 received Royal Assent on 29 April 2026 and is now law. This is one of the most significant pieces of education legislation in recent years, covering safeguarding, school oversight, attendance monitoring, and new duties on schools around breakfast clubs and uniform costs.

For families of children with disabilities and complex needs, the most important thing to understand is this: the Act does not change your child's SEND rights. Existing EHCP law remains in place. The SEND reforms proposed in the Schools White Paper are separate and will require their own legislation. That legislation, an Education for All Bill, was announced in the King's Speech on 13 May 2026 and has not yet been introduced to Parliament.

However, the Act does expand local authority powers around school attendance. Schools and local authorities will have stronger tools to monitor and enforce attendance. For families of children with medical conditions, therapy schedules, or school-related anxiety linked to unmet SEND needs, this is worth watching. If your child's attendance is affected by their disability or health condition, make sure the school has up-to-date medical evidence and that any reasonable adjustments are documented.

Meanwhile, the SEND consultation closed on 18 May 2026. The Department for Education is now reviewing responses and will publish a formal response later this year setting out which proposals it intends to take forward, change, or develop further. No changes to the SEND system will happen until the Education for All Bill goes through Parliament, and there will be further opportunities to influence the process at that stage.

For now, your child's EHCP rights are unchanged. If you are told that support has changed because of the White Paper, that is not correct. If your child's provision is not being delivered as specified in their plan, the legal duties on the local authority (Section F) and ICB (Section G) remain exactly as they were. Thrive can provide independent physiotherapy assessments and reports to support annual reviews, reassessments, or Tribunal proceedings.