Our Work

Our ability to build agreement across its wide membership is well recognised by policy-makers.

We provide a key coordinating role for the sector during the passage of education legislation through Parliament. Most recently we brought the sector together to support a number of improvements to the Children and Families Act 2014, including:

• The application of the legal framework to young people in custody;
• Stronger duties on health and social care services to deliver those elements of an Education, Health and Care plan;
• The application of EHC plans to young people in apprenticeships;
• The inclusion of disabled children and young people within key sections of the legislation;
• Strengthening rights for young people over 18 in education.

We are closely involved in the early development of policy and legislation, retain positions on a number of Department for Education advisory groups, and maintain a strong reputation with Ministers, civil servants and Parliamentarians of all parties.

We work behind the scenes to support the Department for Education to develop policy that works for disabled children and young people and those with SEN. We were also closely involved in the drafting of the new SEND Code of Practice and provides expert advice on a range of issues including assessment and curriculum, teacher training, school funding, access arrangements for exams.