Local SEND Reform Plans · 40 documents asked · 40 answered · 0 not stated · run 21 September 2026
Does this council say what capability, leadership or delivery capacity it needs to carry out its plan, or does it only list what it plans to do?
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Ask for a surveyHow councils answer capability and capacity questions
Almost every council in this set goes beyond a simple list of planned actions. The overwhelming majority explicitly name the capability, leadership or delivery capacity they need, usually pointing to a Senior Responsible Officer, a dedicated programme management function, and specific new posts funded through transformation grants or the Experts at Hand model.
The pattern is consistent: councils like Bath and North East Somerset, Bury, Cambridgeshire, Cornwall, Durham, Hackney, Harrow, Hounslow, Kingston upon Thames, Richmond upon Thames, Rochdale, Shropshire, Somerset, South Gloucestershire, South Tyneside, Staffordshire, Stoke-on-Trent, Wigan and Wolverhampton all name specific roles (programme managers, data leads, transformation teams) and link them to funding sources.
A few councils stand out for being unusually explicit about gaps or risk. Barnsley names workforce capacity as "the principal delivery risk" with a quantified gap analysis. Bath and North East Somerset admits "current insufficient organisational capacity and capability" outright. Oxfordshire is notable for stating its transformation funding is "insufficient to cover the necessary capacity" — a rare admission of a shortfall. Hertfordshire and Bristol frame capacity-building as a structured question to be answered, rather than an assumption.
Several councils give numbers. Staffordshire commits to "around 16 additional members of staff." Hertfordshire quantifies spend precisely: £263K for programme management and £224K for enabler functions. Cambridgeshire specifies FTE figures (2 FTE programme management, 3 FTE additional capacity). Isle of Wight names specific new posts including three assistant educational psychologists.
Two councils are weaker on this question. Cumberland mostly describes its reform strategy and theory of change rather than clearly specifying capacity needs when prompted. Solihull names some delivery leads and workstreams but stops short of a fuller capability or leadership assessment, largely still listing actions.
No council in this set was recorded as giving no answer at all — every row contains some engagement with capability or capacity, even if partial.
Not stated: none.
About this survey
The question was put to each document on its own, using up to six of its most relevant pages. Page numbers in the table link to the document itself.
Model claude-sonnet-5. How a survey is made.
Every document's answer
Barnsley
The council explicitly addresses capability and capacity, not just planned actions. It names workforce capacity as "the principal delivery risk" and commits to a quantified workforce gap analysis, phased delivery model, and contingency arrangements including commissioning extra capacity p58. It also plans to build a dedicated programme management function, bring in project delivery expertise, and develop leadership capability at all levels p58. Milestones track leadership capability and workforce capacity assessments over time p35.
Bath and North East Somerset
The council explicitly addresses capability and capacity, not just activities. It admits "current insufficient organisational capacity and capability" p30 and sets out a response: a SEND Transformation Core Team, a Transformation Lead, a Programme Manager, a Project Officer, a Comms Lead, and a central SEND Data Lead being recruited to build data/analytics capability p30. It also commits to engagement with finance, commissioning, HR, governance and digital corporate functions to ensure workforce capacity and financial sustainability p30.
Bournemouth, Christchurch & Poole
Yes, the council explicitly addresses capability and capacity. It plans to use transformation funding to strengthen project and programme leadership capacity, bring in project lead expertise for the Experts at Hand model, embed a portfolio management approach, and build data/analytical capacity through existing skills and staff training p59. It states these measures "provide sufficient capacity and capability to deliver the plan" p59. It also seeks central government support for workforce development, specialist advisers, and system leadership programmes p78.
Brighton and Hove
The plan does specify capability and delivery capacity needs, not just actions. It names a "SEND Reforms Lead" to coordinate delivery, a dedicated SEND Data Analyst post, and joint LA–ICB workforce strategy addressing staffing, recruitment, backfill and supervision p26. It also identifies needs for specialist roles like Educational Psychology, SaLT, OT and specialist teaching, managed via joint workforce planning and phased recruitment p31, plus governance via the SEND & AP Partnership Board (page 26, page 31).
