Warwickshire Local SEND Reform Plan 2026

Warwickshire SEND Reform Plan

8th July 2026

Annex A: Local SEND Reform Plan

Developing a Local SEND Reform Plan is an important first step for local areas to set out how they will lay the foundation for reform, and design an approach tailored to their local context. A shared plan which focuses on co-designing the local approach as system partners and with children, young people and families will help foster collective responsibility for delivering the reforms.

It is critical that all system partners, including health, education and childcare settings, work together to design and deliver the Local SEND Reform Plan, under the local authority’s leadership. It is also crucial that representative family carers e.g. the local Parent Carer Forum, are involved in the development of the plan.

The expectation is that this plan is discussed, agreed, and signed off at your relevant SEND Governance Board. As a minimum, the plan must be formally signed off by the Local Authority Chief Executive (CEO), the Integrated Care Board (ICB) Chief Executive, the Local Authority Director of Children’s Services (DCS), the Integrated Care Board NHS Place Director, and the Local Authority Chief Financial Officer (CFO/Section 151 Officer). We encourage other colleagues and partners who have contributed to also review and sign off the plan, particularly early years, school, college and trust leaders.

Name of Local Authority: Warwickshire County Council

Name of Integrated Care Board: NHS Coventry and Warwickshire Integrated Care Board (ICB)

Local SEND Reform Plan SRO: Johnny Kyriacou

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Signatories

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Executive Summary

In Warwickshire, there has been sustained growth in demand and complexity in special educational needs and disabilities (SEND), with pressures most visible in the increasing number of children and young people with Education, Health, and Care (EHC) plans. As shown in our maturity assessment, this is also shown in demand for secondary-phase specialist provision, diagnosis through neurodevelopmental pathways (including ADHD), workforce capacity, and high needs financial sustainability. These pressures contribute to inconsistent timeliness and waiting lists, variability in experience, and uneven provision across localities.

Where we are now: The partnership has established a strong platform for change, including a successful growth strategy of SEND Resourced Provisions, collaborative approaches to alternative provision, a range of workforce development projects, Team Around the School Approach (TASA), strengthened early years identification, redesigned elements of the EHC pathway, improving autism diagnostic capacity and deeper co-production with families and young people. The percentage of children with EHC plans in mainstream schools has increased year on year since 2020. Inclusive practice is promoted across the workforce, and there is use of evidence-led approaches (e.g. Pins, Elsa, Ebsna pathways), with a renewed focus on the quality of alternative provision when needed.

However, demand continues to exceed current capacity, particularly for specialist places in the secondary phase and neurodevelopmental pathways. Statutory performance on timeliness of EHC plans is below average. Further to this, attendance for children with EHC plans is below average, and permanent exclusions for children with EHC plans are rising. Joint commissioning arrangements are not delivering change at the pace required.

Where we want to be (next 3 years): By 2029, the partnership will be shifting to better early identification and early intervention as the norm, so that children get the right help sooner. A fully embedded Experts at Hand (EAH) offer will provide multi-disciplinary support across early years, schools, FE and AP. In 2029 we will start turning the curve on reducing escalation to statutory processes. Inclusion in mainstream school will be the default expectation, aided by increased specialist bases in the secondary phase. Coupled with increased state special school places, this will reduce reliance on independent special schools from 2029. The SEND reforms, together with Families First, Best Start in Life and Page 4 of 58 Neighbourhood Health Teams, will provide a multi-agency model of local support based on refreshed and clear joint commissioning arrangements. There will be improved pathways for speech and language support, autism, and ADHD diagnosis. Children and families will have improved experience deriving from early identification and timely processes. Co-production will be evident throughout the system through a renewed commitment to our Working Together Charter.

How success will be measured: More children will be supported locally in mainstream and local inclusion and specialist bases, and there will be improved statutory performance for those in the EHC process. Waiting times for speech and language, and neurodevelopmental services will reduce. There will be increased access to professionals through EAH and improved attendance and attainment for children with SEND. There will be improved family confidence and a stabilised high needs trajectory delivering better value for money.

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Section 1 – Vision and Goals

• What is the local area partnership trying to achieve?

Vision:

Our vision is for Warwickshire to be a child-friendly county where all children are skilled, safe, heard, healthy and happy. We are committed to working together as a system to deliver this vision. We will do this restoratively, embedding how we work with families through the four cornerstones of Welcome and Care, Value and Include, Communicate, and Work in Partnership to develop Trust. This is set out in our SEND & Inclusion Strategy.

Goals 2026-2029

• Earlier Identification, Intervention and Inclusive Practice

We will strengthen early identification, intervention and inclusive practice across mainstream education so that children and young people receive the right support at the right time, without unnecessary escalation.

• Improved school attendance for children and young people with SEND.
• Increased proportion of children with EHC plans educated in mainstream and local provision.
• Reduced requests for EHC need assessments from 2029.
• Develop a Strong Multi-Agency Experts at Hand Offer

We will establish a sustainable Experts at Hand model that provides timely access to education, health and care expertise, builds workforce capacity and strengthens support in local settings.

• Increased practitioner confidence in meeting SEND needs.
• More children accessing the Experts at Hand offer.
• Increased access to specialist advice and support.

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• Strengthen Partnership, Co-production and Family Confidence

We will work with children, young people, families, schools and partners to ensure services are co-produced, trusted and informed by lived experience.

• Improved parent, carer and young person confidence.
• Increased evidence of co-production influencing decision-making at every level.
• Reduced speech and language, autism and ADHD waiting times and improved support while families wait.

4. Ensure Sufficient High-Quality Local Provision

We will develop a sustainable continuum of local provision so children and young people can access high-quality support closer to home.

• Increased local inclusion and specialist places.
• Reduced reliance on independent special schools and travel.
• Deliver Better Outcomes Through a Sustainable SEND System

We will improve outcomes and experiences while ensuring long-term financial sustainability and value for money.

• Improved EHC plan timeliness and annual review performance.
• Improved achievement of a Good Level of Development at the end of EYFS for children with SEND, compared with the national average.
• Improved average Attainment 8 score for children with SEND, compared with the national average.
• Improved preparation for adulthood outcomes.
• Stabilised High Needs expenditure through improved local sufficiency.

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Section 2 – Strategy

• Where the local area partnership expects to be in the next 3 years

Local Area Partnership

As part of our Maturity Assessment, the Partnership identified that firm foundations have been set, but we recognise the imperative to go further.

Where we will be in the next 3 years Co-production: Co-production is strong strategically, but it is not yet consistently embedded operationally. To strengthen this, we will create roles that engage parents through Best Start Family Hubs and the EAH offer, signpost support and gather feedback. By 2029, we will have maintained and matured our strategic relationship with Warwickshire Parent Carer Voice, while drawing on multiple touchpoints across the system to listen to and engage with parents. We will also expand and deepen engagement with young people through Impact, ensuring a wider diversity of children and young people’s voices informs decision-making. Co-production will be strengthened within the CAMHS pathway, and we will assess our progress against the Working Together Charter we have co-produced.

Effective leadership and governance: The SEND & Inclusion Strategic Board is established, but it must evolve further into a system leadership forum, in line with Ofsted’s recommendations. We are therefore revising current governance arrangements and creating operational and strategic Page 8 of 58 decision-making groups. The development of the EAH offer and recent changes to the ICB create new opportunities for joint commissioning, underpinned by improved data sharing and refreshed needs analysis. Within a year, Warwickshire will have established new governance arrangements, a joint commissioning plan and a combined Autism and ADHD strategy. Professional challenge across agencies will ensure that partners work as system leaders, pursuing a shared vision.

Accurate understanding of the needs and experiences of children and young people through effective use of quantitative and qualitative data: Performance is currently shared through a joint dashboard, while individual agencies use Power BI dashboards to understand current system pressures in real time. Evaluations of pilot programmes, Warwickshire Parent Carer Voice surveys and the recent Ofsted inspection all provide insight into children and young people’s experiences. These insights highlight the issues we are most concerned about school attendance, waiting times and confidence in support. We will develop data sharing into a single joint dashboard and strengthen our joint strategic needs assessment for SEND. By 2029, we will also have developed a post-16 outcomes dashboard to track the long-term impact of the changes made.

