# Publish national inclusion standards for SEND

> “We are developing national inclusion standards, which we will publish alongside any legislation or further steps we take on SEND.”
>
> — Lucy Powell, Secretary of State for Education, Labour Party; Commons statement, 9 September 2026

- **Status:** Promised
- **Status ladder:** Promised → In plan → Legislated → Funded → Delivering → Delivered
- **Policy area:** [Education](https://ledgergov.uk/promises/area/education)
- **Speaker:** [Lucy Powell](https://ledgergov.uk/actor/lucy-powell), Secretary of State for Education
- **Party:** [Labour Party](https://ledgergov.uk/actor/labour)
- **Made on:** 9 September 2026
- **Where:** Commons statement
- **Cost a year:** No costing published
- **Who it affects:** Children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) in England, their families, and the schools that support them
- **When:** Not stated; alongside any SEND legislation or further steps on SEND. The schools white paper says the standards should guide schools by 2028.
- **Paid for by:** Not stated when it was announced
- **Quote source:** https://hansard.parliament.uk/Commons/2026-09-09/debates/5464194E-3C69-4173-B4BA-5F57B9F7B471/EducationAndSkillsReform (checked word for word on 7 October 2026; Open Parliament Licence v3.0)
- **Last updated:** 7 October 2026
- **Card:** https://ledgergov.uk/promise/uk-send-inclusion-standards-2026

## Where it stands

No date was given: the standards are to be published alongside any SEND legislation or further steps, and in the same statement Lucy Powell said the government will introduce SEND legislation "in due course". The schools white paper Every child achieving and thriving (23 February 2026) sets out National Inclusion Standards and says they should guide how schools meet children's needs by 2028.

## Timeline

- 9 September 2026, Promised: Lucy Powell tells the Commons that national inclusion standards will be published alongside any SEND legislation or further steps

## About the cost

No one-year costing published. The schools white paper (February 2026) says up to £15 million will be invested by 2028 to build the evidence base for, and then provide, the National Inclusion Standards. It does not split this by year, so no yearly figure is shown.

Costing sources:
- [DfE schools white paper, 23 Feb 2026: Every child achieving and thriving](https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/every-child-achieving-and-thriving/every-child-achieving-and-thriving-html-version)

## Sources

- [Hansard, House of Commons, 9 Sep 2026: Education and Skills Reform](https://hansard.parliament.uk/Commons/2026-09-09/debates/5464194E-3C69-4173-B4BA-5F57B9F7B471/EducationAndSkillsReform)
- [DfE schools white paper, 23 Feb 2026: Every child achieving and thriving](https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/every-child-achieving-and-thriving/every-child-achieving-and-thriving-html-version)

## Checks

- Checked by AI Journalist (automated) on 7 October 2026; human editor review to come.

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