National Network of Parent Carer Forums

16/07/2026

The Department for Education has published a series of fact sheets to accompany the Education Otherwise Than At School (EOTAS) and Upfront Funding for Mainstream Schools consultations.

These resources explain the proposals in more detail and are intended to help parents, carers and professionals understand the consultation before sharing their views.

⬇️ DfE EOTAS Consultation Fact Sheet

https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/send-reform-education-otherwise-than-at-school/send-reform-education-otherwise-than-at-school-what-parents-and-carers-of-children-and-young-people-need-to-know

⬇️ DfE Upfront Funding for Mainstream Schools: creating a ‘local SEND inclusion formula’ Consultation Fact Sheet

https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/upfront-funding-for-mainstream-schools-creating-a-local-send-inclusion-formula/upfront-funding-for-mainstream-schools-creating-a-local-send-inclusion-formula-what-parents-and-carers-of-children-and-young-people-need-to-know

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15/07/2026

Are you a parent or carer of a disabled or seriously ill child? Newlife would love to hear from you.

Newlife is carrying out a short survey to better understand families’ experiences of play, equipment and support to help shape future services.

It takes around 10 minutes to complete and participants will be entered into a prize draw to win one of four £50 shopping vouchers. Take part here: https://www.smartsurvey.co.uk/s/NewlifeFamilySurveyS/ open until 17th July.

10/07/2026

📢 New Consultation: £6,000 High Needs Threshold

The Department for Education has launched a consultation on proposed changes to the £6,000 High Needs Threshold.

The proposals explore changing how SEND funding is distributed between mainstream schools and local authorities. The aim is to provide mainstream schools and academies with a greater share of SEND funding upfront, enabling support to be put in place earlier without relying as heavily on top-up funding from the high needs budget.

Local authorities would be able to choose whether to introduce this approach from 2027/28, ahead of wider national funding reforms planned for 2029/30.

🗓️ The consultation closes at 11:59pm on 18 September 2026.

You can access the consultation here:

We are seeking views on how local authorities could increase the funding mainstream schools receive to support pupils with SEND.

10/07/2026

📢 New consultation – Education Otherwise Than at School (EOTAS)

The Department for Education has launched a consultation on Education Otherwise Than at School (EOTAS).

EOTAS applies where a child or young person’s special educational provision, as set out in their EHCP, cannot appropriately be delivered in a school or further education setting.

The consultation seeks views on how EOTAS provision should be:
• Identified
• Managed
• Quality assured

These proposals have the potential to affect some of the most vulnerable children and young people, making it essential that the experiences of families help shape any future changes.

The NNPCF will be considering the proposals carefully and will be working with Parent Carer Forums to develop our response.

The consultation will run for 10 weeks and will close on 18th September 2026.

We encourage parent carers, Parent Carer Forums and other stakeholders to read the consultation and share their views. The lived experiences of families are vital in helping to ensure that any changes strengthen support, protect children's rights, and genuinely improve outcomes for children and young people with SEND.

The consultation can be accessed here: https://consult.education.gov.uk/accountability-and-special-schools/send-reform-education-other-than-at-school/

The DFE are also hosting an event; Education other than at school - proposals and consultation. You can book on here: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/send-reform-education-other-than-at-school-proposals-and-consultation-tickets-1992820365358

Join us for a conversation about DfE's Education Other Than At School (EOTAS) plans and consultation.

25/06/2026

📢 New guidance published to strengthen inclusive mainstream education

Today, the Department for Education has published new guidance on:
✅ Inclusive Education Estates
✅ The Inclusive Mainstream Fund
✅ Inclusion Bases

NNPCF welcomes this as an important step towards creating a more inclusive education system where children and young people with SEND can learn, thrive and belong within their local communities.

While these publications set a clear direction, their success will depend on meaningful implementation, sustainable funding, a skilled workforce, and continued co-production with children, young people, parent carers and Parent Carer Forums.

Read our full response and links to all the guidance on our website:

As part of the Government’s programme to strengthen inclusive mainstream education, the following documents have been published today: Inclusive Education Estates Guidance Inclusive Mainstr…

16/06/2026

Some really helpful information from Dingley's Promise 💡

Still struggling to identify emerging SEND needs? Looking for a simple, time-effective way to assess need and plan next steps?

Dingley's Promise worked in collaboration with the Department for Education to create a practical SEND Assessment Guidance and Toolkit for early years educators.

Built around a child-centred, strengths-based approach, the guidance helps educators identify emerging or existing needs, track progress, and respond quickly with the right support for each child.

Designed to reduce unnecessary paperwork and support confident decision-making, it's a must-have, practical resource for any early years setting.

Download the guidance and accompanying handbook via our website: https://buff.ly/CxF7mIj

16/06/2026

NNPCF Update: Consultation on EOTAS

The Department for Education has confirmed that it intends to launch a consultation on Education Other Than At School (EOTAS) in the coming weeks.

This follows concerns raised during the SEND Reform consultation that there was limited information about how the proposed reforms would affect children and young people currently receiving EOTAS provision. The NNPCF understands the importance of EOTAS, and that is it a vital provision for some children and young people whose needs cannot be met within a school setting.

The Government has stated that children and young people accessing EOTAS will be considered within the future SEND system and that the consultation will seek views on how EOTAS should operate going forward.

The NNPCF welcomes the opportunity for families, Parent Carer Forums and wider stakeholders to contribute to this important discussion.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to her Department's White Paper entitled Every child achieving and thriving, published on 23 February 2026, what consideration was given to education otherwise than in school or at school (EOTIS/EOTAS) provision when developing the White Pa...

05/06/2026

The Department for Education has announced the appointment of a national panel of experts to help shape the future SEND system, with the aim of ensuring that children and young people with SEND receive better support in every classroom.

The NNPCF welcomes the opportunity to contribute to this important work and to ensure that parent carer voices are reflected in the development of the future system.

Read the full NNPCF statement here:

The Department for Education has announced the appointment of a national panel of experts to help shape the future SEND system, ensuring that children and young people with SEND receive better supp…

05/06/2026

📢 Experts at Hand – New Government Guidance Published

The Department for Education have published the Year 1 guidance for the new Experts at Hand programme, a key part of the SEND reforms.

The guidance confirms that Parent Carer Forums should be involved in the strategic planning, governance, commissioning and co-production of local Experts at Hand offers, helping to shape how specialist support is delivered in mainstream settings.

NNPCF has published a short statement outlining what this means for Parent Carer Forums and why engagement in local discussions will be important over the coming months.

📄 Read the NNPCF statement:

The National Network of Parent Carer Forums (NNPCF) welcomes the publication of the Department for Education’s Developing and delivering the Experts at Hand offer in year 1: supporting guidan…

21/04/2026

The following from Dingley's Promise may be of interest......

On Monday 23rd February, the Department for Education published its schools white paper Every Child Achieving and Thriving, which sets out plans to reform special educational needs and disability (SEND) support across early years, schools and colleges. Alongside this, a national consultation titled Putting Children and Young People First is open until 18th May 2026.

As early years SEND specialists, Dingley’s Promise is hosting a series of face-to-face engagement events for parents of children with SEND under 8 years of age, between April 20th and May 14th. These sessions will explore the key proposals in the whitepaper, break down the consultation questions, and provide families with the opportunity to share their experiences and have their voices heard.

We would really appreciate your support in sharing these events with families, colleagues, and local contacts who may benefit, particularly those working with or supporting children with SEND in the early years.

You can view the dates for all of the upcoming events and find registration links on our website: https://dingley.org.uk/send-reform-engagement-events/

Thank you for your continued support.