High-quality service delivery at universal, targeted and specialist levels to promote inclusion: Warwickshire has strong foundations in its universal offer, through the SEND & Inclusion Guidance and Inclusion Charter, supported by countywide services and SENCO networks. We will update this guidance following publication of the National Inclusion Standards and actively support the national training programmes. At targeted and targeted-plus levels, Warwickshire has positive experience of inclusion initiatives and traded services. Drawing on this learning, the EAH offer has been designed for a soft launch from September 2026 and will develop to support all mainstream settings by 2029.

By 2029, Warwickshire will have an established and embedded Experts at Hand (EAH) offer providing consistent, needs-led support across early years, schools, FE and AP. EAH will combine setting-level consultation, group-based intervention and targeted support through a blended workforce of EPs, SaLTs, OTs and specialist teachers. It will be integrated with existing pathways to reduce duplication and improve access.

Successful delivery of EAH is expected to improve attendance for children of school age with SEND, particularly in the secondary phase, where access to speech and language support has been identified as an area for improvement. The combination of EAH and increased AP will also reduce permanent exclusions for children with SEND by 2029. In early years, focused support, combined with development of the Best Start in Life model, will provide earlier SEND advice and improve navigation of the system. We will use Best Start in Life to anticipate the support children need, informed by professional advice and improved data and information sharing.

Page 9 of 58 Specialist support will increase through expanded commissioning of specialist bases and targeted investment in speech and language, autism and ADHD services. The Balanced System will be introduced into speech and language therapy, building on recent service changes. Waiting times for speech and language are already reducing and will continue to improve. Targeted investment in autism and ADHD diagnostic pathways will reduce waiting times by 2029.

In tandem with the new EAH offer, Warwickshire is developing a new Alternative Provision (AP) model, including a new flagship AP school in Warwick due to open in 2028, along with area-based satellites in each of the three areas. This will provide a three-tier offer, including in-school support, time-limited placements and transitional placements. We will develop wraparound support for children in AP, from Experts at Hand and other agencies integrated into our Families First arrangements for children. This approach is intended to strengthen early intervention and enable reintegration wherever appropriate, while ensuring that pupils’ needs are met at the right level and at the right time.

Schools will be able to access the expertise, capacity and outreach support of their local AP hub alongside the EAH team, promoting a more consistent and system-wide approach to inclusion. Where off-site direction is required, provision will be delivered through a coordinated multi- agency model, enabling access to specialist support tailored to individual need.

In parallel, Warwickshire will continue to work with its established network of independent, non-school AP providers. The partnership will maintain oversight of this sector to ensure quality assurance, sufficiency and value for money, thereby sustaining a strong and flexible local offer to meet a diverse range of pupil needs.

Post-16 support from SaLT and OT requires strengthening to support young people into adulthood. The EAH offer will specifically provide capacity for this with an emphasis on utilising the Council for Disabled Children’s frameworks and pillars in all conversations and actions.

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Warwickshire’s EAH Model

Warwickshire has a strong system of countywide educational

psychology, speech and language therapy, occupational therapy and specialist teaching services, provided by WCC and the NHS. These services provide the foundation for the Experts at Hand (EAH) model and offer. All services have experienced increased demand in recent years, resulting in resources moving towards individual statutory work associated with the EHC process, rather than systemic, group-based and early interventions. The workforce is keen to participate in a new, more enabling way of working.

Services have worked closely together, across agencies, to develop EAH. This is explained in detail in the operational model, attached as an appendix.

The EAH offer will be implemented through a phased three-year approach. Year 1 will focus on establishing the core model, identifying good practice and mapping areas of need. By Year 3, the full offer will be in place and practice will be embedded. Over this period, quality assurance, supervision and outcome monitoring will be strengthened, alongside ongoing joint review and co-production with settings and families to support continuous improvement.

The Warwickshire EAH offer will be delivered based on a central hub model, with three area-specific groups that match existing service organisation across the county: North, East and South.

In total, this means recruiting an additional 63 FTE to the current system, bringing much-needed early intervention capacity.

There is scope to go further. As a partnership, we want to test and learn whether the current uniform allocation of resource across the four services needs to become more nuanced, for example by increasing SaLT resource relative to other disciplines. Further recruitment is therefore planned for later in the financial year.

Page 11 of 58 The Advanced Practitioner for SaLT will be based within the ICB and will provide leadership across the four localities in the ICB cluster.

As it is anticipated that some roles will be challenging to recruit to, at least in the short term, each area team will include a specialist lead supported by a skill mix (e.g. one EP supported by three Assistant EPs).

Warwickshire’s EAH model will offer structured support across three core areas:

• Support for CYP, delivered with setting staff.
• Support for settings and staff, through a whole-setting approach.
• Support at system level, for mainstream settings across the

local area.

The menu of support beneath these tiers is being developed based on the success of recent initiatives and pilots.

Warwickshire will allocate 75% of resources directly to settings based on current needs analysis. The remaining 25% of resources will be shared in response to emerging needs, based on local consortia and area network geographies. Again, this will be subject to a test and learn approach.

Page 12 of 58 There has been extensive discussion about

how the EAH offer will operate. Families and settings need the four main disciplines to work together as one team, providing clear horizontal integration. Staff from each discipline also need to maintain close links with specialist services, ensuring vertical integration, best practice and appropriate referral pathways.

To achieve both aims, principles have been agreed on the role of the central EAH team and the role of specialist services.

This is a local partnership model with strong links to the wider system and a clear commitment to delivery. The model will align with the Mental Health in Schools Team. Although the ambition is to reach all settings as quickly as possible with some element of the offer, the first-year focus will be on delivering the full offer to secondary schools, particularly to support pupils transitioning into Year 7.

Effective partnership working across education, health and social care: Current demand is high and requires a whole-system response. There are existing commitments to increase AP and Resourced Provisions, as well as to address waiting times for speech and language, autism and ADHD. Demand for occupational therapy is also high. Warwickshire is a pathfinder authority for Families First for Children, and this model is well Page 13 of 58 embedded. As a result, there is investment in AP, Resourced Provisions, speech and language, autism and ADHD. The new EAH model will support earlier intervention and help manage need in these areas. The partnership will focus on what is preventable and predictable, using data across agencies and drawing on multi-disciplinary expertise. EAH will be delivered through a central hub model. By 2029, waiting times will have reduced, AP and Resourced Provisions will have expanded, and the EAH model will be well developed and aligned with Mental Health in Schools Teams. SEND teams, Best Start in Life and Families First for Children will work more closely together through weekly joint operational meetings to ensure targeted support for the most vulnerable children and young people.

Skilled and organised workforce across local authority, education settings, health and social care: A multi-layered workforce development programme has already been implemented, including videos, funded courses, resources and virtual learning. However, workforce capability remains inconsistent. EAH will allow further roll-out, through a menu of support, of capacity-building approaches such as the Partnership for Inclusion of Neurodiversity in Schools (PINS), Emotional Literacy Support Assistant (ELSA) and the Emotionally Based School Non-Attendance (EBSNA) pathway. We will establish a strategic workforce strategy across the Education & SEND system to build the pipeline of skilled practitioners and support the retention and continued upskilling of our existing workforce across the partnership.

The joined-up EAH approach will support improved school attendance for children and young people with SEND. In Year 1, the model will be based on local multi-disciplinary teams made up of EPs, specialist teachers, SaLTs and OTs. To address recruitment challenges, these teams will be led by qualified professionals and supported by assistant EPs, inclusion mentors, assistant SaLTs and OTs. Resources will be allocated proactively, using school data and planning, with flexibility to respond to emerging need. Coordinators will ensure that EAH provides additional focused support and does not duplicate the current offer. Impact and resource allocation will be monitored quarterly, with the model refined in response to this evidence. The greatest impact is expected in Reception and Year 7, where teams will support key transition points.

Our experience has also been that schools with Resourced Provisions help to improve the overall capacity and understanding in the system.

Therefore, we will have a workforce strategy specifically to support specialist bases under the new arrangements. In 2029, Warwickshire will have a workforce with increasing confidence in supporting children’s needs.

