Richmond upon Thames Local SEND Reform Plan 2026

Richmond upon Thames - SEND Reform Plan

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Table of contents

Executive Summary​ 3 Section 1 – Vision and Goals​ 5

• What the local area partnership is trying to achieve?​ 5

Section 2 – Strategy​ 6

• Where the local area partnership expects to be in the next 3 years​ 6
• What is the local area partnership’s strategy for delivering on the above?​ 20
• Please upload a completed copy of the Local Partnership Maturity Assessment Tool.​ 21
• What is the local area partnership roadmap for the next 3 years?​ 21
• What will the local area partnership deliver in the first year?​ 34
• How will the local area partnership deliver the first-year plan?​ 41
• Other funding Local Authorities.​ 42
• System partner and stakeholder engagement, and co-production.​ 44

Engaging Children and Young People​ 45 Engaging Parents and Carers​ 45 Schools, Early Years, and Alternative Provision​ 45 Post-16 and Transitions​ 45 Leadership and Data​ 45

• Risks and Mitigations​ 46
• Dependencies​ 47

Section 3 – Monitoring and Evaluation​ 49

• How will the local area partnership know delivery is on track?​ 49
• Reporting to DfE​ 51

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Section 4 – Governance​ 52

• How will the local area partnership ensure delivery of plans remain on track?​

52 Richmond Governance Structure - Pdf​ 52 Section 5 – Central Government Support​ 52

• How can we help you?​

52 Annex A - Partnership Approach for Experts at Hand Model​ 54 Annex B - Rationale for Experts at Hand Model​ 56 Annex C - Experts at Hand: The Local Model​ 57 Annex D - Supporting Documents​ 65 Annex E – Risk Matrix​ 66

Executive Summary

A brief summary of your local system ‘change story’ – your local context, where you are now, where you want to get to in the next 3 years, how you know you are succeeding and how you will know you have achieved your vision for the next 3 years. Please include a brief qualitative summary. This summary should also include your assessment of current and forecast performance against the headline metrics.

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Please structure your ‘change story’ using the following aims:

• ​ Build a 0-25 system where children and young people receive support to achieve and thrive through (a) more inclusive settings and
• stronger local partnerships
• ​ Improve capacity and capability of the mainstream and specialist workforce to identify and meet need
• ​ Improve confidence of children, families, and stakeholders in reform and readiness of the system
• ​ Stabilise finances and improve value for money

By investing in an early and impactful approach, our goal is to deliver a holistic, child-led system across Education, Health, and Care (EHC). By intervening early and providing appropriate support, we aim to ensure all children and young people feel included, have their needs understood and met, and achieve positive outcomes at the end of key transition points. To ensure a fair and shared system, we aim to strengthen trust in the system by working in equal partnership with all partners to improve inclusive practices. This includes upskilling our school teams, and developing a consistent understanding and investment in ordinarily available provision. We are committed to clarity and parity across our local SEND offer, and ensuring shared accountability by capturing independent feedback on lived experiences. Rooted in local, multi-agency, and effective decision making, we will build a flexible local offer that meets needs earlier and closer to home, and we will maximise the impact of our high needs and health funding. The ambition in our SEND Futures Plan reflects the SEND Reform principles, but requires a pivot in key activity so that we update priorities in the SEND Futures Plan in year 1 to begin the system transformation:

1.​ A shift from high-cost, independent sector reliance for children with complex needs to localised provision, enhancing joint-commissioned early interventions; and working in partnership with the Integrated Care Board (Icb) to ring-fence and protect statutory SEND functions alongside our Specialist Expertise at Hand offer.

2.​ Investment in a shared digital infrastructure across health, education, and social care to create a "single view of the child". 3.​ Strengthening our access to early intervention and systemic mainstream expertise for all settings in early years, primary, secondary and post 16 through access to local SEND clusters and consultation models, so that the confidence and competence in mainstream provision increases and is equipped to meet the predicted needs of our children and young people 4.​ Expanding support for parents and carers through listening and engagement, and agreeing key co-production activities. Aligning activity with the Best Start in Life programme and Families First programme will promote multi-agency working and provide stronger support. We will monitor how well our plan is doing and its impact on lived experience for children, young people and families by:

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• ​ Expanding the use of quality assurance using ‘lived experience’ to evaluate: mainstream inclusivity; our ability to meet needs of children with SEND, and the impact of Specialist Expertise at Hand to enhance workforce expertise.
• ​ Assessing post-16 destination towards independence to understand longer term holistic outcomes

We will stabilise finances and improve value for money by:

• ​ Pivoting our resources and funding towards earlier intervention for children and young people without an EHC plan through close scrutiny of high needs spending
• ​ Establish metrics to assess the impact of early intervention and expertise to evaluate whether more children and young people are accessing and remaining in our local education provision
• ​ Enhancing and monitoring our strategic place planning by utilising robust data to drive commissioning decisions across the entire EHC system.

Section 1 – Vision and Goals

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1.​ What the local area partnership is trying to achieve?

Please set out your goals for your local system. These should be clear, aligned to the vision set out in the Schools White Paper, small in number and measurable. These goals should include clear reference to:

• ​ Outcomes for children
• ​ Confidence of parents, carers and young people in the system
• ​ Management of finances to secure value for money

The following are the goals and measurables for delivering our vision described in the executive summary: Goal: To ensure children and young people (Cyp) feel included, have their needs met early in the appropriate educational provision, achieving positive outcomes at key transitions.

• ​ Measure: Destinations of pupils with SEND - Percentage in a sustained destination after Key Stage 4.
• ​ Measure: Attainment of pupils with SEND - Percentage meeting a good level of development (Gld); percentage meeting the expected

standards in the phonics test, percentage meeting the expected standard in reading, writing, maths at Key Stage 2; average Attainment 8 measure at Key Stage 4.

Goal: To strengthen trust in the system by working in partnership with all partners to improve inclusive practices.

• ​ Measure: a regular deep-dive quality assurance model led by our Parent Carer Forum through tracking real family journeys
• ​ Measure: Current and projected number of Education, Health and Care Needs Assessments (Ehcna) that result in an Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP).
• ​ Measure: Children receiving SEND Support vs EHCPs.
• ​ Measure: Increasing access to early support through the Specialist Expertise at Hand (Seah) local offer. Commencing at 0 in 2026, we will monitor Cyp reach, assess trends, and develop long-term impact measures.

Goal: Build a flexible local offer that meets needs earlier and closer to home, and maximising the impact of our high needs and health funding.

• ​ Measure: Forecast expenditure for the High Needs Block of the Dedicated Schools Grant.
• ​ Measure: Number of Cyp with SEND supported and educated within their local borough.

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Section 2 – Strategy

2.​ Where the local area partnership expects to be in the next 3 years A description of what your local system would look like in the next 3 years in line with the national vision set out in the Schools White Paper and set within the context of where you are starting from as a local system.

In particular, as commissioning system partners, you should reflect on and agree what your fully fledged Experts At Hand Offer model should be and how this will be deployed via mainstream settings and providers (including those not based in your area – e.g. further education colleges attended by your young people) to build their capacity as well as identify and meet the needs of children and young people earlier and without the need for a statutory assessment for Education, Health and Care.

To help you fully consider the scope and scale of change required, you may find it useful to structure your response using these 4 building blocks of an inclusive system, reflecting on what is working well in your system, what you are most worried about, what needs to change, and how the enablers will help you achieve your 3 year vision.

When summarising where your local area partnership currently is, please include an assessment of where you are in reference to the core minimum requirements above and how you bridge the gap, making reference to and attaching additional documents that provide underlying evidence for your summary.

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Local blueprint for the next 3 years

Where we are Where we will be in the next 3 years

Building Block 1: Strengthening inclusion across education settings - organising places and provision close to home Our existing SEND Futures Plan in Richmond is underpinned by our commitment to meet the needs of as many children and young people with SEND within their local community. Between 2012 and 2025, the borough increased specialist places by 97.5%, resulting in 71.4% of children with Education, Health and Care Plans (EHCPs) being enrolled in local special schools. Richmond has established 14 Specialist Resource Provisions (SRPs) across 13 schools. An Autumn 2025 review of these SRPs secured a baseline for commissioning and defined expected provision to ensure system-wide consistency. The review provided clear descriptions of expected provision aligned with each commissioned resource. We have strong relationships with all of our schools, and have embraced opportunities created through falling rolls to establish new SEND provision to enable more children and young people to be educated locally. For example, the 45-place Social, Emotional and Over the next 3 years, we will have completed two new specialist provisions which will enable us to educate more of our children and young people with more complex SEND who cannot be educated within a mainstream environment, within their local community. This includes the two satellite sites due to open in September 2026 and the new Semh special school for children aged 7 to 19. In doing so, we will increase the percentage of children and young people with EHCPs from within the borough who attend our special schools. We will have explored the creation of two new Specialist Inclusion Bases in our secondary schools to meet the needs of pupils with more complex autism and we will have a clear programme underway to develop or improve Inclusion Bases within our mainstream schools aligned to local needs which will contribute to reducing further pressure. This will include supporting schools to develop their own Support Inclusion Bases, and identifying secondary schools where capital funding may be required to develop Specialist Inclusion Bases. It may also involve changes to existing Mental Health (Semh) provision at Nelson Primary School in partnership with the Beckmead Trust. This initiative mitigated delays with the building of the London River Academy and facilitated knowledge sharing between specialist and mainstream staff. Expanding in-borough specialist provision is central to enhancing inclusion and managing SEND transport expenditure. By reducing reliance on out-of-borough and independent placements, the council aims to lower transport costs and foster social integration closer to home. This is supported by an expansion of our shared Independent Travel Training (ITT) Team, which currently trains 48 young people annually across Kingston and Richmond. A training curriculum designed to be highly personalised to the needs of each young person will further promote independence and reduce long-term demand for commissioned transport services. We have a comprehensive inclusion programme for mainstream schools which supports them to put in place a strong offer for children and young people with more complex needs, thereby reducing the need for specialist provision. This is aimed at both primary and secondary schools. For example, we have recently expanded our autism and speech and language advisory team to respond to increasing needs in this area. We have a number of projects planned or underway, to create new provision within the borough - both mainstream and specialist: Specialist Resource Provisions (SRPs) as we move to greater economies of scale by developing larger and more sustainable provisions. All secondary schools will have at least one Support Inclusion Base which, as set out in Building Block 4, will reduce reliance on Alternative Provision. This activity will be enabled through the strong and robust relationships we have with all our schools, and we will ensure that any new provision reflects local demographic trends, and maintains high educational standards. We will also ensure that the planning of any new school places is linked into the demand and capacity planning of NHS providers. Strengthening inclusion and confidence in mainstream settings will continue, guided by data, information and feedback from schools and families. Where support needs for schools in specific areas are identified, we will address these gaps in a responsive way. This approach will be supported by the introduction of a SEND cluster model, as outlined in Building Block 4, which will align with the National Inclusion Standards, ensure greater consistency across the Inclusion Bases, and allow us to share funding, specialist resources and collective expertise. As our mainstream schools will be supporting pupils with a higher level of need, we will be working with our special school academy trusts to discuss and review the thresholds for the complexity of need of pupils supported in our special schools. The creation of more in-borough specialist places, and the focus on accommodating children and young people with more complex needs in our mainstream schools, will support us to continue to effectively manage spend on SEN transport, and we will expand our ITT to enable more young people with SEND to be supported to travel independently or semi-independently. At least 48 young people in Richmond will be supported to travel independently each year. Working with key partners, we will have drafted a new SEND Sufficiency

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• ​ The creation of two more Specialist Inclusion Bases in secondary schools to support pupils with more complex needs
• ​ Improvements to the spaces at two existing Specialist Inclusion Bases in the borough.

Strategy that will clearly set out our approach to strengthening inclusion across education settings including organising places and provision close to home.

Further projects will develop more specialist provision to address the gaps identified in our local offer for children and young people who cannot be educated in a mainstream environment. This includes two new special school satellite centres, due for completion in September 2026, and a new special school for children and young people with Semh. We include an assessment of travel arrangements for any of our projects for new provision, to ensure that any planned changes will have a positive impact in relation to SEND transport.

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Decisions regarding new provision are evidence-based, utilising external forecasting by Mime Consulting and internal data to identify gaps. Proposals are vetted through the SEND Places Workstream and approved by the Council’s Operations Board and Education Property Board.

The monthly SEND Places Workstream ensures oversight of both the quantity and quality of provision, integrating expertise from school place planning, SEND, and finance. Progress is regularly reported to the Council’s Education and Children’s Services Committee, Schools Forum, and the SEND Partnership Board to ensure growth aligns with demand trends and local sufficiency pressures.

Building Block 2: Access to specialist support and local placements The system is starting from a strong foundation. There are established commissioning arrangements, clear governance structures, and a positive culture of multi-agency working.

Over the next 3 years, our local area will ensure that children and young people are able to access support earlier and more consistently within their local settings. There will be a significant and measurable shift in how support is accessed, coordinated and delivered, particularly at universal and targeted levels.

