SEND strategies extended until September 2026

The SEND and Education Inclusion strategies were built on the work delivered through the Joint Additional and High Needs Strategies, following engagement with children, families, colleagues and partners. They set out the shared vision and priorities to continue our journey to enable children to live remarkable lives and keep children at the heart of what we do.

The strategies have further strengthened our partnerships, drawing on learning from areas of continued development, and building on local strengths. The strategies, when first launched, were timely, as we started to emerge from the global pandemic that had an unprecedented, and ongoing impact on all our children and young people, and particularly the most vulnerable.

As the strategies come towards their review date, we have in prospect a period of significant change to the national SEND arrangements with the promise of a schools’ white paper in Autumn 2025. These changes will be informed by the conclusion and learning from the Department for Education’s 
Change Partnership reform testing Programme. These developments point towards potentially significant national reform which will have implications for our local arrangements. A review of these key local strategies will need to be informed by and aligned with any national changes these promised.

To ensure our review process is aligned with national developments, the current SEND and Education Inclusion Strategies will remain in place for a further 12 months until September 2026.