Page 14 of 58 Targeted and judicious use of resources including place planning, sufficiency, use of capital: At school age, the local area has a good track record of using capital to establish Resourced Provisions, meeting increasing levels of need in mainstream schools. However, this is not evenly distributed, with a lack of secondary provision and some geographical variance. There is an existing commitment to over 500 resourced provision places by 2028. This will be increased as the local area sets an ambition for every secondary school to host a resourced provision once the reforms are completed (by 2035). This equates to approximately 680 secondary places. To complement this, there will also be investment in state specialist provision in line with increasing complexity of need and a population that continues to grow (mainly due to housing growth). In 2029 there will be more Resourced Provisions particularly in secondary schools, with an established pipeline for subsequent years, as well as more specialist places – all reducing the dependence on independent special schools and reducing transport costs. The partnership will use the knowledge and expertise it has in creating specialist resource bases in schools to advise on setting up support bases and ensuring that environments are appropriate and meet the needs of the cohort.

In early years, Warwickshire has met SEND sufficiency through the Warwickshire Inclusion Kitemarking Scheme (WIncKS) for childminders and nurseries and the commissioning of Enhanced Provision through maintained nursery schools. The addition of the EAH offer to early provision will increase this capacity further. The Enhanced Provision model will be reviewed considering increasing demand.

For young people with SEND attending further education, Warwickshire has a positive culture of inclusion with less than 1% of the overall cohort placed in post-16 specialist institutions. The local authority has previously invested capital funding to develop the White House and Life Works provisions in Moreton Morrell and Nuneaton respectively and recently commissioned The Cube in Leamington. The Council will continue to work with providers to ensure capacity and sufficiency.

Page 15 of 58 Building Block Local blueprint for the next 3 years Where we are Where we will be in the next three years

Promotion of National Inclusion Standards (when available)

Promotion of national training offer (when available)

Continue to promote local SEND & Inclusion Guidance & the local Inclusion Charter

Promotion of local training offer

Continued monitoring of schools through Team Around the School Approach

Promoting the National Inclusion Standards when launched and revising local SEND & Inclusion Guidance in light of the standards

Actively support and monitor national training (when available) and adapting local training offer to complement this

As part of Best Start in Life Offer SEND Offer available in 6 family hubs

More sophisticated TASA with better use of data (through Power BI) and local intelligence including parent voice

Strengthening inclusion across education settings (universal)

Established Local SEND & Inclusion Guidance across the four areas of need, setting out expectations on quality first teaching, whole school approaches and graduated response

Local Inclusion Charter in place setting out local commitment to inclusion

Training offers available, including whole school training (e.g. Autism Education Trust)

SEND resource packs given to every school (DBV)

1 Family Hub opened under Best Start in Life – SEND support offer under development

Team Around the School Approach (TASA) in place including monitoring of inclusion

A new commissioning model for Experts at Hand Offer

Establish inclusion bases (for targeted plus)

A focus on school attendance for children with SEND

Investment into speech and language services

Strengthening inclusion across education settings (graduated approach and targeted offer)

Local traded services offer of educational psychology and specialist teaching services.

Support available from Speech and Language and Occupational Therapy teams without the need for an EHC plan.

A number of approaches being introduced and tested at the targeted level: - Partnership for Inclusion of Neurodiversity

An embedded EAH Offer in all mainstream settings, incorporating best practice from recent approaches as part of a menu of support

Increased numbers of children receiving support from professionals without EHC plans as a result of EAH offer

Clear referral routes into Educational Psychology, Specialist Teaching, Speech and Language, and Occupational Therapy for those who need them.

in Schools (Pins) - Attend Framework and Emotional-

Based School Non-Attendance (EBSNA) pathway - Inclusion Framework for Schools (IFS) - Educational Psychology Assessment

EAH model aligned with Mental Health in Schools Teams

EAH, TASA and increased workforce confidence supporting better school attendance for children with SEND

Increasing number of inclusion bases

Roll-out of the Balanced System approach for speech and language services, assisting in reducing the waiting list for SaLT.

Through Teaching (EPATT) - Emotional Literacy Support Assistant

(ELSA) - Targeted deployment of inclusion mentors

Promotion of nurture groups and inclusion spaces.

Mental Health in Schools Team supporting 113 schools

Below national average attendance for children and young people with SEND

Current high waiting times for speech and language services

Families First in place but limited interface with SEND

SEND teams and Families First will work closer together to ensure targeted support for the most vulnerable

An enhanced directory of independent non- school AP which provides a range of interventions to the varying needs of pupils

Establish specialist bases

Increase commissioned alternative provision (AP)

Expand state special schools

Delivery on plans to reduce autism and

Access to specialist support and local placements

448 resourced provision places across 39 schools

30fte commissioned AP places

1,777 places at 11 state special schools (including imports and exports)

Over 750 specialist base places at 65 schools

A pipeline for further specialist base places at secondary schools

A further 100 AP places commissioned.

A further 170 special school places to be

Page 16 of 58 ADHD waiting lists

Delivery on plans to improve EHC timeliness created by 2029, reducing reliance on independent special schools.

Current high waiting times for autism and ADHD diagnosis

Ongoing work on ADHD Transformation & Recovery plan

High demand for EHC needs assessment requests and lack of timeliness on issuing EHC plans

Review of EY Enhanced Provision and FE provision

Reduced waiting times for autism and ADHD diagnosis

Improved service response during any waiting times that remain for autism and ADHD

Reduced growth rate for EHC needs assessments (comparing 2029 to 2028) and improved timeliness of EHC plans System leadership, local partnership collaboration and co- production

Partnership governance and programme governance

Co-production with and via Warwickshire Parent Carer Voice and Impact

Shared accountability for joint commissioning models

Shared use of data to inform commissioning as system leaders

SEND & Inclusion Strategic Board in place but arrangements under review.

Embedded SEND & Inclusion Strategic Board arrangements linking various parts of the system and different agendas.

Initial SEND Reform governance in place with links to Families First and Best Start governance

Strong strategic relationship with Warwickshire Parent Carer Voice and Impact (Yp group)

Aligned commissioning models, but no joint commissioning plan

Current strong use of data, but fragmented across different parts of the system

No data sharing at child level (e.g. Identifying child on multiple waiting lists)

SEND & Inclusion Strategic Board accountability for delivery of the SEND Reform Plan

A mature strategic relationship with Warwickshire Parent Carer Voice drawing upon multiple touchpoints across the system designed to listen and engage with parents.

Expanded engagement with young people through the work of Impact with wider diversity of children and young people’s voices.

Strong co-production within the CAMHS pathway.

Move from aligned commissioning to joint commissioning in accordance with a locally agreed joint commissioning plan

A joint and combined Autism and ADHD strategy

Shared cross agency data dashboard for Education, Health and care

A SEND JSNA to support future commissioning including post 16 outcomes

Sharing of data across agencies to map family experiences – e.g. cross-reference waiting lists for ADHD and attendance data

Enablers – Encouraging inclusive culture & behaviours.

Transformation funding to be used to improve governance, manage new Experts at Hand offer and oversee new phase of capital investment.

Transformation funding

Capital investment strategy across EY, mainstream, FE

Workforce training

Communications & Stakeholder engagement

Existing service offer and capacity building

Digital systems

Transformation is well advanced, with universal offer, Experts at Hand and inclusion bases all showing impact.