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What is working particularly well is the strength of relationships across the system. There are positive, well-established relationships across education, health and care services and a strong culture of collaboration, openness, and shared problem-solving. There is strong engagement from schools across the system, with active participation in SEND training and decision-making panels. Schools are increasingly working collaboratively, sharing practice and supporting one another, and are playing a meaningful role in shaping system-wide approaches.

The Experts at Hand (Eah) model, to be known locally as Specialist Expertise at Hand (Seah) - see Annex C - will act as a central system enabler within this transition. Its primary contribution will be to improve access to specialist expertise (particularly EPs, SaLTs, and OTs) through structured, consultative and capacity-building approaches.

The early years sector and Family Hubs will play a particularly important role in this shift. By strengthening access to specialist input at this stage, the system will be better positioned to identify and respond to needs earlier, reducing the likelihood of escalation as children move through the system. Early years practitioners will have increased opportunities to engage in consultation, training and collaborative problem-solving, supported by Seah professionals.

This is underpinned by a skilled and experienced workforce. There is a broad offer of specialist support, including effective outreach services (such as autism outreach, the Education Inclusion Support Service and the Sensory Support Service), significant Educational Psychology (Ep) engagement, with an established linked school advisor model (93% of schools buy into the service) that helps maintain placements and build capacity within mainstream settings. There is strong involvement of Occupational Therapists (Ot) and Speech and Language Therapists (SaLT) within the wider SEND system, with effective advice and consultation (e.g. via advice lines and termly clinics/meetings) provided to educational settings. These services are often involved in pathway planning and support for families, e.g. Integrated Team Around the Child (Itac), Specialist Child Educational Provision (Scep) and Speech and Language Educational Partnership (Salep), and EarlyBird and EarlyBird Plus support programmes for parents and carers.

Alongside this, there will be increasing development of cluster-level working, bringing together groups of schools and settings to form communities of practice. These clusters will provide a mechanism for shared learning, peer support and professional challenge, helping to reduce variability in practice and promote more consistent approaches to inclusion. Over time, cluster working will also support more efficient use of specialist resources, allowing expertise to be shared across multiple settings.

The system will also demonstrate stronger alignment between education, health and care services, and existing offers such as our Mental Health Support Teams (Mhst) in schools. The Seah model will act as a connector and integrator, ensuring that support is better coordinated and that pathways are clearer for schools and families. This will include improved navigation of services, more coherent multi-agency planning, and better use

Richmond’s Alternative Provision (AP) is delivered through a "Continuum of Inclusive Practice," a three-tiered methodology designed to support young people facing barriers to education. Tier one focuses on universal support and guidance within mainstream schools, while

tiers two and three provide hybrid and full-time pathways—such as Malden Oaks, Anstee Bridge, and Step By Step—for students with challenging or internalised behaviors. This multidisciplinary approach, involving services from Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS) to Social Care, ensures that students maintain a sense of belonging at their home school through bespoke, therapeutic support while fulfilling statutory duties for those at risk of missing education.

of existing provision. AfC and the Icb will also work closely to ensure that the Seah model is robustly and jointly commissioned and reflected in commissioning plans. As a result, children and families will experience a more joined-up system, with fewer gaps or overlaps in support. We will also review and re-design the services offering Alternative Provision. This process will evaluate current contracts and arrangements, and current budget allocation of the existing budget, alongside any prospective additional funding, more effectively. Our established Alternative Provision working group of schools, voluntary sector and CAMHS colleagues will develop this guided by expert-led models of best practice. We will also ensure robust contingency plans are in place to address capacity constraints. This includes securing suitable, accessible accommodation to ensure a consistent and available offer for all referred students. The Seah model will strengthen inclusive practice through earlier access to specialist advice, consultation, outreach and targeted intervention, enabling schools to respond more effectively to emerging needs before difficulties escalate to crisis point or placement breakdown. Through the Seah school-layer (Team around the School - Tas) and cluster-layer delivery, schools will be supported to build capacity and confidence in meeting a wider range of SEND and Semh needs within mainstream settings. This will include enhanced access to specialist practitioners, collaborative problem-solving, workforce development, shared accountability for vulnerable learners, and coordinated intervention planning across education, health and care partners. The implementation of Seah is intended to reduce reliance on AP by improving early intervention, preventing exclusions, increasing the sustainability of mainstream placements, and strengthening reintegration. In the post-16 phase, the system will have developed a clearer understanding of how specialist expertise can best support young people,

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There are key areas where the system needs to evolve. The most significant theme is the need for greater joint working across services. While collaboration exists, delivery can be fragmented, and services operate in parallel rather than through a fully aligned model. Strengthening joint working, particularly across EPs, OTs and SaLTs, around evidence-based practice is necessary to ensure impactful intervention.

The system is also under pressure from workforce capacity challenges, particularly in relation to therapies (OTs and SaLTs) but also at a school level, affecting their ability to access training and support.

Another priority is ensuring that Alternative Provision acts as a temporary intervention rather than a permanent destination. While many students are currently referred with the intent of staying long-term or securing an EHCP, there is a concerted effort to improve reintegration rates back into mainstream settings. By addressing environmental barriers and investing in emotional wellbeing, the goal is to align AP services with a broader focus on mainstream inclusion. This commitment ensures that every child can thrive within their school community, creating a stronger sense of belonging and improving overall attendance and school experience.

Many of the foundations required for system transformation are already in place: strong leadership and governance; a collaborative culture; and established processes. However, these enablers are not yet fully

optimised. The next phase of development will require a sharper focus on joint working, consistency, and scalability. This will require capacity building first and foremost.

informed by the initial appreciative enquiry work. This will enable the development of an approach that is responsive to the specific needs of further education settings, and may include activities such as specialist-led professional dialogue forums, targeted staff development, joint formulation around cohorts of learners, and greater involvement of careers, transition and wider support services, ensuring that specialist expertise is integrated within the broader post-16 support offer. From a system perspective, there will be early signs of stabilisation in demand for statutory processes, including a slowing in the rate of increase in EHCNAs and EHCPs. While overall numbers may continue to rise in the short term, a greater proportion of needs will be met effectively through universal and targeted provision, supported by improved access to specialist advice. It is recognised that workforce capacity constraints could potentially limit the pace at which more intensive, embedded models (such as full Tas delivery) can be scaled. However, there will be evidence of more effective deployment of available capacity, with professionals able to support a greater number of children and young people through consultation, training and system-level approaches, building the conditions for deeper implementation over time.

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Underpinning all of this will be a set of key system enablers, including:

• ​ A layered model of delivery, combining Tas approaches with cluster-level collaboration and system integration;
• ​ A strong governance framework, including a named Senior

Responsible Officer (Sro) and clear accountability through the local SEND Partnership Board;

• ​ Structured consultation and training processes, grounded in evidence and adult learning principles;
• ​ Robust data and performance systems, enabling ongoing monitoring and improvement; and

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• ​ A continued focus on relationships, collaboration and co-production as drivers of change.

By the end of the three-year period, the system will demonstrate:

• ​ More consistent access to specialist advice, consultation and training,

across the age phase (early years, primary, secondary, and further education settings);

• ​ Strengthened universal and targeted provision, supported by improved staff confidence and capability;
• ​ Early signs of stabilisation in demand for EHCNAs;
• ​ Improved alignment between education, health and care services, reducing duplication and fragmentation;
• ​ A more established culture of collaboration, including the development of cluster-based communities of practice; and
• ​ A clearer and more coherent offer for families, with improved communication and access pathways.

Building Block 3: System leadership, local partnership collaboration and co-production The local area has a well established SEND Partnership Board that meets on a quarterly basis to drive system change and monitor accountability for the improvement of local SEND services. It is chaired by the Council’s Executive Director of Children’s Services. The partnership includes representatives from across the SEND system including the Pcf, early years, schools, colleges and professionals across education, health and care services with standing agenda items for feedback from children, young people, parents and carers.. In advance of all partnership board meetings, a comprehensive data dashboard consisting of 72 key performance indicators is used to monitor and measure the impact of the local area’s arrangements on outcomes for children, young people and their families. Over time, the size of the partnership board has grown and there is work to be done to refine the membership in order to make it the most efficient and effective decision-making group. In addition to this, there is a High Needs Sub-Group of the Schools Forum chaired by the Chief Executive of a local multi-academy trust, which provides additional financial accountability for the total spend on SEND provision. The local SEND Information, Advice and Support Service (Sendiass) has been provided by Polaris Children Services since April 2023. As part of their service specification, they are commissioned to support with dispute resolution and provide parents with information about their next steps if they are dissatisfied with a decision. Where a statutory decision is made in relation to our duties under the Children and Families Act 2014, early dispute resolution with families is encouraged by the statutory SEND team before escalation to formal mediation provided locally by Global Mediation Services. Service data from Global Mediation Services identifies that mediation is not timely, and the process from local authority decision to a concluded outcome can take up to 18 months, if a parent goes through the tribunal process. The Over the next 3 years, our vision is to build upon the strengths of the local area partnership so that education, health and social care are truly accountable for the holistic outcomes and experiences of children and young people with additional needs, and their families. Children and young people will be active contributors to the SEND Partnership Board, changing the power dynamic by enabling them to bring forward issues that are important for partners to address. Parents, carers, children and young people will feel confident that there is a partnership-wide early dispute resolution process that is effective and improves their confidence in the local SEND system. A measure of success in early dispute resolution will be to have a reduced percentage of local authority decisions progressing to an appeal. Where cases are unable to be resolved through internal processes, formal mediation will be timely and parents will feel that the advice they receive from Sendiass is impartial, accessible and high quality. We will build upon the co-production agreement with the Pcf by developing a local framework, benchmarks and an action plan that sets clear expectations and culturally embeds co-production and partnership working with parents, carers, children and young people on an individual and strategic level. As a minimum, the Pcf will be consulted at the earliest stages of development for services and resources that impact families with SEND. We will have an effective multi-agency audit that tests the strength of partnership working with parents at an individual level. The local Seah model will underpin this vision by:

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• ​ Implementing a shared workforce strategy focusing on inclusive

practice and co-production, developed in partnership with our Pcf and SEND Youth Participation Group;

local authority’s use of dispute resolution data is still in its infancy and is not yet driving systemic service change in how our most common disputes can and should be resolved. This is an underdeveloped opportunity given the sustained increase in the number of tribunals registered. The Director of Education Services is the senior responsible officer who has been assigned to drive forward the SEND Reforms and strengthen partnerships across the local area. This enables alignment across schools, education providers and all education services. The Richmond Parent Carer Forum (Pcf) has been the established local representative group for parents and carers since 2019. In addition to receiving the DfE grant, Achieving for Children provides additional funding to the organisation to support their core operation. There is an established open relationship between the Pcf and local system leaders where local issues are regularly and openly discussed. Despite this, the principles of co-production are not universally understood and embraced by all stakeholders and groups across the local area. Without this, individual parents, carers and young people do not always feel their voice is valued leading to reduced confidence in the local SEND system.

• ​ Utilising the existing SEND data dashboard as a predictive tool that

triggers early intervention and support, rather than just monitoring performance; and

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• ​ Ensuring that the joint commissioning of the local Seah offer reflects the views of the partnership from 0 to 25.

Parents, carers, children and young people will feel confident that settings, schools or colleges can access timely support to ensure their needs are well met. The Seah offer is well understood across the local SEND partnership. There is a shared universal understanding of inclusive practice which is adopted by all partners, and empowers parents, carers, children and young people to have an active role in shaping the services and support they receive.

Building Block 4: Encouraging inclusive culture and behaviours

This building block starts from a strong foundation. We have established a robust foundation for inclusive education, supported by our Ordinarily Available Provision (Oap) guidance, which now includes a version for early years settings, an Inclusion Charter with a supporting toolkit, and high-performing early intervention teams such as the Education Inclusion Support Service (Eiss) and a specialist Autism Advisory Team. The Autism Advisory Team has successfully upskilled staff to support 95 children, primarily in Reception and Year 1, demonstrating the impact of modeling on staff development. In 2024-25, the Eiss had 148 referrals, the Advisory Outreach Service for Autism had 78 referrals and the total number of referrals for Alternative Provision with Eiss was 128. Eiss also received 19 referrals for school training. To ensure a true whole-system approach, we have integrated these services with our health partners, working closely with the Integrated Care Board (Icb) to pilot Inclusion Health Checks that address neuro-inclusive needs at the universal level. Feedback from parents has highlighted a need to develop support services around dyslexia and dyscalculia. SEND sufficiency reporting was identified as a development area in the 2025 Childcare Sufficiency Assessment (Csa), so we are currently distributing parent and provider surveys for the Autumn 2026 Csa to identify barriers for families of higher-needs children. For children aged 0 to 5 accessing early entitlements, over 80% do so within the private, voluntary and childminding sectors.

Over the next 3 years, we will establish a system where staff are confident, parents have renewed trust, and pupils receive support at the earliest opportunity. Central to this is a goal to foster an environment and whole school experience where every child feels they belong.

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The Seah model will support a shift towards a consultative, collaborative and capacity-building approach. Where the school and their core experts at hand group identify pre-suspension needs through monthly meetings, this will be addressed through a Tas approach. Should a more specific or time pressured situation arise, for example if schools are concerned that an individual is at risk of suspension, linked experts at hand professionals will be able to respond to support the school. This model will extend beyond our borough boundaries to include out-of-area mainstream further education colleges, ensuring consistent specialist input for all our local young people.