Bristol
The plan goes beyond just listing actions: it identifies enablers like senior corporate and political leadership, mature governance structures, and co-production with parent carers as existing strengths p13. It also names a specific delivery mechanism—a SEND Reform Programme Management Office covering all "enabling roles required to deliver" the plan, funded via the EAH implementation grant and transformation budget p34. Governance structures are being deliberately "pivoted" to build capacity for the new Experts at Hand offer p1.
Bromley
Bromley does address capability and leadership needs, not just planned actions. It commits to leadership development programmes for SEND leads, strengthening system leadership capacity within One Bromley, and supporting commissioning capability p93. It identifies gaps via the maturity assessment—lack of a system-wide workforce strategy, inconsistent training access, and underdeveloped data-linked governance p18—and plans a co-produced workforce development strategy to build "sufficient capacity, capability and leadership to deliver reform" p18.
Bury
The council does address capability and capacity, not just plans. It states named workstream leads, additional specialist transformation capacity, and dedicated project management already in place will support delivery p33. It also commits to strengthening data and analytics capacity, aligned to transformation funding, to enable integration of education, health and care intelligence and support tracking p33. Governance capacity is set via a Senior Responsible Officer and SEND Partnership Board with subgroups p11.
Cambridgeshire
The council does address capacity and capability, not just planned activities. It describes stable, permanent leadership (Service Director Education, AD Education, AD Inclusion), dedicated programme/project management (2 FTE), a finance business partner/policy & intelligence role, and additional programme capacity (3 FTE) funded via "Experts at Hand" p57. It also plans to recruit a deputy AD Inclusion for focused delivery oversight and reporting p57.
Cornwall
The council does address capability and delivery capacity, not just plans. It describes leadership via a jointly-chaired SEND Inclusion and AP Board, a Steering Group, and named SRO accountability (page 42, page 46). It commits to investing in additional capacity through a co-designed workforce plan with health, drawing on a wider workforce footprint via the ICB Cornwall-Devon merger p42. It also references building system-wide workforce development, shared data and place-based delivery as enablers p21.
Coventry
The council does address capability and delivery capacity, not just its plans. It commits to strengthening governance via a new Reform Delivery Group for day-to-day grip and pace p19, a dedicated finance link on the SEND Board p19, and a dedicated programme manager post to increase capacity in the Local Authority and ICB p19. It also names responsible leaders, such as the Head of SEND and SEND Joint Commissioning Lead p18, and appoints a SEND Engagement Lead p26.
Cumberland
The plan mostly lists intended activities rather than clearly specifying required capability or delivery capacity. Page 33, prompted to explain how corporate capacity/capability and data-analytics capability will be ensured, instead describes the reform strategy's theory of change and priorities like workforce development and governance p33. It does reference building workforce capability and a "system-wide SEND Workforce Strategy" with baseline staffing and a recruitment plan p42, plus maintaining "programme management capacity" for governance p42, but does not detail specific capacity levels needed.
Dorset
The council does address capability and delivery capacity, not just list actions. It states it will add "additional capacity to move from planning to delivery," including strategic leadership and programme management capacity, with Finance, HR, Estates and Capital, and Communications aligned to support delivery, plus strengthened data and analytics capacity p61. Governance leadership is also named: the SRO, Alliance for Inclusion and Excellence in Education, and ECAT Partnership Group p61, alongside the Children's Workforce Board for workforce development p15.
Durham
The council does specify capability and delivery capacity, not just a list of actions. It commits to a dedicated programme management function with a named Senior Responsible Officer, programme manager and workstream leads, plus a Data and Performance Lead p9. It describes governance structures—a Partnership Board, Delivery Group and three workstreams p7—and workforce planning through the Experts at Hand model and blended capability-building within existing teams p9, with joint governance arrangements with the ICB to manage capacity constraints p23.
East Sussex
The council does specify capability and capacity needs, not just planned activities. It commits to creating two new posts, Strategic Lead: SEND Reforms and Project Officer: SEND Reforms, funded via the SEND Transformation Fund, plus strengthened Finance Team and data capacity, Joint Commissioning Team capacity, and a seconded senior school leader p20. It also names Carolyn Fair, Director of Children's Services, as SRO p1, and sets out governance oversight bodies responsible for resourcing strategies p32.