Capital strategy continuing to meet needs locally through specialist bases and expanded special schools (partway through medium term plan)

New AP school offering 64 places and

Capital strategy in place for specialist bases and special schools – now to be extended to new phase

Joint workforce planning to underpin a

Page 17 of 58 system approach

Growing workforce to oversee inclusion bases – workforce strategy to be written

Strong communications with stakeholders such as WEPB and local FIS newsletters

Current digital systems support statutory processes but internal focus additional capacity to support schools

Anticipated capital funding received and deployed

Workforce planning underpinning an integrated system

Expanded specialist workforce with pathways from specialist bases to special schools

Continued communications with stakeholders building on current strengths of WEPB and local FIS newsletters

Increased use of AI for improved productivity

New digital systems with outward facing information Page 18 of 58

Main success measures

Building Block Main success measures Baseline (2026)

Target Metrics (by 2029)

Strengthening inclusion across education settings (universal)

Increased access to SEND professionals in mainstream schools through EAH and increased workforce confidence

Zero - No EAH offer service in June 2026 85% of schools inspected by Ofsted to reach Expected Standard or better for Inclusion

Access to EAH by all mainstream schools and settings 91% of schools inspected by Ofsted to reach Expected Standard or better for Inclusion Strengthening inclusion across education settings (graduated approach and targeted offer)

Improve attendance of pupils with SEND Severe absence for those with an EHC plan is higher than the national average – 9.7% in Warwickshire, compared to the national average of 7.5% (2024/25 academic year)

Severe absence for those with an EHC plan in line or below national average (currently 7.5%)

Access to specialist support and local placements

Establish inclusion bases in every secondary school

7 secondary schools host a resourced provision or specialist partnership providing 132 places

By 2029 13 secondary schools to host a resourced provision/specialist base providing 260 places, with pipeline for further roll out post 2029 to all secondary schools to host a specialist base Access to specialist support and local placements

43.7% of all children and young people with EHC plans educated in mainstream schools/Resourced Provisions

≥50% of all children and young people with EHC plans educated in mainstream schools or local Resourced Provisions

Increase % of children and young people with EHC plans in mainstream/Resourced Provisions

System leadership, local partnership collaboration and co- production

Improved timeliness of EHC plans issued within 20 weeks

22.8% of EHC plans issued within 20 weeks Above national average – 50% of EHC plans issued within 20 weeks (current national average 46%)

System leadership, local partnership collaboration and co- production

1,796 children waiting for longer than 3 years 50% reduction on children waiting longer than 3 years

ADHD waiting times Page 19 of 58

• What is the local area partnership’s strategy for delivering on the above?

Warwickshire’s strategy is to strengthen the universal and targeted offer while increasing local specialist sufficiency. Together with strong system leadership and the necessary enablers, this will create a more sustainable local SEND system.

This follows a logic model of inputs, activities, outputs, outcomes and impact. The full model of change is attached as an appendix, with an example shown below:

System leadership sits at the centre of this approach. Alongside the Senior Responsible Officer, there will be an operational lead for the Universal and EAH Offer and an operational lead for specialist sufficiency. These posts will work with existing service delivery and

Page 20 of 58 commissioning leads, supported by programme management capacity, to deliver change. Regular feedback from Warwickshire Parent Carer Voice, Impact and settings will be secured through existing partnership structures. Joint workforce planning will underpin the system, with the SEND & Inclusion Strategic Board bringing activity together to ensure timely decision-making and effective targeting of resources.

We will continue to promote a universal offer building on our existing Warwickshire SEND & Inclusion Guidance and Inclusion Charter. We await the National Inclusion Standards and national training to develop this guidance further. The Standards will be a key lever in addressing inconsistencies identified as part of our Maturity Assessment.

The Experts at Hand (EAH) offer will develop a menu of multi-disciplinary support, grounded in current best practice such as EBSNA and the local OT consultative model. Building on the strengths identified in the Maturity Assessment, the model will provide early access to expertise, build capacity and consistency in settings, support earlier identification and response to need, reduce dependence on statutory assessment, and improve the lived experience of children and young people. Horizontal integration across services will be supported by vertical integration into specialist services when appropriate. Joint workforce planning will underpin this development. The operational model for EAH is attached as an appendix.

For specialist sufficiency, we are prioritising investment in secondary specialist bases (see section 8) as well as taking opportunities to expand existing special schools. This is in line with the prioritisation of resources identified in our Maturity Assessment. This investment will both meet increasing demand and improve inclusive practice.

However, the local partnership’s view is that, until legislative changes are in place, the number of children with EHC plans is likely to continue increasing. This reflects current trends, levels of parental confidence and recent Ofsted judgments. The next three years will therefore focus on creating a sustainable and inclusive system capable of delivering improved outcomes, greater confidence and better value for money, with the full benefits expected to be realised after 2029.

Page 21 of 58 As Warwickshire is subject to Local Government Reform (LGR) our strategy is subject to decision-making by new entities.

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

Attached as at Appendix A.

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• What is the local area partnership roadmap for the next 3 years?

High-level Roadmap

2026/27 (Design, plan, test and learn): Revise governance; establish, mobilise, test and learn Experts at Hand (EAH) offer (Year 1) with first-year inclusion base expansion (Resourced Provisions); strengthen EHC pathway performance; agreed plan for reducing ADHD waiting lists; implement shared dashboards and joint workforce planning.

2027/28 (Review, implement and scale): Scale EAH and inclusion bases; deliver secondary-phase specialist base growth; improve ADHD pathways.

2028/29 (Embed and sustain): EAH fully embedded; 500+ SRP places delivered/commissioned; sustained statutory performance; significantly reduced independent reliance; stabilised high needs trajectory.

Note – Announcements on Local Government Reform are expected in Summer 2026. Should this create two local authorities, then the roadmap will be subject to approved timescales by the new entities.

Local roadmap for the next 3 years

2026/27 2027/28 2028/29

Strengthening inclusion across education settings (universal)

• Promoting the National Inclusion

Standards when launched and revising local SEND & Inclusion Guidance in light of the standards

• Promoting national training (when

available) and adapting local training offer to complement this

• Confirm SEND support approach in

Family Hub and networks (Best Start in Life) and test and learn start

• Recruitment of BSIL Inclusion

Practitioners

• Review data use for Team Around

the School Approach (TASA) and

• Promotion of local SEND &

Inclusion Guidance in light of the National Inclusion Standards and issuing of any local tools to support the National Inclusion Standards

• Delivery of revised training in line

with National Inclusion Standards

• Best Start in Life SEND support

offer to be reviewed based on test and learn

• Review of local SEND & Inclusion

Guidance and local tools to support the National Inclusion Standards following feedback from settings, parents and young people

• Delivery of training in line with National

Inclusion Standards

• Best Start in Life SEND support offer to

be embedded across all Family Hubs and networks

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Page 25 of 58 Health and care

Scoping for SEND JSNA to support future commissioning including post-16 outcomes agencies to map family experiences

Approvals for capital funding projects and further development of pipeline (medium term plan)

Joint workforce planning and specialist workforce strategy developed

Continued communications with stakeholders building on current strengths of WEPB and local FIS newsletters

Exploration and testing of AI for improved productivity

New digital system for EHC plans implemented

Transformation implemented with universal offer, Experts at Hand and inclusion bases all showing impact

Approvals for capital funding projects and further development of pipeline (medium term plan)

Joint workforce planning and specialist workforce strategy implemented

Continued communications with stakeholders

Procurement and use of AI for improved productivity

New digital system for EHC plans embedded

Continued monitoring, implementation and review of Year 2

Enablers – Encouraging inclusive culture & behaviours

Increased access to SEND professionals in mainstream schools through EAH – full three-tier offer delivered to all 39 secondary schools

(Performance measured in accordance with number of settings and type, i.e. Not linear but progressing from 39 to 150 to 252)

Increased access to SEND professionals in mainstream schools through EAH – increased delivery of full three-tier offer to 150 settings (including EY and post-16)

Increased access to SEND professionals in mainstream schools through EAH – increased delivery of full three-tier offer to all settings (including EY and post- 16)

Success measures (& trend line)

87% of schools inspected by Ofsted to reach Expected Standard or better for Inclusion

(Performance measured in linear terms progressing from 87% through to 91%)

89% of schools inspected by Ofsted to reach Expected Standard or better for Inclusion

91% of schools inspected by Ofsted to reach Expected Standard or better for Inclusion

Improve attendance of pupils with SEND to 1.5% of national

Improve attendance of pupils with SEND to 0.75% of

Improve attendance of pupils with SEND to same as or better than

Page 26 of 58 average (severe absence with an EHC plan)

(Performance measured in linear terms progressing from 1.5% below average to in line with average, noting that average may shift) national average (severe absence with an EHC plan) national average (severe absence with an EHC plan)

Establish inclusion bases in every secondary school – 7 schools providing 132 places

(Performance measured in growth but dependent on agreed pipeline and size of spaces, therefore not linear; opening in September and January only)

Establish inclusion bases in every secondary school - 10 schools providing 209 places

Establish inclusion bases in every secondary school – 13 schools providing 260 places

Increase % of children and young people with EHCPs in mainstream/Resourced Provisions to 45%

(Performance measured in linear terms over time but with quarterly variations as most movement is for September starts)

Increase % of children and young people with EHCPs in mainstream/Resourced Provisions to 47.5%

Increase % of children and young people with EHCPs in mainstream/Resourced Provisions to 50%

Improved timeliness of EHC plans issued within 20 weeks to 30%

(Performance measured in linear terms over time but with quarterly variations due to effect of backlogs)

Improved timeliness of EHC plans issued within 20 weeks to 50% - in line with national average

Improved timeliness of EHC plans issued within 20 weeks to 50% - in line with national average

ADHD waiting times – reduced by 10% to baseline those waiting over 3 years

(Performance measured in linear terms over time but with quarterly variations due to effect of backlogs)

ADHD waiting times – reduced additional to baseline 15% those waiting over 3 years

ADHD waiting times – reduced additional 25% to baseline those waiting over 3 years

Page 27 of 58 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.