To align with National Inclusion Standards, we will refresh our Ordinarily Available Provision and Inclusion Charter and Toolkit guidance and implement Inclusion Reviews and Audit Frameworks to support school self-evaluation and accountability. To ensure the Inclusion Audit serves as a helpful 'mirror' rather than a compliance exercise, the framework will be designed as a concise, reflective tool, e.g. auditing the sensory environment. We will work closely with our school leaders and SENCOs, enabling them to focus on leading strategic inclusive change. We will build parental trust through a co-produced Universal Offer agreement.

Workforce development remains a measurable strength, with 108 schools participating in the Attachment Aware Schools Award and high engagement with our Inclusion Toolkit training. We maintain a strong co-production relationship with our Parent Carer Forum (Pcf); however, we recognise that our baseline for parental confidence varies across the borough, and communication regarding our universal offer needs to become more systematic to ensure every family feels secure in mainstream provision.

To underpin culture shift, we will implement critical digital enablers. We will develop our School SEND Data Dashboards towards dynamic, multi-agency ‘Inclusion Story’ dashboards and support schools to write digital Individual Support Plans, ensuring the young person’s voice is a primary driver in shaping provision and pathways.

We will ensure system resilience by moving all local schools into a SEND cluster model to share funding, specialist resources, and collective

Despite these strengths, the system faces critical challenges, including severe financial strain evidenced by High Needs Block deficits of £5.4m in Richmond, driven heavily by an over-reliance on high-cost independent placements and spot-commissioned therapies. To address this, we will move from a direct-delivery specialist model to a consult-and-collaborate approach while scaling the cluster funding model borough-wide.

expertise.

We will develop a Dyslexia Hub to ensure schools have access to specialist training and advice.

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To tackle our 22% child poverty rate and severe attainment gaps, we will invest heavily in Best Start Family Hubs. These hubs will act as integrated one-stop shops featuring named SEND specialists who will deliver support before a child starts primary school. Our goal is to achieve a 79.5% Good Level of Development for all children and 52.6% for those eligible for Free School Meals by 2028.

A transition gap remains where we must better align primary and secondary cultures to strengthen transitions, building on current initiatives like the Year 4 to 8 transition panel, and create a more flexible secondary curriculum to reduce suspension rates. Additionally, we will build on our Emotionally-Related School Avoidance (Ersa) support through the formulation tool to ensure a more consistent approach to the early identification and intervention of pupils experiencing Ersa.

To significantly reduce reliance on Alternative Provision (AP), all secondary schools will establish internal Support Bases by Year 3. Where AP is used, reintegration plans will be developed from day 1. We will build on our borough-wide commitment to the Attachment Aware Schools Award through the achievement of Silver and Gold awards, with ongoing support to ensure these principles are lived out in the whole school experience. The Ersa formulation tool will be used to ensure a more consistent approach to the early identification and intervention of pupils experiencing Ersa.

Regarding our enablers, our data and digital systems currently rely on static reporting, necessitating a transition to dynamic, multi-agency dashboards to enable real-time decision-making. While workforce engagement is high, with 93% of Richmond schools buying back additional Educational Psychology services, a critical gap exists in the private and voluntary early years sector where only 10 SENCOs hold a Level 3 qualification. Furthermore, we face a significant capital and sufficiency gap in local maintained post-19 provision for complex needs, which currently forces a reliance on external placements. In the early years, although 64% of SEND Support children access inclusion funding, we must tackle outcome inequalities. 22% of children live in poverty and the Good Level of Development (Gld) for children with SEND is 21.8%, a gap we will address through Best Start Family Hubs, earlier identification protocols, and multi-disciplinary teams like Spot (Speech, Portage, and Ot).

We will strengthen our workforce enablers by recruiting an Early Years Senior SEND Advisor and launching a ‘Workforce Excellence’ bursary to increase the number of Level 3 qualified Early Years SENCOs in Pvi settings. Financially, we will streamline systems by transitioning to cohort-based funding for early years and developing robust tracking for children under five to improve pathway planning. We will also deploy targeted physical and emotional support via the Healthy Early Years London (Heyl) and Paths programmes to address childhood obesity and social and emotional development.

The 16-24 cohort maintains Not in Education, Employment or Training (Neet) figures of approx 4% which is below the national average, but is still an area to improve. Young people access targeted support. However, there is a need for earlier identification. Work is underway with colleges to introduce flexible, inclusive provision. The universal post-16 offer for those

For our post-16 learners, we will develop a coherent, local authority-led universal reengagement offer that integrates core academics with specialist mentoring. To address critical capital and placement gaps, we will establish

to Seah model.

• ​ Evaluating the impact of systemic training, consultation and access to

Seah on mainstream expertise, confidence, and competence: Qualitative measure

Building Block 3:

Draft

• ​ Current percentage of appeals per Ehcna decision (2025/26): 3.2% (9/281)

Building Block 3:

• ​ Reduce the percentage of appeals per EHC assessment decision: Target to be set by final submission
• ​ Current percentage of appeals per EHCP (annual reviews): 2.3% (50/2187)
• ​ Reduce the percentage of appeals per EHCP (annual reviews): Target to be set by final submission
• ​ Current percentage of cases progressing from formal mediation to a registered tribunal appeal (2026): 4.62 tribunal appeal rate
• ​ Sustain low rates of cases progressing from formal mediation to a

registered tribunal appeal, maintaining strong early dispute resolution: Target to be set by final submission

• ​ No current baseline for % of parents/carers who feel their voice

was valued in decisions about their child's support when audited. Baseline to be set in Year 1.

• ​ Increase in % of parents/carers who feel their voice was valued in

decisions about their child's support: Target to be set by final submission

• ​ No current baseline for % of children & young people who feel

their voice was valued in decisions about their support. Baseline to be set in Year 1.

• ​ Increase % of children & young people who feel their voice was

valued in decisions about their support: Target to be set by final submission

Building Block 4:

• ​ Overall attendance for pupils with SEND across all schools including special schools: 8.6%.

Building Block 4:

• ​ Percentage of post-16 learners (aged 16-24) who are Neet: 4%.
• ​ Improve and sustain the overall attendance of pupils with SEND in

all maintained schools to over 94% (a 1.3 percentage point increase).

• ​ Percentage of children and young people educated in mainstream schools with SEND Support: 12%.
• ​ Reduce and sustain the number of young people aged 16 to 24 with SEND who are Neet to approximately 3%.
• ​ Number of referrals for Alternative Provision made by schools

and requests for alternative SEND provision from mainstream schools (2025/26): 14 (including 5 made by other borough schools).

• ​ Increase the percentage of children and young people SEND

educated in mainstream schools with provision supported through an Isp: Target to be set by final submission

• ​ Good Level of Development for children with SEND (2025): 22.6%
• ​ Fewer referrals for Alternative Provision and requests for alternative

SEND provision from mainstream schools: Target to be set by final submission

• ​ Local target to increase Good Level of Development for children with SEND: Target to be set by final submission

Draft

3.​ What is the local area partnership’s strategy for delivering on the above?

A brief summary of your local system’s theory of change or reform strategy. Reflect on the output of your Local Partnership Maturity Assessment Tool, particularly your Local System ‘change story.’

Richmond’s ambition across the SEND system is to move from a reactive, high-cost statutory system to a financially sustainable, inclusive model focused on early intervention. The SEND Partnership Board - with strong governance, performance monitoring, and membership across the local SEND system - steers our scrutiny and priorities. Our strategy is rooted in:

• ​ System Redesign: Replacing unpredictable "spot-commissioning" of therapies with sustainable, block-contracted models like the proposed Communication, Advice and Support Service (Cass).
• ​ Early Intervention: Through initiatives like Social Communication Intensive Packages (SCIPs) and establishing local clusters to access

rapid support, training and specialists in mainstream schools. Family Hubs with dedicated SEND practitioners will create a "single front door" for families.

• ​ Workforce Development: Implementing mandatory training for school staff increasing confidence and consistency in inclusive practice.
• ​ Specialist Capacity: Continuing to expand local special school and Specialist Resource Provision (Srp) places to anchor children within their communities
• ​ Digital Integration: A critical need to develop digital infrastructure across education, health, and social care to improve data sharing

Recent transformation of therapy provision exemplifies the SEND reform strategy in practice. It is based on a shared multi-agency assessment and understanding of need within a financial envelope, modelling provision through joint commissioning, and good access to universal and early support alongside statutory provision.

Our shared goal is a balanced High Needs Block within five years, underpinned by a highly skilled workforce and a seamless system preparing young people for independence and meaningful employment. We will invest in the local SEND offer in our mainstream and specialist provision to meet the current and predicted needs of our children and young people.

Draft

4.​ Please upload a completed copy of the Local Partnership Maturity Assessment Tool.

Link to completed Local Partnership Maturity Assessment 5.​ What is the local area partnership roadmap for the next 3 years?

Reflecting on the broad timescales and expectation for deliverables set out in the Schools White Paper, key documents and core minimum requirements set out in this document, please provide a high-level roadmap for the next 3 years. Please highlight key milestones and a trajectory to the target metrics identified above, including leading indicators. In the 2026-27 column, in particular, please reference how you plan to meet the core minimum requirements in your narrative, including details and evidence in supporting documents. You can insert or upload supporting documents including graphics/visuals that illustrate your data trajectory.

Local roadmap for the next 3 years

Building Block 1: Strengthening inclusion across education settings

2026/27 - particular reference to how we will meet the core minimum requirements listed above During the 2026/27 period, the focus will be on the delivery of two new satellite centres for Clarendon School and Strathmore School, in partnership with the Auriga Academy Trust. The Clarendon satellite will provide 78 places (phased over five years) for children and young people aged four to 19 and with moderate to severe learning difficulties. The Strathmore satellite will provide 24 places (phased over three years) for children and young people aged 11 to 19 with severe and complex learning difficulties (Scld) including those with an additional diagnosis of autism and/or physical/sensory disabilities. These two new provisions will address gaps identified in our local offer for children and young people who cannot be educated in a mainstream environment and in doing so, reduce our reliance on out-of-area placements and independent specialist provision. This in turn will also have a positive impact on the expenditure of the SEN Transport Team. We will also work on progressing the Department for Education led free school project to open the London River Academy, 90 place Semh provision for children and young people aged 7 to 19 by September 2027. This will include discussions with the Beckmead Trust, who will manage the school, regarding the phasing of the opening. The new school will address gaps identified in our local offer for children and young people who cannot be educated in a mainstream environment and in doing so, reduce our reliance on out-of-area placements and independent specialist provision. An audit will be carried out with all primary and secondary schools in the borough to identify which schools have Inclusion Bases and where there are gaps. This will enable us to work collaboratively to identify suitable sites within school premises and jointly plan the development of any new provision that is required. This will include commencing discussions with secondary schools to identify any potential schools who would be willing to work collaboratively with the local authority to develop new specialist Inclusion Bases to meet the needs of pupils with more complex autism. In addition to this, we will progress activity with the Heathfield Schools Partnership to review the existing Srp space and to identify what improvements may be needed to enable the school to continue to support pupils with the most complex needs. This will be focused particularly at the junior school in response to the needs of pupils moving through the infant school. We expect this will enable the school to increase the number of places offered at the provision. Finally, we will begin the expansion of the Independent Travel Training Team to support more young people to travel independently. Key Milestones:

Draft

• ​ Opening two new satellite centres for Clarendon and Strathmore Schools to provide 102 local places.
• ​ Completing a borough-wide school audit to identify and address gaps in Inclusion Base provision.
• ​ Improving the Heathfield Srp facilities

2027/28

During the 2027/28 period, our primary focus will be on the successful opening of the London River Academy in September 2027. We will work closely with the Beckmead Trust to manage the final planning phases for this new provision. Alongside this, we will identify two secondary schools to partner with for the development of two new specialist Inclusion Bases specifically designed for pupils with more complex autism. A working group facilitated by the local authority, but led by a local school leader has been established to drive improvements in the inclusion of pupils with more complex needs in mainstream secondary schools.

Draft

We will finalise the comprehensive audit of all primary and secondary schools within the borough. This process will identify existing Inclusion Bases and highlight specific gaps in provision, allowing us to develop a dedicated programme of capital works, and ensuring that our local schools are fully equipped to meet the requirements established in the SEND White Paper. To further support our young people, we will recruit four new members of staff to the expanded Independent Travel Training Team, providing training for an additional 48 young people each year and enabling them to gain greater independence.

Finally, we will commence the drafting of the new SEND Sufficiency Strategy in consultation with our key partners. This strategy will clearly outline our long-term approach to strengthening inclusion across all education settings, with a core focus on organising school places and specialist provision as close to home as possible for our resident families.

Key Milestones:

• ​ Opening the London River Academy in September 2027 in partnership with the Beckmead Trust.
• ​ Identifying two secondary schools to host new specialist Inclusion Bases for complex autism.
• ​ Recruiting four new staff members to the Independent Travel Training Team to support 48 additional young people annually.

