The government’s SEND reform consultation asks a deceptively simple first question: “How can we make sure children, young people and their families have a genuine say in these decisions?” This question sits at the centre of the proposals, alongside repeated commitments to placing children and young people’s voices at “the heart of decision‑making”, recognising them as individuals rather than categories of need, and building a system that works with families rather than against them.
These commitments matter. But they also raise a critical challenge for reform: a right to a genuine say must extend to all children and young people with SEND, including those with more complex needs, and must be supported by creative and accessible ways of listening.
At Natspec, we recently facilitated a focus group with learners from a range of specialist colleges specifically to respond to the consultation. Making this possible required planning, preparation and adaptation: materials in accessible formats, time for learners to reflect, trusted staff to support communication, and approaches that worked for different communication needs. This illustrates an important point for the reforms: capturing meaningful learner voice is not easily achieved. It requires time, expertise and environments designed to enable participation.
The primary concern of the learners who spoke to us was not whether they could influence system design in the abstract, but whether they had agency over what happens to them as individuals. For these young people, having a genuine say meant being able to influence decisions that shape their everyday lives, their education, and their futures.
Some learners described previous situations in which their preferences had been disregarded which had resulted in them being outside of education or in settings which could not meet their needs. For several, mainstream provision had led to isolation, long absences or environments that felt unsafe or overwhelming. Failure to listen to learner voice had effectively excluded them from learning altogether.
When learners talked about what mattered most, they consistently returned to a set of specific, practical choices. These included whether mainstream or specialist provision was right for them; which college they attended; what learning programme they followed; and what support they received and how it was delivered. These decisions were closely tied to wellbeing, confidence and achieving long‑term outcomes such as employment, independence and participation in adult life.
Many described coming to a specialist college as a turning point. They emphasised feeling safe, understood and supported by staff with the expertise to adapt provision without stigma. They spoke about being treated as young adults, about relationships with peers who shared similar experiences, and about environments designed to prepare them for life beyond education. They saw these features as central to enabling them to flourish. All of which underlines why choice of setting matters so deeply for young people with complex needs.
The proposal to limit choice of setting to a list of providers drawn up by the local authority (LA) could undermine learner agency. Learners are worried that the Specialist Provision Packages approach will result in their voice being drowned out by considerations of whole system effectiveness and value for money. They understand the need for a workable system, but they don’t think it needs to come at the cost of constraining young people’s choices or downplaying their preferences.
Learners are especially concerned about their preference for a specialist setting being disregarded. While the ‘presumption to mainstream’ gives young people a right to a mainstream placement, there is no corresponding right to a specialist setting. Securing a specialist placement may become more difficult under the new system if some specialist provision packages are to be ‘mainstream-only’ and the Tribunal is no longer able to name an alternative setting to the one proposed by the LA. Current learners don’t want to see young people like themselves in future being denied access to a specialist setting and the culture, safety and specialist expertise that they need to succeed in education.
The government is right to say that learner voice must be at the heart of a redesigned system. But if it is committed to this principle, it must work carefully to ensure that the drive for national consistency and financial sustainability does not result in reduced choice for young people. The reforms should seek to expand options and opportunities for young people, enabling them to exercise agency wherever possible. A genuine say requires genuine choices.