On Thursday 2 March, the Department for Education (DfE) published the SEND and Alternative Provision Improvement Plan, further to the SEND and Alternative Provision Green Paper published in March 2022. The Green Paper set out the government’s proposals to improve outcomes for children and young people; improve experiences for families, by seeking to reduce the current adversity and frustration in the system; and deliver financial sustainability. It also considered the specific issues facing the alternative provision sector.
The DfE acknowledge the complexities and challenges experienced by families. The government recognise, that to deliver for children, young people and their families, a stronger emphasis is needed on improving the underpinning drivers that will make a national system a reality: a clearer workforce plan; strengthened accountabilities; and sustainable and fair resourcing. The Improvement Plan sets out their roadmap for implementing a single, national system and achieving real change in practice so every child and young person can thrive.
The vision of the improvement plan for children and young people and their families?
- Children and young people will be able to access and regularly attend the most appropriate early years setting, school or college for their needs – be this mainstream or specialist.
- A national system will provide clarity to parents and carers about what support their children should be receiving without a fight to secure what is appropriate, and without needing to navigate a complex system. This will increase confidence and, in turn, minimise disputes.
- The National Standards will improve early identification of needs and intervention. More children and young people will receive the support they need, through ordinarily available provision, in their local setting.
- Standardised and digitised EHCPs will reduce excessively complicated processes to ensure children and young people who need them get prompt access to the support they need.
Key headlines
A national system underpinned by National Standards
- The DfE will work with stakeholders to deliver a standard EHCP template, with supporting processes and guidance from 2025.
- The process should be easier to navigate, with parents being clear on what support they can expect for their child and where they can turn for help, including how to make use of support through the SEND Local Offer and SEND Information, Advice and Support Services (SENDIASS).
- The national system will provide clarity on the resources available to deliver the right provision, for example, by ensuring that the new SEND and Alternative Provision National Standards are clear on which budgets should be used to provide different types of support.
- National Standards will place a greater emphasis on the important role mainstream settings play in providing quality first teaching and evidence-based SEN Support to meet the needs of the majority of pupils with SEND, so that all settings provide the same high-quality provision.
- The delivery of National Standards will be supported by new SEND and Alternative Provision practice guides for frontline professionals and an amended SEND Code of Practice.
Education
- The Department will introduce a new leadership level SENCo NPQ (Special Educational Needs Co-ordinator National Professional Qualification) for schools.
- The DfE has announced approval for a new wave of special free schools. This will mean that more children have timely access to sufficient local special school places.
- The DfE will create a three-tier alternative provision system, focusing on targeted early support within mainstream school, time-limited intensive placements in an alternative provision setting, and longer-term placements to support return to mainstream or a sustainable post-16 destination.
- By the end of 2025, the DfE will publish the first three practice guides focused on advice for mainstream settings, building on existing best practice. This will target the greatest areas of need in primary and secondary, as well as supporting the cross-government focus on improving mental health of children and young people.
Successful transitions and preparing for adulthood
The DfE will:
- Publish guidance to support effective transitions between all stages of education, and into employment and adult services.
- Continue to support the Department for Work and Pensions’ Adjustment Passport pilot to smooth the transition into employment.
- Improve the Disabled Students’ Allowance process, by continuing to work with the Student Loans Company to reduce the time for support to be agreed.
Funding
The DfE will:
- Increase core school funding by £3.5 billion in 2023-24, of which almost £1 billion will go towards high needs. This means high needs funding will be £10.1 billion in 2023-24.
- Invest £2.6 billion between 2022 and 2025 to fund new places and improve existing provision for children and young people with SEND or who require alternative provision.
- Invest £18 million between 2022 and 2025 to double the capacity of the supported internships programme.
- Fund up to 5,000 early years staff to gain an accredited Level 3 early years SENCo qualification to support the early years sector, with training, running until August 2024.
- Invest a further £21 million to train two cohorts of educational psychologists in 2024 and 2025.
- In partnership with NHS England, as part of their £70 million Change Programme, pioneering innovative practice through running Early Language and Support for Every Child (ELSEC) pathfinders to improve access to speech and language therapy for those who need it.
- Develop a system of funding bands and tariffs so that consistent National Standards are backed by more consistent funding across the country.
The SEND and AP Improvement plan has set out the DfE’s understanding of the complexity and level of challenge that exists in the system whilst also acknowledging the difficult experiences of some children and families as a result. CDC welcome the focus on early intervention and providing families support at the earliest opportunity which is key to ensuring needs are met effectively. It will be vital to provide strengthened accountability routes and to continue to focus on the improved experiences of children and families to ensure outcomes are met.
We look forward to continuing to engage children, young people and their families as well as practitioners across the SEND sector in ongoing opportunities to input into the plans moving forwards.
Dame Christine Lenehan, Director at The Council for Disabled Children