NB. More detailed plan attached at Appendix C

2026-27 Local delivery plan Q2 Q3 Q4

Workstream outline – mapped to building block Outcome - what you want to achieve with this workstream Success measures – how you measure progress drawing on metrics from the accompanying data template

Milestones per workstream What key milestones will enable you achieve your targeted trajectory

Milestones per workstream What key milestones will enable you achieve your targeted trajectory

Milestones per workstream What key milestones will enable you achieve your targeted trajectory

Responsible lead per workstream – accountable for the delivery of the workstream and the identified outcome.

Target trajectory per workstream Where do you expect your data to be?

Target trajectory per workstream Where do you expect your data to be?

Target trajectory per workstream Where do you expect your data to be?

Page 28 of 58

• TASA approach

documented

• Report on

Ofsted judgments with analysis on Inclusion

• National Inclusion

Standards endorsed and reflected in local SEND & Inclusion Guidance.

• National training

promoted and local training offer adapted to complement it.

By September 2026 Remind schools of Warwickshire SEND & Inclusion Guidance Promote Schools Inclusion Charter Review data use for Team Around the School Approach (TASA)

Communications to all 252 schools as well as EY and Post 16 settings regarding SEND & Inclusion Guidance Communications to all 252 schools as well as EY and Post 16 settings regarding Inclusion Charter Review of TASA data completed

By December 2026 Implement new data approach or TASA from Sept 2027 Monitoring of Ofsted Inspection judgments

Promoting the National Inclusion Standards when launched and revising local SEND & Inclusion Guidance in light of the standards Promoting national training (when available) and adapting local training offer to complement this

Strengthening inclusion across all education settings (Workstream 1 – Inclusive Mainstream) Outcome: Schools and settings provide support to the national standard for all children with SEND Success measure: 87% of schools inspected by Ofsted to reach Expected Standard or better for Inclusion

SRO & Transformation Lead

Broader BSIL approach to supporting SEND confirmed and documented. Practitioners recruitment underway

By September 2026

Confirmation of broader BSIL approach to supporting SEND

Recruit Inclusion Practitioners as part of BSIL to support Family Hub and networks

By December 2026

Recruitment of 5 Inclusion Practitioners as part of BSIL to support Family Hub and networks completed. Interim review of test and learn approach

By March 2027

Further review of test and learn approach

Strengthening inclusion across all education settings (Workstream 2 – Inclusive Systems) Outcome: Children with SEND are identified early in early years provisions Success measure: Not one of 5 success measures, however overall measure by good levels of development for children with SEND

Sro & Bsil operational lead

• Test and learn

in SEND support approach in first Family Hub and networks

Test and learn in SEND support approach in first Family Hub and networks

Page 29 of 58 By September 2026

• Agreed operational

commissioning model for EAH offer, including menu of support

• Recruitment

(including job description and grading) of EAH management and coordinators (4fte);

• Recruitment of EPs,

specialist teachers, OTs and SaLTs (50fte)

• Recruitment of

Advanced speech and language practitioner

• Recruitment of

parent navigators (3fte)

• Contracts in place

where commissioning outside of local authority

• Data analysis for

deployment of EAH team

• Agreed alignment of

EAH with Mental Health in Schools Team

• Agreed referral

pathways from EAH into specialist services

• Recording system

for EAH to be designed

• Agreed

operational commissioning model for EAH offer documented

• Recruitment of

EAH management and coordinators (4fte) completed;

• Recruitment of

Advanced speech and language practitioner completed

• Recruitment of

parent navigators (3fte) completed

• Contracts in place
• Data analysis

completed

• Agreed

alignment of EAH with Mental Health in Schools Team documented

• Agreed referral

pathways from EAH into specialist services documented

• Recording

system for EAH in place

• By December
• Induction of recruited

staff

• (From September)

Recruitment of 50 (in total) EPs, specialist teachers, OTs and SaLTs (50fte)

• Agreed deployment

of EAH team and process for additional support

• Initial training

delivery and soft launch of EAH

• Review of interface

and location of Families First and SEND professionals

• Recruitment

processes completed (overall increase in workforce of 50fte) and delivery started

• Deployment of

EAH team

• First quarterly

report on reach of EAH offer (schools and CYP)

• The interface

and location of Families First and SEND professionals review completed, with findings and actions agreed.

• By March
• Initial test and

learn review of EAH

• Further

recruitment of EPs, specialist teachers, OTs and SaLTs in line with review

• Develop and

promote local guidance for Inclusion Bases to support national guidance

• Agreed working

arrangements between Families First and SEND professionals

• Initial test and learn

review of EAH review completed, with findings and actions agreed.

• Second quarterly

report on reach of EAH offer (schools and CYP)

Strengthening inclusion across all education settings (Workstream 3 – Experts at Hand) Outcome: Children with SEND receive early intervention support through the EAH offer and those with EHC plans receive support to thrive in mainstream settings Success measure: Increased access to SEND professionals in mainstream schools through EAH – full three-tier offer delivered to all 39 secondary schools Improve attendance of pupils with SEND to within 1.5% of national average (severe absence with an EHC plan) Increase % of children and young people with EHC plans in mainstream/Resourced Provisions to 45%

SRO & Transformation Lead

• Local Inclusion

Bases guidance developed and promoted to support national guidance.

• Working

arrangements between Families First and SEND professionals documented.

Page 30 of 58 ICB lead By September 2026

• Proposals for

Balanced System for speech and language services Proposals for Balanced System documented.

• By December
• Investment and

contracting for Balanced System for speech and language services

• Balanced

System speech and language investment and contracting agreed.

• By March
• Preparation for

delivery of Balanced System for speech and language services

• Preparation

completed for Balanced System speech and language service delivery.

Strengthening inclusion across all education settings (Workstream 4 – Specialist Speech and Language) Outcome: Improved access to speech and language therapy Success measure: Not one of 5 success measures, however overall measure by waiting times for SaLT

By September 2026

• Opening of

September round of SRPs

• SRP approvals from

DfE / WCC for opening January 2027

• Approval and

recruitment of additional roles to support expansion of specialist bases (commissioning and specialist teaching)

• Increasing number

of Resourced Provisions bases and places

• An additional AP

places commissioned

• 11 new SRP

opened

• Additional 93

Resourced Provisions places (Sept to Jan opening)

• Additional 24 AP

places

• Recruitment

underway

• By March
• Opening of

January SRPs (secondary)

• Completion of

first phase special school projects

• SRP approvals

from DfE / WCC for opening September 2027

• 3 new SRP opened
• Special school

capital works completed (2 schools) Total

Access to specialist support and local placements (Workstream 5 – Specialist bases and special schools) Outcome: Increased specialist places available Success measure: Establish inclusion bases in every secondary school – 7 schools providing 132 places

SRO & Inclusion Bases Operational Lead

By December 2026

• 12 SRPs in

consultation

• 7 additional roles

to support Inclusion Bases recruited

• Consultations on

SRPs for September 2027

• (From September)

Recruitment of 7 additional roles to support Inclusion Bases Secondary school specialist bases – 7 schools providing 132 places 50 additional special school places

• 12 SRP approvals

from DfE / WCC for opening September 2027 Page 31 of 58

Page 32 of 58

Page 33 of 58 Appendix D shows spend in more detail. Posts expected to start in September 2026. Not all resource used in first recruitment drive as skill mix may differ following first review (e.g. More SaLT compared to specialist teachers). Will ensure spend by August 2027.