2028/29

During 2028/29, we will focus on undertaking feasibility studies with the two secondary schools identified to take forward proposals for two new specialist Inclusion Bases for pupils with more complex autism. These bases will address current gaps in local provision and will play a significant role in fostering greater inclusion within mainstream settings. Alongside this, we will work with all secondary schools to ensure that each site has at least a Support Inclusion Base, ensuring a consistent level of assistance across the locality. To ensure long-term sustainability, a plan will be established to address any remaining gaps in specialist Inclusion Bases throughout our secondary schools. This period will also involve discussions with our special schools regarding the increasing complexity of the needs of the pupils they support. As mainstream schools become better equipped to support pupils who might previously have required a specialist placement, we have the

opportunity to review these thresholds. This ensures that our special schools are dedicated to supporting those with the most complex needs. Finally, we will focus on the completion of our new SEND Sufficiency Strategy. This strategic document will clearly define our long-term approach to strengthening inclusion across all education settings. By prioritising the organisation of places and provisions closer to home, the strategy will ensure that our residents can access the specialist support they need within their own community. Key Milestones:

Draft

• ​ Undertake feasibility studies with two secondary schools for new specialist Inclusion Bases.
• ​ Review special school thresholds to focus on pupils with the most complex needs.
• ​ Finalise the new SEND Sufficiency Strategy to strengthen local inclusion.

Building Block 2: Access to specialist support and local placements 2026/27 - particular reference to how we will meet the core minimum requirements listed above Year 1: Establishment and Early Implementation of Eah (Seah) The first year will focus on establishing the infrastructure, workforce and delivery mechanisms required to operationalise the Seah model, while prioritising areas where impact can be achieved most effectively within existing capacity constraints. Please see Annex A which outlines the partnership approach that our local Seah model is based on. Annex B lays out the core rationale for why we chose our local Experts at Hand model. Annex C outlines the local Seah model in more depth. A key priority will be the early years sector and Family Hubs, where earlier access to specialist expertise has the greatest potential to influence longer-term outcomes. Given workforce limitations, delivery in Year 1 will not involve full Team Around a School (Tas) implementation. Instead, it will focus on structured consultation cycles, training, and professional dialogue forums, enabling settings to access specialist input in a scalable and sustainable way. In parallel, the programme will begin to explore how the Seah model can be adapted to the post-16 context. This will involve an Educational Psychology-led appreciative enquiry with two local colleges, designed to understand current strengths, identify gaps, and co-produce a model of support that is appropriate for this phase.

We will also complete a comprehensive audit and evaluation of the current Alternative Provision pathway. The existing key performance indicators will be developed, assessing the impact of Alternative Provision on reintegration, attainment, holistic outcomes, and preparation for adulthood, in accordance with best practice guidance. We will also be able to strengthen support for our children and young people experiencing Emotionally Related School Avoidance (Ersa) and their families through better support via our Family Hubs. Recruitment during Year 1 will take a phased and pragmatic approach, recognising national workforce shortages. Efforts will focus on maximising existing capacity, exploring flexible workforce models, and introducing support roles to extend the reach of specialist professionals. Recruitment will prioritise areas of greatest need, while also focusing on retention and sustainable deployment. Key milestones: By the end of Year 1, the system will have:

Draft

• ​ Established governance arrangements, including Seah workstream
• ​ Initiated Seah delivery within Early Years and Family Hub contexts
• ​ Delivered structured consultation and training to a defined cohort of settings
• ​ Begun to establish initial cluster forums to support professional dialogue
• ​ Begun workforce expansion and role development, within realistic constraints
• ​ Completed the Post-16 appreciative enquiry and identified next steps​

Success in Year 1 will be measured primarily through coverage and access, including the number of settings engaged, the scale of consultation activity delivered, and the number of practitioners accessing training and support. Early qualitative indicators, such as practitioner confidence and feedback from settings, will also be important.

2027/28

Year 2: Expansion and Embedding of Seah

The second year will focus on expanding the reach of the Seah model and embedding it more consistently across phases, including increased engagement with schools.

Building on Year 1 learning, there will be a gradual introduction of more structured Team Around a School approaches in a targeted number of settings. Cluster-based communities of practice will become more established, supporting peer learning and consistency of approach. There will also be a stronger emphasis on aligning Seah delivery with system-integrated services, ensuring that schools and settings experience a more coherent

offer across education, health and care.

We will also focus on embedding the changes that arise out of the Alternative Provision pathway audit and self evaluation activity alongside recommissioning provision in line with gaps in need, developing our staff training for school teams and investment in short term vocational options. Improvements are expected in terms of access to specialist advice, consistency of practice, and early indicators of reduced escalation, although these will vary across the system.

Draft

2028/29

Year 3: Consolidation and Clear Impact of Eah (Seah) The third year will focus on consolidating delivery, strengthening quality, and demonstrating system impact.

By this stage, the Seah model will be operating across all phases, with more consistent access to specialist expertise and more established consultation and training processes. The use of Team Around a School approaches will be in place. There will be clearer evidence of improved system functioning, including more consistent practice, better coordination across services, and early signs of impact on demand and cost trajectories. While full system transformation will extend beyond this period, Year 3 will demonstrate that the local area has established a sustainable model for improving access, building capacity, and supporting inclusion, providing a strong foundation for further reform.

Building Block 3: System leadership, local partnership collaboration and co-production 2026/27 - particular reference to how we will meet the core minimum requirements listed above In 2026/27, we will focus on establishing the foundational frameworks and data systems required to culturally embed co-production and shared accountability across the 0-25 partnership. To ensure our strategic decision-making is as efficient and representative as possible, we will refine the membership of the local area partnership board to include formal representation from early years, schools, multi-academy trusts (MATs), and further education (Fe) providers. We will also maintain strong links to the Schools Forum to support coherent engagement and accountability across all settings. To underpin partnership working, we will utilise shared, high-quality data through our SEND Futures joint data dashboard and the ongoing use of the Local Partnership Maturity Matrix to self-assess effectiveness. To strengthen co-production, we will ensure the Richmond Parent Carer Forum (Pcf) continues to be properly resourced and will finalise a local co-production charter and framework based on the NHS England coproduction guidelines, which will support their consistent involvement in shaping decision-making. We will adopt a minimum co-production benchmark and conduct a self-assessment against it in Year 1 to identify improvement actions. We will also hire a SEND Engagement Manager who will have oversight of all participation and co-production activity, ensuring stakeholder voice informs strategic decisions. To capture the voice of children and young people (Cyp) directly and distinctly from the parent voice, we will prioritise the development of a SEND Youth Forum, building on the existing 'Young Voices' sessions, to ensure their views actively influence board decisions. We will work directly with schools, early years settings and post-16 providers to improve their strategies for culturally embedding the lived experience of parents, carers, children and young people in the development of their SEND provision. Once established, we will create key metrics for assessing the strength of co-production in our schools. To strengthen early dispute resolution and rebuild parental confidence, we will improve the data accuracy and reporting of dispute resolution locally, designing a single-view dashboard to collate this information. We will also recommission Sendiass to ensure parents and carers receive high-quality, accessible advice that supports their next steps, formally opening the procurement process and ensuring parent-carers are included on the evaluation panel. We will also ensure that the joint commissioning of the new local Experts at Hand (Eah) offer explicitly reflects the views of the entire 0-25 SEND partnership. Key Milestones:

Draft

• ​ Establish a single named Sro and refine the Partnership Board membership to include formal representation from early years, schools, MATs, and Fe.
• ​ Agree on a co-production benchmarking framework and action plan at a SEND partnership level.
• ​ Design a single-view dashboard to collate all available dispute resolution data and identify where current reporting is missing.

2027/28

In 2027/28, our focus shifts to embedding these frameworks into workforce culture to drive systemic change. We will invest in a local area-wide training programme that enables the delivery of a shared workforce strategy, establishing agreed mechanisms for engaging all schools, early years providers, and post-16 providers, including out-of-area mainstream colleges accessed by local young people, to support inclusive practice and co-production. This will be a collective effort: the Local Authority, schools, and parents will meet to agree on a framework and action plan, then choose a training programme. To guarantee commitment from out-of-area partners, we are considering making this training a core component of our formal commissioning agreements. We will look at how we can better utilise our data, and improve our existing joint SEND Partnership data dashboard, ensuring it is used not as a tool

for simply monitoring progress, but as a mechanism to inform what early intervention and support is needed before needs escalate. We will also use qualitative and quantitative evaluation from early years, schools and post 16 providers to evaluate the impact of our mainstream investment and Seah model. To reduce reliance on tribunals, we will actively use the themes pulled from our new dispute resolution dashboard to transform existing service and decision-making processes, ensuring we consistently address the most common disputes at an earlier stage. We will also begin to integrate young people with SEND as active, formal contributors to the SEND Partnership Board, changing the power dynamic and ensuring that distinct issues important to them (such as the Preparation for Adulthood pathway) are directly addressed and actioned by system leaders. Key Milestones:

Draft

• ​ Launch a local area-wide training programme and engagement mechanisms focusing on inclusive practice across all setting types (including out-of-area post-16).
• ​ Integrate young people as active, distinct contributors to the local area partnership board.
• ​ Use dispute resolution data to transform existing service processes to address common disputes earlier.​

2028/29

By 2028/29, our goal is for co-production and shared accountability to be fully embedded, universally understood, and embraced by all stakeholders across the local area. We will deliver and embed a transparent, local dispute resolution protocol that all partners understand, ensuring parents and carers feel completely confident that the system will address their concerns fairly, early, and consistently. We will ensure that every child's most local school, early years setting, or college shares a collective responsibility for inclusion and can access timely support through the fully embedded Seah offer, directly meeting their needs effectively. Furthermore, we will embed a consistent group that actively represents the collective, distinct voice of young people with SEND at a strategic level, ensuring their lived experiences continuously and directly influence system leadership and service development. Key Milestones:

• ​ Deliver a local dispute resolution protocol with transparent escalation routes understood by all partners.
• ​ Fully embed co-production principles universally across all stakeholders, settings, and groups.
• ​ Embed a consistent group representing the distinct collective voice of young people at a strategic level.

Draft

Building Block 4: Encouraging inclusive culture and behaviours

2026/27 - particular reference to how we will meet the core minimum requirements listed above We will co-develop, publish, and annually refresh a partnership-wide Universal Offer agreement. This will be co-produced with MATs, schools, early years settings, and post-16 providers, underpinned by needs-based data. We will refresh our Ordinarily Available Provision (Oap) guidance and Inclusion Charter and Toolkit, implementing Inclusion Reviews and Audit Frameworks, aligned with the golden thread of inclusion in the Ofsted Framework, to support school self-evaluation and accountability. The agreement will be formally ratified by the local authority, Icb, Mat representatives, and the Parent Carer Forum (Pcf), establishing a clear baseline of inclusive provision available. We will work with our special schools to develop a transition passport for pupils transitioning from mainstream, with an aim that by 28/29, all pupils with SEND have a transition passport, ensuring primary strategies are embedded into secondary planning before September. To strengthen early intervention and reduce escalation, the local area will begin the phased implementation of the Seah model in 2026/27. This will focus on establishing governance, including the Seah workstream, and co-producing the model with partners, including education, health, care and Parent Carer Forum representatives. Delivery will prioritise Early Years, and Family Hubs, using structured consultation cycles, training and professional dialogue to improve access to specialist expertise. We will launch a new dyslexia hub in September 2026. By deploying this group-level specialist support directly into schools and out-of-area further education settings, we will build local capacity and reduce reliance on independent placements that require significant travel assistance. We will embed the Ersa formulation tool across all settings to ensure consistent, evidence-based approaches to early identification and intervention of pupils experiencing Ersa. To meet the early years core minimum requirements, we will publish our updated Childcare Sufficiency Assessment (Csa) in Autumn 2026. Using targeted parent and provider surveys, this assessment will explicitly detail the availability of early years places, specialist SEND places, and map local gaps for children with complex and emerging needs. To address these gaps, we will expand the role of our Best Start Family Hubs (Bsfh) by integrating named SEND specialists to provide direct support and implement a ‘pre-reception’ information flow protocol, ensuring identification and specialist input are operational before the child starts school. We will recruit an Early Years Senior SEND Advisor to strengthen our workforce. To bridge the qualification gap in the Pvi sector, we will launch a ‘Workforce Excellence’ bursary to increase the number of Level 3 qualified Early Years SENCOs. Simultaneously, we will deploy the Healthy Early Years London and Paths programmes through our hubs to address childhood obesity and social-emotional development. To meet the post-16 core minimum requirements, we will strengthen pathways to adulthood by expanding access to training, re-engagement support, employment, and our local Supported Internship (SI) offer, including partnerships like the Capella House hub. We will clarify pathways by co-producing clear Information, Advice, and Guidance (Iag) to support families transitioning away from EHCPs. This process will be informed by consistent information flow and timely specialist support by embedding the Seah model into post-16 settings to ensure transition planning is focused on long-term independence. Key Milestones:

• ​ The Universal Offer agreement is co-produced and formally ratified by the SEND Partnership Board, local authority, Icb, and Pcf.

