SEND and Education Policy After the 2026 Elections

The Scottish National Party (SNP) secured a fifth consecutive victory in the 2026 Scottish Parliament election, although without an outright majority. The election also saw major gains for Reform UK and the Scottish Greens, signalling a more fragmented and competitive political environment.

Who is leading education policy?
Education is now overseen by Màiri McAllan, one of the SNP’s fastest-rising figures. Her background in law, social justice and public policy suggests the government will continue focusing heavily on inclusion, equality and system reform.

Children and family policy sits with Siobhian Brown, whose work has centred on community support and child welfare.

Scotland uses the term Additional Support Needs (ASN) rather than SEND. The SNP manifesto places ASN support at the centre of a broader wellbeing and anti-poverty agenda rather than treating it as a standalone education issue.

Key policy themes:

A new national ASN framework
The most significant proposal is a new national “staged intervention model” designed to create more consistent support across Scotland.

The aim is to:

• standardise how support is identified
• reduce postcode variation between local authorities
• improve early intervention
• strengthen planning around complex needs

This follows growing criticism of inconsistent ASN provision and long waits for support.

Neurodiversity support without requiring diagnosis
One of the clearest shifts in Scottish policy is moving away from diagnosis-led support. The SNP says children should be able to access help “with or without” a formal autism or ADHD diagnosis. The government plans to align schools more closely with national neurodevelopmental pathways, reducing reliance on formal thresholds before support can begin.

Scotland is continuing to expand school-based mental health support, including:

• counselling in schools
• crisis support for children and young people
• community mental health provision
• early intervention services

The overall approach is to embed wellbeing support within education settings rather than relying only on specialist clinical services.

Behaviour and attendance
The manifesto also reflects growing concern around:

• classroom disturbance
• school attendance
• staff wellbeing
• post-pandemic behavioural challenges

The SNP proposes greater access to behaviour specialists and more support around relationships and inclusion in schools.

Poverty and barriers to learning
A major theme throughout Scottish policy is that educational outcomes cannot be separated from poverty.

Measures linked to education include:

• expanded childcare
• free school meals
• breakfast provision
• school clothing support
• reducing school meal debt

The broader message is that children’s wellbeing, attendance and attainment are shaped as much by family circumstances as by school systems.

The 2026 Senedd election marked a political turning point in Wales. Rhun ap Iorwerth led Plaid Cymru to become the largest party in Wales for the first time, ending more than a century of Labour dominance. Plaid Cymru now governs as a minority administration in a newly expanded Senedd.

Who is leading education policy in Wales?
Education and the Welsh language portfolio is led by Anna Brychan, a former education union leader and academic with extensive experience in Welsh education policy.

Her appointment has been widely interpreted as a signal that education reform and inclusion will be central priorities for the new government.

Wales operates under its Additional Learning Needs (ALN) system, which replaced the older Special Educational Needs framework.

The Welsh approach is built around:

• Individual Development Plans (IDPs)
• multi-agency working
• inclusive education
• rights-based support

Plaid Cymru’s manifesto strongly supports continuing and expanding these reforms.

Key policy themes:

Inclusion 
Plaid Cymru consistently frames support for additional needs as something that should be built into mainstream education rather than treated separately.

The focus is on:

• reducing barriers to participation
• strengthening workforce capacity
• improving accessibility
• ensuring support is available earlier

Neurodiversity
One of the strongest themes in the Welsh manifesto is neurodiversity.

Plaid Cymru explicitly describes neurodiversity as an equality issue and adopts the social model of disability, which focuses on removing barriers within systems rather than viewing difficulties solely as individual deficits.

The approach emphasises:

• reasonable adjustments
• accessibility
• inclusive practice
• reducing barriers to support

The Welsh Government also places particular emphasis on ensuring that Welsh language education is fully accessible for learners with additional needs. This reflects longstanding concerns around access to assessments and specialist provision through the Welsh language.

Literacy, attainment and school standards
Educational attainment is presented as a major national priority. Plaid Cymru links improvements in literacy and numeracy with wider reforms aimed at reducing inequality and improving support within schools.

The party proposes: “a new national mission on literacy and numeracy”" - educational improvement is generally framed through support, inclusion and investment in public education rather than competition or structural market reforms.

Mental health and wellbeing
Like Scotland, Wales places strong emphasis on emotional wellbeing and prevention.

Support is framed around:

• community-based services
• integrated support systems
• early help
• reducing escalation of need

Mental health policy is closely connected to wider debates around poverty, housing and family pressures.

Tackling child poverty
Plaid Cymru repeatedly links educational inequality to child poverty.

Its proposals include:

• expanded childcare
• wider early years access
• family financial support
• stronger local support systems

The message throughout is that barriers to learning are social and economic as well as educational. The document also recognises pressures on teachers and schools following the pandemic period and links educational recovery to broader wellbeing and support measures.

Reform UK made major gains across local government in England, while Labour and the Conservatives both lost significant support. The Green Party also achieved record results in several areas.

England’s elections do not directly produce a national education policy platform. However, the results point towards increasing political pressure around:

• public services
• school standards
• local authority capacity
• special educational needs provision
• child wellbeing

SEND remains one of the most politically sensitive areas in English education policy, particularly given ongoing pressures around:

• EHCP demand
• funding
• tribunal disputes
• workforce shortages
• specialist placement capacity

While no national policy direction emerges from local elections themselves, the results show the growing public concern around the sustainability of local education and SEND systems.