In This Article
- Why Hackney Has a New SEND Reform Plan
- Inside the 2026–2029 Roadmap
- What Happens Next: The DfE Decision Timeline
- Could Transport Support Look Different This Autumn?
- What Hackney Families Can Do Now
- Jimac Cars: A Steady Hand Through the Changes
Why Hackney Has a New SEND Reform Plan
In February 2026, the government published a White Paper called Every Child Achieving and Thriving. It set out proposed changes to how England’s schools and SEND systems work together, and asked every local authority to write its own plan for putting those changes into practice.
Hackney did that alongside the NHS North East London Integrated Care Board, and submitted a Local SEND Reform Plan to the Department for Education by the deadline of 19 June 2026. Nothing about it is final yet. But it is intended to guide how SEND support is developed across the borough over the next three years, although the final arrangements will depend on the council’s decisions and any response from the Department for Education (DfE).
Inside the 2026–2029 Roadmap
The plan covers a three-year period, 2026 to 2029, and lays out how support for children and young people with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities is meant to be organised across Hackney. It follows the national framework set by the Government, but it’s meant to reflect what actually works locally, not just tick a box.
One detail worth noting: education and health partners wrote this together. That’s not always the case with council plans, and it suggests the intention is to join up school-based support with health services rather than leave families to bridge the gap themselves.
What Happens Next: The DfE Decision Timeline
Here’s where things actually stand. The DfE (Department for Education) and NHS England are reviewing the plan through July and August, and Hackney expects a verdict in September, around the same time that it is expected to go before the council’s Cabinet.
If the DfE sends it back, Hackney will work with DfE advisors to fix it and resubmit. There’s a hard deadline behind all this too: approval needs to be locked in by late autumn 2026, or the funding due in spring 2027 is at risk. So, September isn’t just a formality, it’s the point that decides a lot of what comes next. The council says it’s already laying groundwork ahead of that decision, and has promised to update families as things move.
Could Transport Support Look Different This Autumn?
One of the more practical questions on many parents’ minds is what this means for SEND and home-to-school transport. While the full detail will only become clear once the DfE responds, the direction of travel nationally has been toward more flexible, needs-led transport arrangements, including options like Personal Travel Budgets, where families have greater say over how transport support is delivered for their child.
If that approach takes shape locally, it could mean more choice and flexibility for some Hackney families heading into the new school year, alongside the borough’s existing transport provision. It’s worth keeping an eye on updates from Hackney Council as September approaches, since any confirmed changes are likely to be communicated ahead of the autumn term.
What Hackney Families Can Do Now
No need to change anything before the DfE actually responds. A few things are worth doing anyway:
- Check Hackney Education’s website again, once the DfE decision comes through in September
- If your child already receives SEND transport, check the latest information from Hackney Council and your child’s school before the new term begins. Do not assume that arrangements will remain unchanged unless the council confirms this.
- If Hackney opens up consultation or engagement sessions on the plan, that’s your chance to actually shape it, not just read about it after
- Speak to your child’s school or SEND caseworker if something about your own situation doesn’t fit the general picture above
Find more details on this here.
Where Jimac Cars Fits In
Reform plans take time, and families still need to get children to school safely every single morning in the meantime. That part doesn’t pause for a DfE review.
We’ve been doing SEND and home-to-school transport in Hackney for a long time, and whatever changes come out of this plan, that side of things doesn’t change on our end: same drivers, same routines, same attention to what each child actually needs.
Let Jimac Cars provide safe and reliable transport for children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities, making every journey easier and stress-free.