Page 34 of 58

• How will the local area partnership deliver the first-year plan?

The Director of Education, as Senior Responsible Officer (SRO), will oversee the change programme. An additional Head of Service has been agreed to lead SEND reforms across the partnership. This role will report to the SRO and provide additional capacity until March 2028 to progress the plan. Warwickshire has an established programme management office (PMO) and approach, which will be used to oversee the first-year plan. This builds on previous experience from the SEND Change Programme, the Delivering Better Value Programme and EHC plan process redesign. The PMO approach uses Verto (example on the right) to support systematic planning, monitoring, reporting and action tracking. Benefits realisation will be recorded in the system and reported to the SEND & Inclusion Strategic Partnership Board, as well as to Council and ICB senior leadership boards, including elected members.

The Senior Responsible Officer will be supported by the new Head of Service for SEND and the Transformation Lead, both of whom will focus on reforms across the partnership. They will work alongside the transformation programme manager and leads for the Universal Offer, Experts at Hand Offer and Specialist Sufficiency, all funded through the grant. Additional finance, HR and communications support will also be required. The introduction and acceleration of these initiatives require dedicated capacity, separate from day-to-day operational roles. This will be complemented by existing commissioning and delivery roles that are not funded by the grant. Investment will also be needed in communications and stakeholder management. This approach is further supported by the introduction of a joint Head of SEND / Designated Clinical Officer role within the ICB, intended to combine specialist SEND system knowledge with key commissioning responsibilities. This post is currently subject to wave 3 of the ICB restructuring consultation.

The local partnership recognises the synergies between different reform agendas. For example, the Best Start in Life strategy will support early identification of SEND, while Best Start Inclusion Practitioners will help parents access the right support at the right time. Families Page 35 of 58 First is already well embedded and, as well as supporting individual children and families, provides a model for Experts at Hand in terms of co-location and joint working. The alignment between SEND reforms, Best Start in Life, Families First and Neighbourhood Health Teams will continue to develop as the plan progresses.

As noted above, data and analytics will be key enablers of system change. Cross-referencing information across the partnership will help identify opportunities to provide earlier support where data indicates preventable and predictable need. The Council has dedicated SEND analytics capacity, and Power BI dashboards are already used for day-to-day monitoring of delivery. This capacity will be refocused to build tools that monitor implementation of the system-wide change programme. There is also a commitment to deliver a cross-agency dashboard in the first year, with the ambition to share data to support targeted intervention, for example for children on more than one waiting list. An example of a current Power BI dashboard, with the ability to drill down into data sources, is below.

The SEND & Inclusion Strategic Board will be the decision-making group for the local SEND partnership, bringing together executive leaders from WCC, the ICB, the Parent Carer Forum and key providers. The Board will make decisions on funding, recruitment, service models and programme delivery. The SEND & Inclusion Operational Delivery Partnership will resolve day-to-day issues, manage risks and make recommendations to the Strategic Board where appropriate. The boards have been structured to allow for sufficient time between meetings to show progress and impact and link with each other.

Page 36 of 58

7. Other funding Local Authorities

The Secretary of State agreed a request from Warwickshire for 0.5% block transfer (£2.613m) from Schools Block to High Needs Block for 2026/27. The block transfer supports the above activity in two ways.

Investment in Inclusion Bases

Since 2023, Warwickshire has accelerated its establishment of and investment in SEND Resourced Provisions. This is priority 2 in the Warwickshire SEND & Inclusion Strategy, and the county has moved from 168 places in 16 bases to 448 available places in 39 bases within two years. Schools Forum supports this strategy. To fund the further expansion of resourced provision, a further £4.887m of revenue funding is required due to the increase in placements. The local authority is committed to investment in SEND Resourced Provisions (and their successor bases) and the £2.613m is contributing to this investment. Schools Forum supported this strategy (despite opposition to the move if the national funding formula could not be achieved). The above strategy demonstrates a natural evolution from the current SEND Resourced Provision strategy to an Inclusion Base strategy.

Specialist teacher services

The High Needs Block also currently supports specialist teachers for visual impairment, hearing impairment and physical disabilities as well as inclusion mentors. All these roles are capacity building and align with the EAH model (however for clarity, EAH will be in addition to current funding allocations for these teams).

As funding moves from High Needs Block to Schools Block, the current investment in these services, as well as speech and language and occupational therapy services, will likely require renewed Schools Forum approval.

Note - Traded services

Currently Warwickshire has successful traded Educational Psychology and Specialist Teacher services. These arrangements will be reviewed in light of the reforms and any forthcoming DfE guidance.

Page 37 of 58 Capital: Warwickshire’s high needs capital strategy is centred on building an inclusive, sustainable 0–25 system that expands local capacity, strengthens mainstream provision and reduces dependence on high-cost specialist placements. Our approach aligns with national expectations for inclusion-led sufficiency. In 2024, Warwickshire Cabinet agreed a business case to prioritise capital funding for SEND resourced provision and since then has approved 26 capital projects for Resourced Provisions and establishing more Resourced Provisions, the second priority of the existing SEND & Inclusion Strategy. Investment in inclusion bases, specialist bases and expansion of local specialist provision is a continuation of current practice. The most recent review of specialist sufficiency is attached as an appendix.

1. From SEND Resourced Provisions to Specialist Bases

In line with our SEND Resourced Provision (SRP) strategy, Warwickshire will continue to use high needs capital to ensure that significantly more CYP with SEND access high-quality support within mainstream schools and colleges. For specialist sufficiency, we are prioritising investment in secondary specialist bases as well as expanding existing special schools where possible. Our experience of SRPs is that this investment benefits the whole mainstream setting and further investment in this area will both meet increasing demand and improve inclusive practice.

The focus on secondary specialist bases is to avoid placements in independent special schools. 80% of placements in independent special schools are for secondary aged children, yet only 21% of our SRP places are in secondary schools (with 60% of state special school placements in the secondary phase). Investment in secondary specialist bases will provide a local and fair offer that is financially and environmentally sustainable.

Most children currently supported in resourced provision are likely to be in receipt of specialist provision packages when they are introduced.

This approach delivers strong system value: as part of DBV it was identified that each SRP place avoids around £50k compared to independent specialist placements.

Page 38 of 58 The current model in Warwickshire is for primary SRPs to host 8 pupils, and secondary schools to host 20 (although there are some locally agreed variances). In the current pipeline for September 2026 and September 2027, a further 303 SRP places will be commissioned by 2029 (at an additional 24 primary schools and 6 secondary schools).

Therefore, our approach for specialist bases will be:

• To continue with the current pipeline for SRPs, but be clear with those schools that in line with SEND Reforms, these will be specialist bases
• With the agreement of current host schools, to start the process of redesignating existing SRPs as specialist bases

To engage afresh with the remaining secondary schools (25) regarding establishing a specialist base to confirm the pipeline from September 2028 onwards

To use transformation and capital funding to increase the commissioning and property services capacity to accelerate current delivery in secondary schools

• To continue to establish SRPs/specialist bases in primary schools where there is a lack of provision in the consortia
• Specialist bases will continue to be supported by a specialist teaching team to ensure best practice and consistency and the SRP network

However, establishing a specialist base takes time in planning, recruitment and building. Warwickshire has an existing timeline of secondary schools planning resourced provision and intends to increase this as part of this SEND Reform Plan.

Included in our costings (at appendix D) are transformation costs for increased leadership and commissioning capacity for this growth in specialist base provision. In addition, in order to ensure quality and consistency across specialist bases, funding is also allocated for additional practitioners to build capacity and support development in this area.

Whilst not officially specialist bases, Warwickshire will continue to consider capital investment in local nursery and post 16 settings. In recent years, there has been investment for Enhanced Provision in maintained nursery schools and dedicated post-16 provision at Warwickshire College and North Warwickshire and South Leicestershire College.

Page 39 of 58

2. Establishing Support Bases

Discussions with secondary schools have shown that there is a range of understanding on what a support base is, and therefore the guidance on this will be important. Whilst some schools operate inclusion support bases currently, others offer support and spaces beyond the definition of SEND as nurture and pastoral support.

As it is the intention to prioritise capital spend for specialist bases, capital spend for inclusion bases at Targeted Plus level will be a school/MAT responsibility. The local authority will provide guidance for inclusion bases, as it currently does through the specialist teaching service traded offer, building on current SEND & Inclusion Guidance and future National Inclusion Standards.