Hackney
The council does address delivery capacity, not just planned activities. It states it has "established a dual-structured SEND Reform Team that separates strategic transformation from operational service delivery" to ensure required capacity and capability from corporate functions supports implementation p55. It also lists enablers such as workforce, data/digital systems, and capital investment strategy as underpinning its 3-year vision p9, and includes specific spend on "programme oversight/additional leadership capacity" and workforce recruitment/training p55.
Harrow
The council does specify capability and delivery needs, not just actions. It names governance roles like the SRO and Partnership Board with defined responsibilities p84, and states delivery "depends on strong partnership leadership, effective programme management, workforce capacity, robust data and intelligence" p65. It plans to recruit specific posts—a Senior Education Commissioning and Contract Monitoring Manager, Placement and Sufficiency Manager, and Inclusion Infrastructure Development Co-ordinator—to build delivery capacity p65, alongside workforce, corporate support, and data/intelligence enablers p66.
Hertfordshire
The plan does address delivery capacity beyond just listing activities. It states the partnership "will baseline the workforce capacity and capability required to deliver the Provision Plan sustainably" using system data and provider engagement p18. It also funds specific roles—Project and Programme Management (£263K) and Enabler Functions like Finance, Commissioning, Insight, and Systems (£224K)—and poses an explicit question on ensuring "required capacity and capability is in place from organisational corporate functions" to support implementation, including data/analytics capability p34.
Hounslow
The council specifies capability needs, not just plans. It commits to creating a dedicated SEND Reform Manager, two management-level transformation posts, dedicated data/analytical capacity, and an Inclusion Quality Mark/Development role, funded through transformation funding p31. It also names joint SROs (Director of Learning and DCO) with defined accountabilities and governance oversight p40, plus workforce pathways via a University of West London partnership for specialist disciplines like SaLT and OT p31, and flags workforce capacity as a critical risk with mitigations p36.
Isle of Wight
The council goes beyond just listing plans: it names leadership ("Leadership from DCS, ICB Deputy Director and council Service Director for Education") and sets out funding sources and new roles, including two participation officers, an additional project officer, HR, IT, data insights, and a SEND Reform Programme Manager starting Q3 p118. It also describes recruitment already underway, e.g. three new assistant educational psychologists p118, and references governance structures overseeing delivery p134.
Kingston upon Thames
The council does address capability and delivery capacity, not just plans. It describes establishing a dedicated Transformation Team, sustaining two SEND Project Officers, introducing a SEND Reform Practice Lead seconded from Education Services, and three SEND Support Officers, plus corporate support from HR, Finance/Procurement, and Digital/Business Intelligence teams p46. It also names an SRO (AfC Director for Education Services) with defined oversight responsibilities p59, and notes workforce/capacity constraints affecting Year 1 delivery scope p26.
Leeds
The plan does identify some capability needs, not just actions. It flags workforce as underdeveloped, stating "Workforce is an area that requires a strategic approach, which is not yet developed" and that "stable leadership across the partnership will be key to driving this forward" p25. It proposes a SEND Learning Hub, DESCO and DCO roles, and named SROs with defined decision rights and escalation routes for each workstream (page 25, page 79). It also names a Chief Officer for SEND as risk owner p68.
Norfolk
The plan does specify capability needs, not just intentions. It identifies existing enabling functions (transformation resource, finance, HR, commissioning, digital, communications, legal, insight/analytics) and commits Experts at Hand funding to strengthen delivery capacity, including "leadership capacity to sponsor key activity," additional project management, insight/analytics, commissioning, communications, and learning and development capacity p57. It also names a Senior Responsible Officer, Sara Touch p75, and outlines governance evolution to support oversight p71.
North Northamptonshire
The council does address capability and delivery capacity, not just planned activities. It states it will establish a "SEND Reform Programme" as a transformation project with senior responsible ownership, programme management capacity, and governance to oversee delivery p43. It plans to build delivery capability through internal resource and targeted external expertise, strengthen workforce capacity (EP, SALT, OT), and invest in data/analytics capability with embedded performance leadership p43. It also recognises sustaining engagement "requires dedicated capacity" and commits to investing in engagement and programme support p47.