Draft

• ​ Publication of the Autumn 2026 Csa with comprehensive SEND sufficiency data and specialist place mapping.
• ​ 15% of schools engaged with an Inclusion Review (incorporating the Pins neuro-inclusive audit).
• ​ Launch of the Dyslexia Hub in September 2026 with established referral pathways.
• ​ Launch of the Workforce Excellence bursary for Pvi Early Years SENCOs.

2027/28

In Year 2, our focus shifts to embedding inclusive culture through improved digital systems and targeted workforce development. We will transition school-level SEND dashboards from static context reports into dynamic, multi-agency ‘Inclusion Stories’ to track attendance, suspensions, and reintegration milestones in real time, supporting joint decision-making. Simultaneously, we will support schools in moving from current SEN Support records to unified, digital Individual Support Plans (ISPs) that ensure parents, teachers, and specialists can access a single, live version of a child's support. To build workforce capability, we will roll out targeted training focused on the role of class teachers and form tutors in leading the graduated response. Crucially, we will bridge the current participation gap by adapting these modules specifically for the secondary sector to ensure secondary staff feel equally skilled and confident to meet diverse needs within mainstream environments. We will review our published Universal Offer agreement, our Ordinarily Available Provision (Oap) guidance, Inclusion Charter and Toolkit, Inclusion Reviews and Audit Frameworks so that they are aligned with the newly published National Inclusion Standards. During 2027/28, the Seah model will move into a phase of expansion and embedding, extending delivery to a wider range of schools and settings. Cluster-based communities of practice will become more established, and targeted Team Around a School approaches will be introduced. Workforce development will continue, including further use of support roles, supporting increased reach and consistency of provision. Following the development of a transition passport, with Year 6 pupils transitioning to special schools in 26/27, we will implement a standardised digital ‘Transition Passport’ for Year 6 pupils with an EHCP across the borough, ensuring primary strategies are embedded into secondary planning before September. Building on this, we will evolve the Year 4 to 8 transition panel to better align primary and secondary cultures, ensuring that inclusive strategies are maintained through the middle years. For Alternative Provision (AP), we will enforce ‘Day 1 Reintegration Plans’ (with a 6–12 week target) and implement a mandatory fortnightly multi-agency review cycle for all Tier-2 pupils to prevent placement ‘drift’ and accelerate returns to mainstream. To improve financial efficiency and reduce the administrative burden on settings, we will transition Early Years SEN Inclusion Funding (Eysif) to a cohort-based application system, enabling providers to support children with similar needs using a streamlined process. We will also implement a robust tracking system for children under five to better support pathway planning and early transitions. Support for families will be expanded by rolling out the ‘Parental Ordinarily Available Provision’ (Oap) guidance, co-produced with the Pcf, and by expanding the IChatter and Spot multidisciplinary teams to provide earlier targeted support.

Building upon the strengthened pathways developed in Year 1, we will work with further education colleges to expand their vocational offers, implementing new qualifications such as V-levels and pre-internships. To identify Neet risks earlier, we will introduce dedicated transition mentors who can support young people with SEND at key transition points. We will also refine our broader, local authority-led universal EOTAS (Education Other Than At School) offer, ensuring it effectively integrates core academics with specialist mentoring and re-engagement strategies to keep young people connected to local education and employment. Key Milestones:

Draft

• ​ Transition to dynamic ‘Inclusion Stories’ dashboards and unified digital ISPs completed for all mainstream settings.
• ​ 100% of Year 6 pupils with an EHCP have a standardised digital ‘Transition Passport’ successfully transferred to their secondary setting.
• ​ Cohort-based application system for Eysif fully launched and operational.​

2028/29

By Year 3, our goal is for inclusive culture to be fully integrated across the system, significantly reducing our reliance on Alternative Provision (AP) and high-cost independent placements. To achieve this, 100% of schools (including Multi-Academy Trusts) will participate in a formal SEND cluster model. These clusters will pool ‘notional’ and ‘top-up’ funding to share specialist resources, fostering collective responsibility for all learners within their local area and ensuring financial sustainability. This model will be used to monitor the sufficiency of universal provision, allowing us to move resources or additional Seah to schools where demand for the universal offer is spiking. Furthermore, 100% of secondary schools will have established internal Support Bases or Integrated Inclusion Hubs. These bases will provide flexible, sensory, and emotional regulation spaces alongside meaningful alternative curriculum offers at KS4 for pupils who require a bespoke pathway beyond the traditional GCSE offer.

By 2028/29, the Seah model will be more consistently embedded across the system, with improved access to specialist expertise through consultation, training and collaborative working. Workforce development will support the embedding of inclusive and therapeutic approaches within everyday practice. The cumulative impact of strengthened early intervention and improved system coordination will contribute to greater stability, with earlier identification of need and reduced reliance on escalation.

We will fully implement a standardised digital ‘Transition Passport’ for all Year 6 pupils with a SEND across the borough, ensuring primary strategies are embedded into secondary planning before the child starts in September.

By the end of the 2027/28 academic year (reporting in 2028/29), we will have closed the attainment gap for disadvantaged children, hitting our target of 52.6% of FSM-eligible children achieving a Good Level of Development (Gld). At the universal level, we will achieve an overall Gld of 79.5% for all children. Our broader universal EOTAS offer will be fully functional, effectively integrating core academics with robust mentoring. As a result of early interventions and improved KS4-KS5 transition tracking, we will significantly reduce the number of learners with EHCPs on long-term Alternative Provision packages. We will also have fully established local maintained Post-19 Spld provision to meet complex needs within the borough. Young people with SEND will demonstrate sustained, successful progressions into employment or higher education, supported by maximum take-up of our local Supported

Internship (SI) offer.

Key milestones:

Draft

• ​ 100% of secondary schools have an active, internal Support Base or Integrated Inclusion Hub.
• ​ 100% of schools are actively participating in a formal SEND cluster model with pooled funding for early intervention.
• ​ 100% of schools have a designated lead trained in Universal SaLT and Ot toolkits.
• ​ 100% of Year 6 pupils with SEND have a standardised digital ‘Transition Passport’ successfully transferred to their secondary setting.

Success measures

2026/27 2027/28 2028/29

Building Block 1:

Building Block 1:

Building Block 1:

• ​ Progress existing plans to complete new

specialist places to reduce reliance and expenditure on Independent Special School (Iss) and out-of-area placements.

• ​ Increase the capacity and number of

Specialist Inclusion Base places created at secondary schools.

• ​ Increase the number of young people with

SEND successfully completing Independent Travel Training (ITT)

• ​ Reduce the reliance on out of area

placements and independent specialist provision.

• ​ Increase the number of Specialist

Inclusion Base places created at secondary schools.

• ​ Increase the number of young

people completing ITT Building Block 2: ​

• ​ Reduce the reliance on out of area

placements and independent specialist provision.

• ​ Increase the number of Specialist

Inclusion Base places created at secondary schools.

• ​ Increase the number of young people

completing ITT Building Block 2​

• ​ Complete increase in workforce Fte

for SaLTs, OTs, and EPs to support the expansion of the 'Experts at Hand' consultative model.

• ​ Increase LA and Icb spend on

professionals

• ​ Increasing access to early support

through the Specialist Expertise at Hand (Seah) local offer. This would start at 0 in 2026 and we would

Building Block 2:

• ​ Meet and sustain planned workforce

Fte targets for SaLTs, OTs, and EPs, fully embedding the 'Experts at Hand' model across all educational phases.

• ​ Increase LA and Icb spend on

professionals

• ​ Increasing access to early support

through the Specialist Expertise at Hand (Seah) local offer. This would start at 0 in 2026 and we would establish the number

• ​ Develop local plans to increase the planned

workforce full-time equivalent (Fte) for Speech and Language Therapists (SaLTs), Occupational Therapists (OTs), and Educational Psychologists (EPs).

• ​ Increase the total planned LA and Icb

spend on professionals to expand local

establish the number of Cyp supported by the Seah team to enhance workforce expertise

• ​ Evaluating the impact of systemic

training, consultation and access to Seah on mainstream expertise, confidence, and competence

of Cyp supported by the Seah team to enhance workforce expertise

• ​ Evaluating the impact of systemic training,

consultation and access to Seah on mainstream expertise, confidence, and competence

specialist reach and reduce reliance on spot-purchasing.

• ​ Increasing access to early support through

the Specialist Expertise at Hand (Seah) local offer. This would start at 0 in 2026 and we would establish the number of Cyp supported by the Seah team to enhance workforce expertise

Draft

Building Block 3:

Building Block 3:

• ​ Sustain targeted reductions in the

percentage of appeals per EHC assessment decision.

• ​ Sustain targeted reductions in the

percentage of appeals per EHCP (annual reviews).

• ​ Sustain low rates of cases progressing

from formal mediation to a registered tribunal appeal, maintaining strong early dispute resolution

• ​ Increase in % of parents/carers who feel

their voice was valued in decisions about their child's support

• ​ Increase % of children & young people

who feel their voice was valued in decisions about their support

Building Block 3:​

• ​ Decrease the percentage of appeals

per EHC assessment decision.

• ​ Decrease the percentage of appeals

per EHCP (annual reviews).

• ​ Measurably increase parent and

carer satisfaction scores regarding the quality and accessibility of advice received from Sendiass

• ​ Increase in % of parents/carers who

feel their voice was valued in decisions about their child's support

• ​ Increase % of children & young

people who feel their voice was valued in decisions about their support

• ​ Increased uptake in early dispute resolution

following a Local Authority decision

• ​ Decrease in the percentage of cases where

formal mediation progresses to a registered tribunal appeal

• ​ Increase in Parent/carer satisfaction scores

regarding the quality and accessibility of advice received from Sendiass

• ​ Baseline the % of parents/carers who feel

their voice was valued in decisions about their child's support

• ​ Baseline the % of children & young people

who feel their voice was valued in decisions about their support

Building Block 4:

Building Block 4:

Building Block 4:

• ​ Incrementally improve the

attendance of pupils with SEN toward the 94% target, supported by real-time tracking via dynamic ‘Inclusion Stories’ dashboards.

• ​ Incrementally reduce the percentage

of young people with SEN not in education (Neet) toward 3% through dedicated transition mentors and new re-engagement offers.

• ​ As a result of increased confidence

in the mainstream system, initial

• ​ Improve and sustain the overall

attendance of pupils with SEN in all maintained schools to over 94% (a 1.3 percentage point increase).

• ​ Reduce and sustain the number of

young people with SEN not in education (Neet) aged 16-24 to approximately 3%.

• ​ Increase in percentage of children and

young people SEND educated in mainstream schools with provision supported through an Isp

• ​ Establish an accurate baseline and launch

response support to improve attendance of pupils with SEN in all maintained schools

• ​ Stabilise the rate of all young people with

SEN not in education (Neet) aged 16-24 at the current baseline of approximately 4%

• ​ Analysis of percentage of children and

young people with SEND (EHCP and SEN support) educated in mainstream schools to

evaluate trends in inclusive mainstream activity

• ​ Local target to increase Good Level of

Development for children with SEND from 22.6 (baseline 2025)

increase in children and young people accessing mainstream schools

• ​ Fewer referrals for Appp and

requests for Alternative SEND provision from mainstream schools

• ​ Local target to increase Good Level

of Development for children with SEND

• ​ Fewer referrals for Appp and requests

for Alternative SEND provision from mainstream schools

• ​ Local target to increase Good Level of

Development for children with SEND

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6.​ What will the local area partnership deliver in the first year?

Please outline the key workstreams, milestones and trajectory your local area partnership will deliver and achieve in 2026-27 as well as how you plan to spend the investment allocation that will help fund this year’s delivery. Please share key milestones and anticipated dates, success measures, cost breakdown and category. These should incorporate the core minimum requirements, be mapped to the building blocks above and should reflect a more detailed trajectory to the narrative, milestones and target metrics outlined in the 2026-27 column above.

existing capacity.​

• ​ Commence discussions with

secondary schools to identify potential collaborative sites for two new Specialist Inclusion Bases designed for pupils with more complex autism

local area to test approaches, gather feedback and refine the model.

• ​ Complete the commissioning

recommendations of the Seah offer to ensure it aligns with the 0-25 partnership vision.​

• ​ Design a single view

dashboard to collate all available dispute resolution data Target trajectory:​

aligns with the refreshed Ordinarily Available Provision (Oap) guidance and Inclusion Toolkit.

• ​ Complete the co-development

of the partnership-wide Universal Offer agreement through formal consultation with schools, early years providers, and the Pcf.

• ​ Formally launch the Dyslexia

Hub (following the September setup) with established referral pathways and initial training cohorts.

• ​ Embed the Ersa formulation

tool across all school settings to ensure a consistent approach to identifying and supporting pupils experiencing school avoidance. Target trajectory: ​

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• ​ Recruitment activity will continue.
• ​ EP-led appreciative enquiry

will commence with two local post-16 settings.

Target trajectory:

• ​ A comprehensive baseline

dataset of current Inclusion Bases and local gaps is successfully compiled.​

• ​ Initial secondary schools are

identified and engaged regarding the collaborative development of the new Specialist Inclusion Bases.