3. Rationale for Special School Expansion

Where expansion of special schools is included, the rationale is clear:

Expansions in Warwick and Nuneaton respond to a high needs' cohort with severe learning difficulties and autism who cannot be supported safely or effectively in inclusion bases.

• Minor expansions at Rugby and Stratford to address statutory sufficiency while remaining proportionate to need.
• Expansions of Autism/SEMH schools in line with site capacity in line with increasing demand where smaller class sizes are required

This ensures special schools remain reserved for CYP with the most complex needs.

• Improving the Suitability and Accessibility of the Mainstream Estate

Through our multi-disciplinary Disability Access Group, high needs capital will continue to be used to deliver environmental adaptations (sensory spaces, accessible entrances, mobile hoists, small group rooms). These improvements support mainstream settings to meet needs earlier and avoid placement breakdown. The local area has a good track record in anticipating and making these adaptations, supporting children to thrive in mainstream settings.

Page 40 of 58

5. Reducing Long-Distance Travel

The plan’s locality-based design will significantly reduce the need for long-distance transport by:

• Prioritising specialist bases in secondary schools, where we see greatest demand for specialist places further away from home
• Expanding local specialist provision to support the greater number of children with higher needs closer to home
• Completing the pathway of provision by addressing gaps in specialist bases at primary consortia level

A recent local survey showed that at secondary age, children attending independent specialist placements travel 20.3 miles on average to school, compared to 3.8 miles to a mainstream school or 5.4 miles to a Resourced Provision. The cost is almost four times as much per journey.

This demonstrates that the focus on mainstream schools and specialist bases not only delivers local quality provision but is done so with lower transport costs. Whilst it is expected that transport costs will continue to rise until 2029 as the number of children with EHC plans continues to rise, the success of the EAH model and specialist base programme should reduce the unit cost of transport. A travel impact assessment is included in the specialist sufficiency slide deck (included at appendix G). On average, travel distance to an independent special school is highest from the Stratford district (rural area).

6. Engagement with Schools, Trusts and Providers

Warwickshire will engage partners through:

• Warwickshire Education Partnership Board / Schools Forum
• Strategic District Groups
• SEND & Inclusion Partnership Board
• Direct work with MAT CEOs, FE leaders, early years alliances and AP providers

Page 41 of 58

7. Engagement with DfE

We welcome DfE engagement to work with MATs to host inclusion and specialist bases.

8. System partner and stakeholder engagement, and co-production.

The Warwickshire SEND local partnership takes a whole-system, relationship-based approach to engaging partners in the development and delivery of the Local SEND Reform Plan. In line with the Working Together Charter, this builds on established governance structures and the expectations set out in the SEND & Inclusion Strategy.

Engagement with Schools, Early Years and Trusts

Engagement with schools and MATs will continue through existing mechanisms, including the Warwickshire Education Partnership Board and Schools Forum. These forums jointly analyse data, share intelligence and agree interventions. Schools and trusts will be directly involved in shaping the Experts at Hand model, the universal offer and inclusion base development. New primary and secondary forums are expected to be established to communicate the Universal Offer and National Standards, and to share best practice in using Experts at Hand and delivering Inclusion Bases.

For early years, engagement will be through the Early Years Integrated Delivery Plan, Best Start Family Hubs and networks, EY SEND services and EY providers. These structures support joint identification, early intervention and smooth transitions into school, with early years representatives participating in strategic boards.

Engagement with alternative provision (AP) will continue through relationships with AP providers through AP commissioning frameworks and a newly established AP network which meets once a term. This provides an opportunity to share best practice and focus on key themes for quality improvement. There are also regular communications sent to AP settings and a handbook has been produced which sets the expected Page 42 of 58 standards for Warwickshire. Fair Access Protocol arrangements have recently improved, and the local authority is developing locality-based AP models (e.g. Orion). Leaders are engaged in strategic reform discussions including alignment with the three-tier AP model.

Engagement with FE and Post-16 Providers

All Warwickshire FE colleges are represented within partnership structures and work closely with SEND and transitions teams to co-design pathways, supported internships and inclusion-based provision. Engagement will explicitly include Hereward College as an out-of-area FE setting with a significant number of young people from Warwickshire.

Engagement with Parents and Carers

Warwickshire Parent Carer Voice (WPCV) is a core strategic partner, represented on the SEND & Inclusion Strategic Board, SEND & Inclusion Operational Delivery Partnership, SEND Members Panel, commissioning groups, recruitment panels and service design activity.

Through PINS and Local Offer development, WPCV’s lived experience feedback, surveys, community forums and co-delivered webinars will inform decisions directly. Building on the PINS project, WPCV is seeking to establish multiple parent forums linked to schools, increasing engagement during this period of change. Co-production will be delivered in line with our Working Together Charter.

Engagement with Children and Young People with SEND

Our young people’s forum, Impact, plays a central role in shaping policy, quality assuring EHC plans, advising the SEND & Inclusion Strategic Board, participating in recruitment and co-producing guidance. Impact is working to establish an Impact network across schools to expand representation through special school councils, online engagement and targeted outreach, ensuring that diverse voices inform decisions.

Page 43 of 58

Engagement with Health and Social Care Partners

The ICB, SWFT and CWPT are fully integrated into governance via the SEND & Inclusion Strategic Board. Health providers are co-producers of the Experts at Hand model and will jointly lead integrated workforce planning, early intervention pathways and sufficiency planning. The Autism and ADHD Transformation Group is key to improving specialist support.

Engagement with SENDIASS

Warwickshire County Council and the ICB jointly commission Warwickshire’s SENDIASS (SEND Information, Advice & Support Service). The current service contract with Barnardo’s has been extended for two years until July 2028. Each year, the service deals with around 1,500 enquiries and provides in-depth support to up to 100 families. Close monitoring of the service through the education commissioning team ensures that the SENDIASS national standards are being met. The service also provides feedback on the experiences of the families they are working with. During 2026-27 commissioners will undertake a full review of the service, including the funding model, prior to re-procurement.

The review will include a full consultation with parent carers and young people. Any recommendations for changes to the service will be agreed through the SEND & Inclusion Strategic Board.

Learning from mediation

Following procurement in 2025, WCC now contracts with a single SEND mediation provider, Prime Resolution. The service was re-modelled in collaboration with Warwickshire Parent Carer Voice, who were fully involved in drafting the service requirements and the evaluation of tenders.

Using a single provider has already had benefits in terms of consistency of service for families and operational relationship with the Local Authority. WCC is working closely with Prime Resolution to ensure a high-quality service, to resolve issues prior to formal mediation wherever possible, and to reduce waiting times.

The contracts for both SENDIASS and Mediation/Dispute Resolution have clear service standards and performance measures; and progress is reviewed quarterly through the education commissioning team.

Page 44 of 58

Additional Developmental Activity

We welcome support through West Midlands regional events bringing stakeholders together for a specific focus.

Changing landscape

Warwickshire recognises that this plan represents major system reform. As the local SEND landscape changes through the EAH offer and specialist bases, and as the local culture shifts, roles and responsibilities will also change. The local partnership will monitor, plan for and respond to these changes as the plan progresses.

Page 45 of 58

8. Risks and Mitigations

Page 46 of 58 WCC – Executive Director for Children and Young People Non delivery or delays to Talenton Alternative Provision Free School Major Possible 12 Work with non-school AP to increase number of registered places. Look to progress satellite opportunities.

Escalation of risks will be to the SEND & Inclusion Strategic Board and then to the constituent decision-making bodies as set out in the governance section should further escalation be required.

9. Dependencies

Warwickshire is currently awaiting a decision on local government reorganisation, with the status quo not an option. Therefore, whether as one local authority area or two, the local SEND plan is dependent on the new administration endorsing the plan set out. This should be known in July 2026. Officers will work with new administrations to minimise disruption. The EAH model will easily translate to new boundaries should a two-local authority area be decided.

It is also important to state that all capital funding decisions are subject to Cabinet approval on a project-by-project basis. As a result, the projected number of places in special schools and specialist bases is subject to multiple Cabinet decisions on capital funding allocations. The current administration is supportive of the direction of travel set out in the local SEND reform plan.

