CORNWALL’S long-running SEND crisis could be on the brink of its biggest shake-up in a generation, with ministers promising new legal rights for thousands of children – and Cornish MPs insisting the Duchy must be front and centre of the reforms.

For years, families from Saltash to Penzance have spoken of exhausting battles for support, long waits for assessments and children travelling miles for specialist places.

Now, under the government’s SEND White Paper, every child with special educational needs and disabilities will be entitled to a legally backed Individual Support Plan (ISP), part of a £4-billion national investment designed to rebuild the system from the classroom up.

The changes will require every school to create ISPs for pupils with SEND, ending what ministers describe as a “one size fits all” model. Each plan will be shaped around a national framework but tailored by teachers and specialists who know the child best. The aim is early support without families having to fight for it.

Education, Health and Care Plans (EHCPs) will remain for children with more complex needs and will be strengthened. A “triple lock” of protections will ensure no child currently in a special school loses their place if they want to stay, and no support is withdrawn during the transition.

For Cornwall – where stretched services and rising demand have placed intense pressure on schools and Cornwall Council – the financial implications are significant. Alongside the £4-billion national package, the government has confirmed it is cancelling tens of millions of pounds of historic SEND debt from the council’s balance sheet.

Anna Gelderd, Labour MP for South East Cornwall, said: “For far too long, SEND provision has been ignored, and the system hasn't been fit for purpose. This needs to change. I welcome the action the government has taken, which makes good progress in addressing the needs of families I have been speaking with,” she added.

Jayne Kirkham, MP for Truro and Falmouth, said children in Cornwall had been “let down for over a decade”.

“Families have had to fight for support, which has generally come far too late,” she said. “These reforms will make sure that support is there much earlier, without the battle. There will be extra funding, more training, and more specialists to hold and support children when they need it.”

Describing the existing system as “so broken”, she said she would host roundtables to gather Cornish perspectives on the proposals.

Noah Law, MP for St Austell and Newquay, called the investment a clear signal of support for the county. He added: “This £4-billion of investment in SEND funding is greatly welcome, and comes on top of the tens of millions of pounds of SEND debt the government is cancelling from Cornwall Council’s balance sheet.”

While Perran Moon, MP for Camborne, Redruth and Hayle, said inclusion was now central to government strategy.

“Inclusion has always been at the heart of this Labour government's SEND strategy,” he said, promising to work with families and professionals locally as the plans are rolled out.