Target trajectory:

• ​ Early Years and Family Hub

settings will be actively engaged in Seah activity with measurable increases in practitioner access to consultation and training.​

• ​ Early evidence will be

available on what is most effective for Early Years and Family Hubs in accessing the Seah offer.

• ​ A formal co-production

framework and action plan are successfully agreed upon across the partnership.​

• ​ Clear commissioning

recommendations for the local Seah offer are finalised and endorsed by the partnership.​

• ​ A functional, single-view

dispute resolution dashboard is successfully designed to improve strategic monitoring.

• ​ 100% of schools and early

years settings have received the updated Csa and Universal Offer draft for implementation.

• ​ 10% of schools have

completed or are actively engaged in an Inclusion Health Check (incorporating Pins neuro-inclusive audits).

SEND Sufficiency Strategy in consultation with key partners to clearly set out the approach for organising places and provision close to home.

both quantitative data and qualitative feedback from practitioners, families and partners.

• ​ Use the dispute resolution

dashboard to begin pulling together themes to inform service development/ recommissioning (mediation, Sendiass and statutory teams). Target trajectory:

(Information, Advice, and Guidance) for transitions, focused on independence and employment pathways. ​

• ​ Formally launch the ‘Workforce

Excellence’ bursary application process to increase the number of Level 3 qualified SENCOs in the Pvi sector.

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Target trajectory:

Target trajectory:

• ​ There will be evidence of

increased access to specialist expertise.

• ​ There will be evidence of
• ​ A collaborative capital works

programme is drafted to strategically address identified Inclusion Base gaps across the borough.​

• ​ Required physical

improvements and funding needs for the Heathfield Junior School Srp are formally identified.​

• ​ The first draft of the SEND

Sufficiency Strategy is actively being developed with strong partner engagement.

• ​ The Sendiass contract is

successfully awarded,with parents and carers having been equal partners in the evaluation.

• ​ The local Seah offer is

officially launched, well-understood, and clearly communicated across the entire 0-25 partnership.

• ​ Co-production benchmarking

is fully evaluated, providing clear, actionable recommendations to carry forward into 2027/28.

• ​ Extend the Seah consultation

model to local post-16 providers, focusing on transition planning for young people moving away from EHCPs. Target trajectory:​

improvements in practitioner confidence and capability.

• ​ 100% of the local area

partnership (including all schools and the Icb) formally signed up to the Universal Offer, ensuring a consistent baseline of provision is available in all settings without an EHCP.

• ​ 100% of children identified

with complex needs through Best Start Family Hubs have their 'pre-reception' information protocols completed and shared with receiving schools.

• ​ 100% of local post-16

providers and secondary

schools are actively using the updated co-produced Iag for transition planning.

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• ​ 100% of Pvi settings have

received information regarding the Workforce Excellence bursary. Funding Summary

Quarter two:

Quarter three:

Quarter four:

Experts at Hands See proposed budget calculations Inclusive Mainstream Fund This fund will be paid to schools at a public rate. Capital: During 2026/27 we are expecting to spend approximately £8.6m in High Needs Capital Allocation. This relates to the two new special school satellite centres that are due to open in September 2026 and the proposed improvements to the existing Specialist Inclusion Bases at a primary school in the borough. Best Start in Life £120k has been allocated in 2026/27 to transform our SEND Best Start in Life offer locally. This funding will be used for embedding SEND expertise within our Family Hubs, upskilling staff, and supporting parents and carers, and building parents' capacity for

Experts at Hands See proposed budget calculations Inclusive Mainstream Fund This fund will be paid to schools at a public rate. Capital: During 2026/27 we are expecting to spend approximately £8.6m in High Needs Capital Allocation. This relates to the two new special school satellite centres that are due to open in September 2026 and the proposed improvements to the existing Specialist Inclusion Bases at a primary school in the borough. Best Start in Life £120k has been allocated in 2026/27 to transform our SEND Best Start in Life offer locally.

Experts at Hands See proposed budget calculations Inclusive Mainstream Fund This fund will be paid to schools at a public rate. Capital: During 2026/27 we are expecting to spend approximately £8.6m in High Needs Capital Allocation. This relates to the two new special school satellite centres that are due to open in September 2026 and the proposed improvements to the existing Specialist Inclusion Bases at a primary school in the borough.

Best Start in Life £120k has been allocated in 2026/27 to transform our SEND Best Start in Life offer locally.

home learning.

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7.​ How will the local area partnership deliver the first-year plan?

Please set out how you will ensure the required capacity and capability is in place from organisational corporate functions to support implementation of the plan. This could include reference to how you plan to build or bring in project delivery capability to manage delivery against the plan, support prioritisation, and effective use of resources; and how you plan to build the capacity and capability in data and analytics to support effective tracking against the measures in the plan and reporting that informs decision making.

The established SEND Futures Plan will adapt to implement our Reform Plan. We will work with our local area SEND partners to realign priorities. To ensure strategic co-production, additional funding will be provided to the PCFs to support their active involvement in the transformation. To manage delivery, support prioritisation, and ensure effective resource use, we are establishing a dedicated Transformation Team. This includes sustaining two SEND Project Officer roles and bringing in a SEND Reform Practice Lead on secondment to provide programme oversight. We will also establish a SEND Engagement Manager and appoint three SEND Support Officers to support the coordination, communication, and reporting of the Seah model and clusters. These roles will work across Richmond and neighbouring Kingston upon Thames due our shared arrangements for children’s services.

Workstreams will pivot to new priorities: 1) strengthening universal ordinarily available provision, supported by a Principal School Improvement Adviser; and 2) accessing earlier intervention for children without an EHC plan, guided by a Senior Educational Psychologist leading cluster evaluations.

To build robust data, digital, and analytics capacity, we will introduce a new digital offer for Individual Support Plans (ISPs) and Verbo assessment and screening systems. We will also appoint a SEND Data Analyst to enhance our data infrastructure. A SEND data forecasting contract with Mime Consulting will predict demand and inform place planning. We are also looking to invest in a data management, activity, and outcomes recording system for the Seah team to support workload management, monitor reach, and provide outcome evaluation.

8.​ Other funding Local Authorities.

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Block Transfers: If you have made a block transfer (Schools Block to High Needs Block) for 26-27, please set out how your plans for this funding align with the activities outlined above.

The Schools Forum approved a £783,200 Schools Block (Sb) to High Needs Block (Hnb) transfer for 2026/27, allocated as follows:

• ​ £250,000 to supporting schools with disproportionate numbers of pupils with SEND not reflected in the local funding formula;
• ​ £192,200 for primary schools to support a Behaviour Support Team to build school capacity to respond to challenging behaviour, and Semh;
• ​ £341,000 to support the funding of 30 Alternative Provision places for secondary schools.

Capital: We have announced at least £3 billion in high needs capital between 2026-27 and 2029-30 to support children and young people (Cyp) with SEND, or those requiring alternative provision (AP). This funding is intended to support place delivery across the full 0-25 age range, including early years and post-16. We expect funding to support the following outcomes:

a.​ Inclusion at the core of high needs sufficiency strategy, resulting in more children and young people with SEND accessing suitable places in mainstream settings, across all phases of education b.​ Every child or young person who needs a place in an inclusion base can access one c.​ Fewer children and young people with SEND needing to travel a long way to access a suitable placement d.​ Improved suitability of the mainstream estate to support children and young people with SEND, with adaptations to improve inclusivity and accessibility of the physical environment We also welcome innovative uses of high needs capital to drive inclusion, for example, investment in assistive technology for use in mainstream settings.

Please outline your strategy for how this funding will meet the outcomes above, with reference to the core minimum requirements and other workstreams in this reform plan where appropriate. We would like to see detail around your plans to increase capacity for inclusion bases (formerly known as SEN units, resourced provision and pupil support units – Su/Rp/PSUs), such as schools, colleges or early years providers identified, engagement with relevant settings and trusts, and target cohort of needs.

If your plans include increases to places in special schools or specialist post-16 institutions, please include a clear rationale, showing the need that is being met, and why it cannot be met through other types of provision, such as inclusion bases.

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If you are receiving additional capital funding to replace one or more planned special or AP free schools, please set out how this funding will meet need in your area, and plans for engaging relevant trusts in your sufficiency planning.

We have strong relationships with both special school academy trusts and mainstream schools across the borough. This is evidenced by our work to increase the number of specialist and Srp places over the last ten years. We will continue to work with both to enable us to ensure our High Needs Capital Allocation is targeted at gaps in specialist provision, identified through analysis of demand trends and in response to local need, thereby enabling us to educate more children and young people with SEND within the borough, and to strengthen the inclusivity of our mainstream schools through the development of Inclusion Bases where necessary. All decisions relating to the allocation of capital funding will be discussed at the SEND Places Workstream and approval for funding will be sought from the Council’s Operations Board and Education Property Board. Projects funded through the High Needs capital allocation in recent years (and included in the Local SEND Reform data template) are:

• ​ 14 place Srp provision at The Vineyard Primary School for pupils with Social Communication Needs, including Autism and Moderate Learning Difficulties which opened in 2022.
• ​ The two new Auriga Academy Trust satellite centres.
• ​ The Beckmead Trust satellite centre at Nelson Primary School which opened in September 2025 for up to 45 pupils with Semh to mitigate for the delay to the DfE-led London River Academy.

Going forward, our High Needs Capital Allocation will be prioritised for the following projects:

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9.​ System partner and stakeholder engagement, and co-production.

Please outline how the local area partnership plans to engage system partners and stakeholders to develop and implement the plan – include planned engagement with schools and early years settings, alternative providers, Fe and post-16 providers (including those your young people attend that are not within your local area), Parents and Carers and children and young people with SEND, with reference to the core minimum requirements. Consider changing roles and responsibilities in the context of the Schools White Paper and how you work collaboratively to manage the transition. Please indicate where additional support is required to engage partners or stakeholders - senior officials at the Department for Education will be available to contribute to summer term events with education leaders and parent carer forum leaders.

To develop the SEND Reform Plan, we established a multi-agency steering group comprising the Council. Achieving for Children (AfC), the Icb, Parent Carer Forum (Pcf) leads, and representatives from early years settings, post-16 providers, and school leaders. To build consensus, we hosted targeted workshops with SENCos, health providers, and children and young people with SEND, alongside a borough-wide stakeholder session. In May, the Pcf also held an online workshop with our Principal Ep regarding the 'Experts at Hand' model for parent carers of children unable to attend school. The Pcf have also organised further engagement sessions in June for parents and carers to feed back on the SEND Reform Plan, including a dedicated parent and carer workshop, a feedback and wellbeing event, and a workshop focused on the school experiences of care-experienced children with SEND.

Engaging Children and Young People Based on recent focus groups, future initiatives will include in-school sessions across mainstream, specialist, and Alternative Provision (AP) settings. For those outside mainstream schooling, we will partner with voluntary sector groups for after-school focus groups and online discussions. Crucially, we aim to shift the power dynamic by enabling children and young people to become active contributors to the SEND Partnership Board.

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Engaging Parents and Carers We will utilise existing mechanisms, such as joint in-person and online workshops, working closely with the Pcf and SEND Parent Champions. We aim to make data more accessible to help parents and carers understand local trends while developing a framework to culturally embed co-production. This includes enacting next steps against Pillar 1 of the Local Partnership Maturity Assessment and supporting education settings to develop co-production activities with families.

Schools, Early Years, and Alternative Provision Engagement will occur through dedicated workshops at SENCo network meetings, phase-based collaborative meetings, and regular forum updates. The established AP working group will facilitate direct engagement with leaders in those settings. We are developing an impact evaluation focused on ‘mainstream inclusivity’ to promote systemic improvement rather than a standard auditing model.

Post-16 and Transitions Termly meetings with local Further Education (Fe) providers will ensure curriculum pathways and transition support are shared at annual SEND phase transfer events. Clearer guidance will build family confidence during transitions away from EHCPs, ensuring the young person’s voice remains the primary driver in shaping their pathway to employment and independence.

Leadership and Data To collaboratively manage the system transition, and specifically to create stronger mechanisms for schools to work more closely with parents and carers, we have established a 'System leadership, local partnership collaboration and co-production' workstream. This group has representation from a broad range of school leaders and will be co-led by Richmond Pcf and our Associate Director for SEND. System-wide engagement will be further enhanced by our annual SEND Futures Conference in October 2026, which brings together 150 parents and professions to discuss SEND. It will have a focus on the SEND Reforms.

10.​Risks and Mitigations

What are the key risks that could affect the successful implementation of your Local SEND Reform Plan, and what mitigation strategies are in place to manage these risks? Please include a maximum of 5 risks with impact and likelihood Rag for each risk. See Annex C for suggested risk matrix.

