What the Government is saying SPPs are
The consultation suggests a future system with different levels of support and says that children with the most “complex needs” would get access to a Specialist Provision Package.
The basic idea is this: instead of support depending on how hard you fight or how confident your local area is, there would be nationally defined, evidence-based packages of specialist support. If a child meets the threshold for one of these packages, an EHCP would then guarantee it.
That “level playing field” part is the hope.
But there’s a very big “however”.
The big problem: “complex” isn’t defined
Right now, the consultation does not clearly define what “complex needs” means.
That matters. Because the moment you link EHCP eligibility to a label like “complex”, you create a high-stakes question: who decides what counts, and what happens to the children who don’t fit neatly?
For PDA children, this is especially important because so many mask. A child can be in deep distress and still look “fine” to a system that is trained to measure what it can see. If “complex” is defined in a narrow, tick-box way, PDA learners could be left out.
Why some people see real potential in SPPs
There is a kernel of a good idea here.
Lots of us have spent years watching families fight for basic support that should never have required a battle. The idea of consistent national packages, backed by evidence, could:
- make provision fairer across the country
- reduce postcode lotteries
- help schools understand what works, sooner
- stop families having to “prove failure” before help appears
I can see the Government has at least tried to put real funding on the table, and that some of the wider proposals around inclusion, training, and specialist help for schools are directionally positive.
Why families and many organisations are worried
At PDA Society our strongest concern was that this could become a banding system. Not needs-led, not personalised, but a set of boxes. Many families have already lived through versions of this locally. It can look tidy on paper, but the real world is messier than categories.
One-size-fits-all does not work for PDA learners. PDAers vary hugely. They change over time. Anxiety goes up and down. Masking changes what adults see.
A single “autism complex” package, for example, would be a step backwards. We’ve all seen the damage of generic approaches – the “every autistic child loves a visual timetable” mindset – rolled out regardless of a child’s actual needs.
The opportunity: make packages more granular, not more rigid
This is where I think we have a real chance to influence things.
Instead of seven broad “packages” that try to squeeze children into boxes, we could be pushing the Department to develop something more like a library of support components — more granular, more flexible, more matched to a child’s presentation.
Imagine something that helps a school ask:
- What is driving distress here?
- What helps this child feel safe?
- What approaches reduce demand anxiety?
- What interventions have evidence of helping – and what are the risks?
- How do we co-produce this with the child and family?
That kind of approach could be genuinely useful. Not a box. More like a toolkit.
For PDA learners, that could mean a specialist package that isn’t “autism = X”, but something that reflects what we actually see working in practice: relational safety, autonomy-supportive approaches, reduced direct demands, flexible pathways, collaborative problem-solving, and support for the adults around the child.
What we want to encourage the Government to do
- Define “complex” in a way that includes masked profiles and fluctuating needs
- Design SPPs around needs and presentation, not labels alone
- Make packages flexible and personalised, not a strict matrix
- Be clear about how families challenge decisions if support isn’t delivered
- Be realistic about workforce — and put plans in place early, not later
An invitation: help us shape this while it’s still being built
This part of the reform is being developed in real time. That means we have a short window where good thinking could genuinely improve what comes next.
So, I’d like to invite researchers, educators, and practitioners to join an open consultation meeting focused specifically on SPPs — how we make sure this idea develops in a way that is:
- evidence-informed
- practical for schools
- needs-led and personalised
- safe for PDA learners
- clear about rights and redress
If you’ve done research that could help, are working on meeting educational needs, or if you’ve built tools that help match supports to children’s profiles in real settings (mainstream, special, AP, EOTAS), we would really value your input.
Our consultation conversation on this element of the government’s proposals will take place on Wednesday 11th March from 4pm to 5:30. You can use this link SPP Consultation form to complete the form to save your spot.