With regard to special school expansions and the establishment of specialist bases, these are also dependencies. There are clear governance pathways for these ambitions involving approval from the local authority, multi-academy trusts and the DfE. Our current experience is that the local

authority and DfE have supported expansions. Multi-academy trusts have indicated support for the direction of travel, but commitment by each individual school within those trusts is still to be confirmed. Through the Warwickshire Education Partnership Board, we have strong relationships to build upon. These conversations will continue on a regular basis. As noted above, Warwickshire would welcome support from the DfE in introducing more levers to the local authority to support this ambition in order to meet a shared objective of local provision for children with SEND.

Page 47 of 58 NHS reforms are also a dependency for Warwickshire. These reforms are well advanced, and new relationships are being established with a new management structure in the ICB. It is identified that current joint commissioning arrangements need improvement, so this relationship is critical. The requirement for the local area to work together on an Ofsted Action plan has brought this relationship closer together and the restructured governance will also support this.

We recognise the dependencies between Best Start in Life, Families First and Neighbourhood Health Teams. These programmes are at different stages, with Families First well embedded (as a pioneer site), and Best Start and Neighbourhood Health Teams moving forward in 2025. Through programme management arrangements and local leadership, we are bringing these agendas together. A Children’s Services Programme Board

will have strategic oversight of these programmes.

The curriculum and assessment review will have significant impact, and we hope to see recommendations that promote inclusion in mainstream schools to support the ambition of the SEND reforms. In Warwickshire, our School Effectiveness Service also holds responsibility for SEND and this joint approach ensures that messages to schools will be consistent.

As noted in our Maturity Assessment, there is a need for joint workforce planning, not least because change will be dependent on being able to recruit and upskill a multidisciplinary workforce to support children with SEND. There is also a dependency on the national responsibilities set out

in the SEND Reforms such as the national training programme and National Inclusion Standards.

Finally, there is a dependency on parental confidence. The intended changes in our system will only take place if parents have increased confidence in settings to support their child to achieve and thrive. In Warwickshire, we know this is variable and therefore we expect a dependence on statutory framework (i.e. EHC plans) until the law is changed.

Page 48 of 58

Section 3 – Monitoring and Evaluation

• How will the local area partnership know delivery is on track?

Delivery will be monitored through a clear performance cycle that combines quantitative measures, qualitative insight, and quality assurance. The partnership will use this to track implementation of the reforms, track impact, address variation, and maintain oversight.

• Governance: The Warwickshire SEND & Inclusion Strategic Board will oversee performance and spending. The Board is supported by the SEND & Inclusion

Operational Delivery Partnership, with individual workstreams reporting into it. The diagram to the right shows how the governance arrangements work together. The diagram in the governance section shows how the SEND & Inclusion Strategic Board links to other decision-making groups. The governance for SEND is integrated within the wider Children’s Services governance structure, allowing us to knit together all the various reforms across children’s services (Best Start in Life, Families First for children, SEND etc.)

• Workstreams: Using a programme management approach, and drawing on previous SEND Change programmes, the workstreams noted in

section 6 will take forward the activity of the reform programme. These will interact with existing service structures to maximise the resource available. The programme approach will record scope, tasks, milestones, deliverables and other requirements for each workstream.

• Metrics: The metrics in the table below will be monitored at each meeting by the SEND & Inclusion Strategic Board. Metrics in bold are the key

success measures. It is intended to bring this data into one dashboard. They will be monitored by services between strategic and operational meetings, as set out below, and then presented at SEND & Inclusion Strategic Board meetings for higher level scrutiny.

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Page 50 of 58 Currently, metrics are presented to the SEND & Inclusion Strategic Board on a quarterly basis, using the formatting of the constituent organisations. Going forward, these will be amalgamated into one dashboard.

• Lived experience: Warwickshire Pcv, Impact and settings will all be involved in providing qualitative feedback to help tell the story of the

data above. Both Warwickshire PCV and Impact are experienced in sharing evaluation reports, such as the recent report on Autism and ADHD experiences. There will be a particular focus on Best Start in Life and EAH. These feedback loops are well embedded with regular reports and workshops to explore the big issues. We will utilise analytics from social media and the Local Offer website. We continue to learn from complaints, mediations, and tribunals. We are committed to continuous improvement.

• Spend: Since the Delivering Better Value Programme, Warwickshire has monitored High Needs Block spend and forecasting based on an approach of volume and unit cost by placement type. For each placement type there is an estimated unit cost based on SLAs or current trends.

Volume of children and young people with EHC plans is then forecast based on current trends and updated each month. This methodology will continue to be used. Monitoring and forecasting continue to become more sophisticated as increasing data is used. As set out below in section 11, costs on the High Needs Block are expected to rise prior to legislative change and the mitigations, whilst having impact, will not address the financial sustainability issues until legislative change.

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11. Reporting to DfE

The data return is completed and attached and will be updated each quarter.

It is important to reiterate that Warwickshire does not expect to see a reduction in children and young people with EHC plans until after the proposed legislation becomes law in 2029. As described in question 2, this is due to current trends, current lack of parental confidence and recent Ofsted judgments. The financial pressures on the High Needs Block, home to school transport and other SEND services (e.g. EHC plan coordinators and educational psychology assessments) will continue to increase until 2029. Warwickshire welcomes the strategic approach and funding for the Experts at Hand Offer and is positive about the future strategic direction. However, in seeking to make as accurate a forecast as possible, it is expected that pressure on the current system will increase significantly prior to legislative change.

The data return includes a mitigated position; however, the increase in children with EHC plans reduces the impact of these mitigations against the unmitigated forecast.

In the mitigated position, for 2026/27 and 2027/28, we have included increasing numbers of specialist resource provision and special school places, reaching 473 additional available places by 2028/29 (beyond the period of this Plan). Without this provision being available, the students who could be placed in these additional places would be educated in non-maintained and independent special schools (NMISS).

The additional availability reduces the number of students in NMISS by 83 in 2026/27 and 349 in 2027/28, a reduction in the deficit of £4.39m and £17.97m respectively.

The local partnership is confident that by investment in Experts at Hand, specialist bases and special schools over the next three years will create a culture, estate and system ready for the legislative changes in 2029 and deliver sustainable services for children and young people with SEND going forward.

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Section 4 – Governance

• How will the local area partnership ensure delivery of plans remains on

track?

Governance arrangements will provide clear accountability,

shared ownership, and pace. This will be driven by the SEND & Inclusion Strategic Board and supported by the SEND & Inclusion Operational Delivery Partnership.

The diagram below shows how this governance links with other statutory and partnership groups.

The SRO is a member of the SEND & Inclusion Strategic Board as well as the SEND & Inclusion Operational Delivery Partnership. The SRO reports to Cabinet, Overview and Scrutiny Committee and Schools Forum as well as meeting regularly with Warwickshire Parent Carer Voice and Impact. The SRO works closely with ICB colleagues to ensure partnership signs off at executive level.

We are aligning the governance for Best Start in Life and Families First with the SEND and other reforms to ensure synergy between these key programmes of work.

Other groups involved in overall governance are listed below.

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Section 5 – Central Government Support

13. How can we help you?

Warwickshire welcomes central support to ensure alignment with the national agenda. Support is requested for the following areas:

• Issuing of guidance and funding with timely clarifications
• Support with secondary schools and multi-academy trusts to establish specialist bases
• Regional facilitation to compare progress and share learning to support EAH mobilisation, inclusion bases, and consistent commissioning

approaches

• Support for challenging settings and trusts who do not participate in inclusive mainstream agendas
• Guidance on issues relating to running two systems (statutory and shadow) in parallel
• Sharing of information regarding settings and inclusion
• Support to recruit and retain specialist workforce (EP, SaLT, OT, and related roles) and to grow sustainable workforce models.
• Regional support for establishing cross Education-Health data sharing.
• Continued support for neurodevelopmental pathway transformation so children and young people can access timely, evidence-based

assessment and intervention.

Warwickshire continues to recommend that local authorities are given more levers to establish specialist bases and special schools to deliver on the SEND Reform Plan. There is a dependence on national guidance, funding and legislation to deliver the current plan.

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Annex B - Supporting Documents

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Annex C – Risk Matrix

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