11.​Dependencies

Please detail the key areas of the local area partnership’s proposed SEND future state and roadmap that may be impacted by wider reforms nationally and locally and outline how you will manage these. We expect these will include but not be limited to:

• ​ NHS reforms
• ​ Local Government Re-organisation
• ​ Reforms to Children’s Social Care
• ​ Best Start in Life, including Family Hubs
• ​ Best Start In Life Strategy
• ​ Curriculum and Assessment Review

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NHS Reforms

NHS England published the Model Integrated Care Board Blueprint in May 2025, outlining significant changes to the focus, role and functions of ICBs, including developing neighbourhood and place-based partnerships that will transfer to neighbourhood health providers over time, as well as streamlining and optimising SEND activities. More recently, South West London Icb confirmed a clustering arrangement for joint working with South East London Icb under a single Chief Executive Officer and joint management team. South West London Icb is undergoing a formal staff consultation on proposed structures and the change process is due to conclude by March 2027. The Kingston and Richmond Place within the Icb prioritises SEND reform through ongoing work with AfC to develop and implement the strategic vision and operational plans. Local Government Context There are currently no plans for structural local government reorganisation in London. Plans for local government reform in London focus on enhancing the powers of the Greater London Authority (Gla) and voluntary collaboration between boroughs, rather than reorganisation or mergers. While national government plans aim to replace two-tier county systems with unitary authorities, these changes do not yet apply to London. Reforms to Children’s Social Care Children with disabilities represent a significant portion of our social care casework (between 16.4% and 17.8% locally). Aligning SEND reform with the Families First Partnership (Ffp) reform is vital. We are shifting our focus toward targeted early help to prevent the escalation of needs into safeguarding and child protection processes. We are expanding our Single Point of Access (Spa) at the front door to include Family Help Practitioners. The Designated Social Care Officer (DSCO) is driving the alignment of social care and SEND planning, while Multi-Agency Child Protection Teams will embed to improve information sharing and better support vulnerable children.

Best Start in Life Strategy and Family Hubs The national Best Start in Life strategy is fundamental to our early intervention agenda, tackling the fragmentation of services so parents can access support more easily. Through Best Start Family Hubs, we are creating ‘one-stop shops’ that integrate education, health and care for families from conception up to age 25 for children and young people with SEND. To manage this rollout, we are embedding Dedicated SEND Support Leads and specialist practitioners directly into these community hubs providing faster, local support and targeted outreach. Curriculum and Assessment Review (Car) The primary risk associated with concurrent Car and SEND reforms is the school’s capacity to manage so much change.We will mitigate this risk by providing schools with robust curriculum development support. The Car provides an opportunity to improve the critical Key Stage 2 to Key Stage 3 transition and to enhance alternative curriculum pathways, such as further embedding V and T Levels. By embedding shared leadership across early years, health, and social care, working supportively with our educational leaders, we aim to develop collaborative accountability and commitment.

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Section 3 – Monitoring and Evaluation

12.​How will the local area partnership know delivery is on track?

Please set out how you will monitor and track progress referencing:

• ​ Monitoring tools and processes - the specific tools, systems, and data you will use to track delivery milestones and measure

the impact on outcomes.

Some Local Area Partnerships hold data in a central SEND operational dashboard. This is used by teams on a weekly basis to identify trends in demand or inform conversations with local school or setting leaders.

In some Local Area Partnerships, a view of the Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) is reviewed monthly by a SEND Board to take decisions on prioritisation, resourcing and delivery of services informed by regular data.

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Please set out how you will use data to track demand (e.g., EHCP applications for assessment), Service delivery (e.g., Speech and Language Specialists deployment; places created), Service quality (e.g., parental satisfaction) and outputs (e.g., pupil attendance; pupil exclusions)

• ​

Feedback and adaptation mechanisms - what feedback loops and stakeholder input you will use to review progress and adjust your approach.

We will utilise a multi-tiered system of operational and strategic dashboards to track delivery milestones. The Quarterly SEND Performance Dashboard goes to the Richmond SEND Partnership Board, covering statutory timeliness (EHCPs and Annual Reviews), inclusion metrics, and vulnerable cohorts like Children Looked After (Cla) and those on Child Protection (Cp) plans.

Our SEND Intelligence Analyst will produce daily and monthly dashboards detailing SEN Support and EHCP data. These are reported to and discussed at bi-monthly Performance Quality and Innovation (Pqi) Board meetings alongside reports from the Designated Clinical Officer (Dco) to ensure health, education, and social care leaders jointly oversee statutory compliance and manage risks. We also utilise SEN2 and AP Census data to benchmark demand against other local authorities.

We currently provide detailed dashboards to schools covering outcomes, persistent absence, and suspension rates for pupils with EHCPs and those on SEN support. To properly track SEND reform impact and inform practice, we must close data gaps and gather comprehensive 'live' data. We plan to implement a single Management Information System within the local area with administrative support to monitor data more effectively. Future priorities include:

• ​ Developing robust processes to track inclusive practices and early interventions (such as our SEND Cluster Pilot), and developing a SEND data insight officer role to support 'data curiosity' regarding evaluation activity and performance analysis.
• ​ Creating and launching a dedicated 'Annual Review Dashboard' for schools to track progress, forecast reviews, and manage statutory timelines.
• ​ Monitoring the number and percentage of pupils entering, moving, and leaving our three tiers of Alternative Provision (AP) to evaluate the effectiveness of our continuum of inclusive practice.

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• ​ Tracking specific trends in AP requests, particularly during Key Stage 4 transitions, to explore the need for increased flexibility within mainstream schools.
• ​ Utilising advanced forecasting data (such as Mime) to track demand and inform school place planning and the development of new Specialist Resource Provisions (SRPs).
• ​ Analysing the intersection of SEND and Social Care alongside national trends and detailed ethnicity data to identify service gaps and ensure equitable, targeted support.

To evaluate progress, we will embed robust stakeholder feedback loops. The SEND Partnership Board will continue to conduct thematic 'deep dives' and monitor the sustained impact of initiatives. Bi-monthly multi-agency audits, mirroring the Local Area SEND inspection framework, will involve professionals and families reviewing cases from the past two years. In 2029, we will audit children ending an educational phase, re-auditing them in 2030/31 to evaluate transitions onto Independent Support Plans or into specialist provision.

To strengthen systemic accountability, we will partner with the Richmond Pcf to develop a deep-dive quality assurance model tracking real family journeys. Finally, we will use qualitative and quantitative evaluation from early years, schools, and post-16 providers to measure the impact of mainstream investment and the Seah model, alongside audits of provision and practice in mainstream schools.

13.​Reporting to DfE

Using the attached data template, the local area partnership is required to provide quarterly data returns to DfE against selected key metrics. DfE will, in turn, provide quarterly data reports with visualised analysis and benchmarking that will support your local delivery, monitoring and evaluation. This will include data the department holds on Attendance, Exclusions, and Unauthorised absence.

Please use the attached data template to upload your initial data return to DfE.

Link to The Local SEND Reform Plan Operational and Outcome Data

Section 4 – Governance

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14.​ How will the local area partnership ensure delivery of plans remain on track?

Please outline the governance structures in place to oversee delivery. Clearly set out who is responsible for overseeing reform delivery, what each governance group or individual is accountable for, and how these arrangements ensure progress is monitored and decisions are made transparently. Please identify where the named Sro for the Local SEND Reform Plan sits within the governance structure and ensure your response incorporates the core minimum requirements. Richmond Governance Structure - Pdf

Section 5 – Central Government Support

15.​How can we help you?

Please outline any practical support you need from central government to implement your plan effectively. This may include:

• ​ Access to specialist expertise or advisory support
• ​ Help with workforce development or recruitment challenges
• ​ Tools or templates to support data collection, reporting, or evaluation
• ​ Facilitation of peer learning or regional collaboration
• ​ Support with system-level coordination across education, health, and care
• ​ Guidance on navigating regulatory or policy barriers

We have established strong local partnerships and infrastructure to take our plan forward. There are some areas that would benefit from national guidance to support cross-borough approaches and/or require a national response:

• ​ Support for regional and cross-borough commissioning of specialist SEN provision to enable better strategic planning.
• ​ Development of a centralised programme to establish a consistent format for digital ISPs.

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• ​ National assurance that Icb (health) funding for the SEND reforms will match the education and social care commitment.
• ​ Alignment of statutory duties e.g. home to school transport duties do not encourage access to enrichment and after school care, and inhibit our ambition to create and foster a sense of inclusion and belonging in mainstream settings.
• ​ Action to support the fragmented multi-academy trust system to better achieve local SEND collaboration.
• ​ Development of workforce training qualifications to increase apprenticeship models for therapists and support staff.
• ​ Freedom to develop a local pay structure for teaching assistants to enhance recruitment and retention.
• ​ Revisit Gp and health boundary funding so that all children and young people in education settings access consistent therapy and health provision.

Annex A - Partnership Approach for Experts at Hand Model

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Summary of the partnership approach​

This document sets out our approach to leading the development of Building Block 2: Access to Specialist Support and Local Placements, with a specific focus on shaping the Experts at Hand (Eah) model within the Local SEND Reform Plan. Foundational Principles The development of the Expert at Hand model is underpinned by a set of core principles that reflect both ethical commitments and evidence-informed practice. These principles guide how our model is being designed, implemented, and iteratively refined.

• ​ Co-production as foundational practice: Co-production is central to our approach, ensuring that our model is developed with those it impacts rather than for

them. This reflects principles of respect, equity, and shared ownership, and is essential for building trust, legitimacy, and long-term sustainability. By actively involving practitioners, schools, and parents and carers, our model is more likely to be contextually relevant, meaningfully adopted, and sustained over time.

• ​ Feedback loops and adaptive learning: Our model is being developed as an evolving process. Ongoing feedback is actively sought and used to shape direction,

enabling continuous learning and refinement. This adaptive approach recognises the complexity of systems change and ensures our model remains responsive, effective, and grounded in real-world/local experience.

• ​ Equitable and inclusive processes: Our approach explicitly acknowledges differences in power, voice, and experience across the system. Deliberate efforts are

made to include a diverse range of perspectives, particularly those who are often less heard. This supports fairer decision-making, strengthens the quality of our model, and helps to mitigate the risk of reinforcing existing inequalities.

• ​ Diverse perspectives strengthen solutions: Drawing on a wide range of professional and lived experiences leads to more robust, creative, and effective solutions.

Our approach values multiple forms of expertise and seeks to integrate these to better understand challenges and design responses that are practical and impactful across contexts.

Approach in Practice (how all system partners were engaged and how the approach was informed by needs-based data) The development of our Expert at Hand model has been undertaken through a structured, iterative, and collaborative process, consistent with the foundational principles outlined above. A core co-production group was established, comprising representatives from across Achieving for Children (AfC) and the Integrated Care Board (Icb). This group met on multiple occasions to shape the initial thinking, explore emerging ideas, and ensure alignment across education, health, and care systems. To ensure our model reflects a broad range of perspectives and experiences, wider stakeholder engagement has been a vital and central component of the approach. This has included:

• ​ Direct meetings and discussions with key partners
• ​ Engagement with school leaders and SENCOs to understand current practice, needs, and priorities
• ​ Ongoing liaison with the Kingston and Richmond Parent Carer Forums (PCFs) to incorporate parent and carer voice, as well as scheduled focus groups and

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in-person events

• ​ A survey distributed widely to professionals who work with, or alongside, schools, as well as to schools themselves to gather system-wide insight
• ​ Formal partnership events

This mixed-method approach has enabled both depth (through direct engagement) and breadth (through wider consultation), ensuring that our model is informed by both professional expertise and lived experience. A key component of our approach has been the use of needs-based data to inform direction and prioritisation. A range of quantitative and qualitative data sources have been drawn upon to ensure the model is grounded in an accurate understanding of our local need. This has included analysis of SEND population data (e.g. prevalence, trends in Education, Health and Care Plans), service demands and referral patterns, waiting times, and outcomes data where available. This has been complemented by qualitative insights gathered via individual services’ evaluations, annual schools/SENCO surveys, and regular Pcf events. Triangulating these data sources has enabled a more comprehensive understanding of both system pressures and lived experience, ensuring that the model is responsive, targeted, and aligned with areas of greatest need. The process remains ongoing and iterative. Co-production endures and feedback continues to be actively sought and used to refine and develop our model, ensuring it remains responsive to need and grounded in practice as it evolves.

Annex B - Rationale for Experts at Hand Model

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Rationale for our Experts at Hand (Eah) Model​ This document sets out the rationale for our Experts at Hand (Eah)* model. Our model is grounded in established psychological theory and evidence on how sustainable behaviour change occurs within complex systems. It is designed to embed practice that is relational, context-sensitive, and capacity-building over time. The following principles underpin the model. Relationships are central to effective change:​ Trust and relational consistency are critical preconditions for learning and behaviour change (social learning theory). Kingston and Richmond schools consistently highlight the importance of relationships with professionals in enabling early and effective support. Our model therefore prioritises strong, ongoing and consistent relationships between professionals and educational settings. These relationships enable timely and sustained support focused on developing knowledge, understanding and capacity, alongside effective implementation, and evaluation of agreed approaches. Every interaction is an intervention:​ Our model recognises that change is shaped through everyday practice and interactions, not solely through formal inputs. Repeated, consistent interactions reinforce behaviours and influence practice over time. By embedding expertise within daily contexts, the model ensures that high-quality interactions continuously support and shape practice and improve outcomes. The approach reflects the psychology of effective behaviour change:​ Effective behaviour change requires alignment of capability, opportunity, and motivation. Our model builds capability through training, advice, coaching and modelling. It creates opportunity by embedding support within school settings, while recognising and respecting individual school cultures and identities. It strengthens motivation through ongoing support and adaptive practice. Together these elements increase the likelihood that changes in practice are adopted, embedded, and sustained. It builds on existing strengths and local practice:​ The model is developed on a strengths-based approach, starting from what is already valued and effective within the local context. By recognising and amplifying

existing effective practice and principles, it will enhance confidence among education settings, professionals and families, and support more sustainable and meaningful change. It is responsive to identified needs:​ Founded on person-centred principles our model is adaptive to the needs of children, families and settings. Support can be tailored to ensure relevance, appropriateness and maximum impact in different contexts. Data informs direction and continuous improvement:​ Our model embeds the use of meaningful data to identify priorities, monitor progress, and refine approaches. Feedback is a critical mechanism for learning and behaviour change, enabling a responsive and adaptive system. In summary, our model and approach is optimal for our local area because it reflects how people learn, adapt and change in practice: through trusted relationships, repeated and meaningful interactions, contextualised support, and continuous feedback. By integrating these principles, it supports sustained improvements in practice and outcomes across the system. *known locally as Specialist Expertise at Hand (Seah)

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Annex C - Experts at Hand: The Local Model

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Experts at Hand (Eah) Model​ This document sets out our Experts at Hand (Eah)* model. The Specialist Expertise at Hand (Seah) model is a hybrid delivery framework designed to ensure schools and education settings have timely, equitable access to specialist expertise. It is Achieving for Children (AfC) led, with strong input and expertise from the Integrated Care Board (Icb). It operates across two integrated layers:

• ​ Layer 1: Team Around a School (Tas) - intensive, school-level support
• ​ Layer 2: Cluster-Level Support - system-wide collaboration across groups of

schools The model prioritises early intervention, capacity-building, and sustainable implementation of evidence-informed practice, with the aim of improving outcomes for children and young people. Layer 1: Team Around a School (Tas) The Tas is structured using a three-tier concentric model, reflecting relational proximity, frequency and predictability of involvement and mode of engagement (i.e. embedded, responsive, system-integrated). The ‘core’ Seah team works in ongoing partnership with a school to:

• ​ Enable early intervention before needs escalate
• ​ Strengthen whole-school practice
• ​ Improve outcomes across universal, targeted, and targeted plus levels

Rather than focusing on individual referrals, the emphasis is on building the school’s internal capacity to meet a wide range of needs. ​ *known locally as Specialist Expertise at Hand (Seah) At the centre of this model is a monthly meeting between the school and the full Seah core team. These meetings are:

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• ​ Structured and framework-driven
• ​ Focused on shifting practice and improving outcomes
• ​ Designed for collaborative problem-solving and joint planning
• ​ A space for appropriate commissioning discussions (e.g., what support is needed and why)
• ​ Explicitly not referral meetings

The monthly frequency is intentional to maintain momentum and continuity and preserving the integrity of the model as a preventative and responsive space. If meetings occur less often (e.g., half-termly), they are in danger of drifting into referral-focused discussions, losing their preventative and systemic impact. The frequency of the meetings also allows them to function as a reflective space, allowing staff to:

• ​ Think critically about practice
• ​ Explore challenges safely
• ​ Embed learning over time

The ‘extended’ Seah team is co-identified during the monthly meeting and/or structured consultation in order to provide targeted specialist input. Services and professionals that sit outside of the core and extended Seah are captured within the third circle of the visual (system-integrated) to demonstrate that the Seah model operates in alignment with externally commissioned services, enabling coordination, strong partnerships, and shared planning. Monthly meetings and Seah delivery will help schools to connect and optimise their use of these wider services as appropriate. Delivery: Delivery is jointly identified and agreed and organised across three complementary strands: advice, training, and support. 1.​ Collaboration: This strand focuses on developing shared understanding, informing decision-making, and shaping effective provision through structured, collaborative processes. Activities include:

• ​ Consultation cycles
• ​ Structured coaching
• ​ Case discussions and formulation
• ​ Joint observation
• ​ Co-production of strategies and provision plans
• ​ Resource sharing and toolkits
• ​ Policy and provision mapping support
• ​ Solution-focused problem-solving

2.​ Training: Training is grounded in principles from Adult Learning models and designed to enable sustained changes in professional practice. As such, training will not be delivered as isolated sessions but as part of a structured, iterative learning process. Core Principles:

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• ​ Training is ongoing and cyclical, not one-off
• ​ Learning is applied, contextualised, and practice-based
• ​ Staff are active participants
• ​ Opportunities for reflection, rehearsal, and feedback are built in
• ​ Learning is linked directly to classroom and school priorities
• ​ Impact on practice is reviewed and revisited over time

Activities include:

• ​ Whole-school sequenced Cpd programmes
• ​ Phase/year group training
• ​ Modelling
• ​ Leadership development
• ​ Parent/carer workshops and engagement sessions
• ​ Development of in-school champions
• ​ Follow-up and embedding sessions

3.​ Support: This strand focuses on translating learning into practice, providing additional capacity and reinforcement to ensure that changes are effectively implemented and sustained. Activities include:

• ​ Targeted group interventions
• ​ Short-term specialist input alongside staff
• ​ Reflective supervision and professional dialogue spaces
• ​ Drop-ins sessions for staff
• ​ Parent coffee mornings and support groups
• ​ Transition support (e.g., key stages)

Layer 2: Cluster Layer The Cluster Layer of the Seah model extends the Team Around a School (Tas) approach across a network of schools, feeder Early Years settings and assigned Family Hubs. This layer is intentionally designed to operate as a system-level mechanism for collaboration, capacity building, and quality assurance, ensuring consistency of specialist support across local education ecosystems. It is not an additional tier of isolated activity; rather, it is the scaling and replication of Tas functions across a wider system boundary. The Cluster Layer mirrors the Tas structure but shifts the unit of focus from one school to a group of settings, enabling both efficiency and shared learning. This ensures that the same principles of early intervention, consultation, and capacity building are preserved but scaled systemically. The Cluster Layer functions as a local inclusion system and a living system of learning and is explicitly designed to:

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• ​ Build communities of practice across education phases
• ​ Enable peer support, professional challenge, and shared accountability
• ​ Deliver high-quality training and professional development at scale
• ​ Strengthen consistency of universal and targeted SEND provision
• ​ Reduce fragmentation between early years, school, and post-16 transitions

The Cluster Layer is explicitly informed by systems thinking and systems psychology, particularly the following principles:

• ​ Interdependence of settings: outcomes in one school are influenced by the wider system
• ​ Feedback loops: information from interventions is continuously cycled back into system improvement
• ​ Non-linearity of change: small changes in practice across multiple settings can generate system-wide impact
• ​ Homeostasis and resistance to change: structured implementation is required to shift entrenched patterns
• ​ Emergent learning: capability develops through interaction, reflection, and shared problem-solving rather than isolated training

The Cluster Layer intentionally develops communities of practice, where professionals:

• ​ Share and interrogate practice across settings
• ​ Engage in structured peer review and challenge
• ​ Co-develop approaches to common SEND and inclusion needs
• ​ Reflect on impact using shared data and case studies
• ​ Build collective ownership of inclusion outcomes

Delivery: The Cluster Layer delivers the following integrated activity strands:

• Collaborative Practice Development

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• ​ Cross-setting consultation cycles
• ​ Joint case formulation and problem-solving
• ​ Shared intervention design for universal and targeted needs
• Training and Workforce Development

All training is explicitly grounded in adult learning theory and not as a standalone input but as embedded system of learning, ensuring relevance, engagement, and transfer into practice.

This includes:

• ​ Experiential learning (learning from cases within the cluster)
• ​ Reflective practice cycles (learning loops)
• ​ Problem-based learning (real system challenges as the curriculum)
• ​ Social learning approaches (peer modelling and coaching)
• ​ Immediate application to practice with feedback loops
• Parent and Carer Engagement and Support

The cluster layer also provides opportunities for parents and carers to access specialist knowledge, build confidence, and engage more effectively with support systems, recognising their central role in children and young people’s development.

This includes:

• ​ Experiential learning (learning from cases within the cluster)
• ​ Reflective practice cycles (learning loops)
• ​ Themed workshops and training sessions for parents and carers, aligned to common areas of need
• ​ Opportunities to participate in group-based discussions with Seah professionals, focusing on understanding needs and strategies
• ​ Delivery of targeted parent/carer interventions or programmes, where appropriate
• ​ Informal engagement opportunities (e.g. coffee mornings or forums) to strengthen relationships and accessibility

Evaluation and impact:

A central principle and defining feature of the Seah model is its relentless focus on impact. Evaluation will inform both ongoing practice and strategic decision-making All activity will be:

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• ​ Planned with clear outcomes
• ​ Regularly reviewed
• ​ Adapted based on evidence
• ​ Impact evidenced over time to ensure that support leads to measurable change and resources are used effectively

A range of tools may be used, including:

• ​ Goal Attainment Scaling (Gas)
• ​ Time, Monitoring and Evaluating (Tme) frameworks
• ​ Progress and attainment data
• ​ Attendance and behaviour indicators
• ​ Staff confidence and practice measures
• ​ Pupil and parent voice

Governance and Accountability: The Seah model will be embedded within the Local Area Partnership Board, operating as part of the wider local area system for improving outcomes for children and young people, particularly those with additional needs. The governance arrangements are designed to provide clear lines of accountability from operational delivery through to strategic oversight, while ensuring strong alignment across education, health and care partners. This framework supports collective ownership of inclusion and SEND outcomes, promotes transparency in performance and resource use, and enables the system to respond effectively to emerging needs and priorities. A single, named AfC-based Senior Responsible Officer (Sro) will hold overall accountability for the Seah model and its contribution to local area improvement. The Sro will act as the primary point of accountability to the Local Area Partnership Board. They will be responsible for ensuring that delivery aligns with local inclusion priorities, SEND and alternative provision reform, and wider multi-agency commissioning arrangements. The Local Area Partnership Board will provide overall strategic oversight of the Seah model. It will be responsible for setting priorities, monitoring system-wide performance, and holding the Sro to account for delivery and impact. Through this forum, education, health and care partners will maintain a shared focus on improving outcomes and ensuring coherence across the system. Beneath this, the Seah workstream will provide operational oversight and coordination. It is responsible for translating strategic priorities into effective delivery, monitoring implementation progress, and ensuring that the model is applied consistently and with fidelity. The workstream will bring together multi-agency service

leads, representatives from schools and settings, and Parent Carer Forum (Pcf) representatives, ensuring that delivery is informed by both professional expertise and lived experience. It will also oversee the deployment of resources and tracks progress against agreed outcomes and indicators. At a more local level, cluster forums will provide oversight across groups of schools, including feeder Early Years settings and assigned Family Hubs. These forums will focus on the quality and impact of delivery within their locality, identifying emerging needs and facilitating peer support and challenge. They will also act as a key feedback mechanism, ensuring that local intelligence informs system-level decision-making. Individual schools and settings retain responsibility for the quality of provision and outcomes for their pupils. Engagement with the Seah model will be integrated into their existing leadership, SEND governance, and school improvement processes, ensuring that support is aligned with their priorities and context. Budget and Funding Arrangements: The Seah model is funded by the Experts at Hand & Local Authority SEND Transformation Fund. This will enable the delivery of the embedded and extended Seah workforce, as well as the associated consultation, training and capacity-building activity required to support schools effectively. It also supports the infrastructure necessary for coordination and oversight. Overall accountability for the use of Seah funding rests with the Sro. The Seah workstream will monitor operational use of resources and impact, while the Local Area Partnership Board provide strategic oversight and scrutiny. Reporting and Performance Management: A structured reporting framework will underpin accountability at all levels of the system. Cluster forums and the Seah workstream will operate a termly reporting cycle, enabling timely monitoring of delivery, responsiveness to emerging issues, and continuous feedback. The Local Area Partnership Board will receive quarterly reports, providing oversight of performance, outcomes and system-level impact. Performance will be assessed through a combination of quantitative and qualitative measures. These include access to and timeliness of support, the impact on pupil outcomes such as attendance and inclusion, and the extent to which escalation to more specialist provision is reduced. Measures relating to workforce development and school capacity will also be considered, alongside feedback from parents and carers. Quality assurance will be supported through regular review processes, including audit activity, stakeholder feedback, and peer review at cluster level. This will ensure that delivery remains consistent with the model’s principles and continues to improve over time. Escalation and Risk Management: Clear escalation processes will be in place to ensure that risks and challenges are identified and addressed promptly. Issues arising at school or cluster level will be escalated through the Seah workstream, where they can be addressed through coordinated action or adjustment to delivery. Where issues reflect wider system pressures or risks, these will be escalated by the Sro to the Local Area Partnership Board. This will ensure that strategic decisions can be taken where necessary, including in relation to resource allocation, service capacity, or system alignment. A live risk register will also be developed and maintained to support this process,

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capturing operational, financial and strategic risks. Mitigation actions will be clearly identified and monitored, ensuring that risks are actively managed and that the model remains responsive and resilient. Overview of the Specialist Expertise at Hand (Seah) model - a hybrid delivery framework operates across two integrated layers

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Annex D - Supporting Documents

Annex E – Risk Matrix

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