Nottingham
The council does address capability and capacity, not just plans. It commits to strengthening programme management, governance (SELG strategically, PAIG operationally), and investing in workforce, data and corporate capacity, using transformation funding for oversight and prioritisation p65. It also names specific delivery risks—staff shortages (EP/SLT/OT) and limited partnership capacity—with mitigations like recruiting additional roles, secondments, and project management p71.
Oxfordshire
Yes, the council specifies capability and capacity needs, not just planned actions. It describes a programme management approach with project plans, clear roles, and monthly tracking p22. It has scoped needed capacity, developed an approved internal business case, and is recruiting fixed-term posts in project/programme management, sufficiency/capital, HR, and commissioning, funded partly by DfE transformation monies—though this funding is "insufficient to cover the necessary capacity" p22.
Reading
Yes, the plan explicitly addresses required capability and capacity, not just intended activities. It describes existing SEND governance (Strategy Board, themed workstreams) and states that "dedicated programme leadership will be strengthened through additional delivery capacity (including programme oversight and workstream leads)" p34. It also commits to workforce capacity building via targeted recruitment/commissioning of EPs, SaLT and OT, and to strengthening data and analytics capability through integrated dashboards and predictive modelling (page 34, page 35).
Richmond upon Thames
The council does specify capability and delivery capacity needs, not just plans. It describes establishing a dedicated Transformation Team, including two SEND Project Officers, a seconded SEND Reform Practice Lead, a SEND Engagement Manager, and three SEND Support Officers p41. It also names workstream leads, such as a Principal School Improvement Adviser and Senior Educational Psychologist p41, and plans a SEND Data Analyst and data forecasting contract to build analytics capacity p41. Governance structures and an SRO are also referenced p52.
Rochdale
The council does address delivery capacity, not just plans. It describes a SEND and Inclusion Transformation Board for leadership and oversight, subgroups aligned to reform pillars, and a System Enablers Group covering HR, finance, digital and data p19. It also names a dedicated Transformation Programme Manager and team, plus senior roles like the Designated Education Officer and Head of Belonging and Co-production Lead, and a whole-system 0–19 service redesign p19.
Shropshire
The council explicitly addresses capacity and capability, not just planned activities. It describes recruiting a new Assistant Director for Education Inclusion for senior leadership p24, existing PMO support with a PM per reform area overseen by the ADCS/SRO p24, plans to recruit a SEND Commissioner, additional data and finance capacity, a digital lead, and a joint SaLT Advanced Practitioner with the ICB p24. Governance structures with named accountability are also set out p35.
Slough
The council does address capability and leadership needs, not just planned activities. It names the interim Director of Children's Services as Senior Responsible Officer, with SIAB providing senior oversight and ODG coordinating delivery, plus named accountable leads for key workstreams p52. It plans to strengthen "programme, governance, data and analytical capacity" using transformation funding, and will review whether SIAB/ODG capacity is sufficient (page 52, page 42).
Solihull
The plan mostly lists actions but does name some delivery needs: it commits to "strengthening our governance structure" for stronger alignment and shared accountability p5, and states each of the four DfE areas "will have dedicated leads and workstreams responsible for continued development" over three years p8. It also notes recruitment to specialist roles (EPs, SaLT, OT, Specialist Teachers) using DfE funding to build workforce capacity p4. It does not give a fuller capability/leadership assessment.
Somerset
Yes, the plan does address capability and leadership needs, not just list activities. It names the Executive Director for Children's Services as SRO, supported by an Interim Deputy Director of Education, and a new Head of Service - SEND Improvement Quality and Value to lead delivery p35. It commits to a dedicated PMO, plus additional DCS and interim programme management resource to bridge capacity until October p35. Bi-monthly partnership meetings and weekly transformation meetings are also planned to support delivery p35.
South Gloucestershire
The council does address capability and delivery capacity, not just list intentions. It plans to strengthen four areas: project/programme delivery, recruiting a dedicated SEND Reforms Programme Manager embedded in the Programme Management Office p117; data and analytics capacity for forecasting and tracking p117; and corporate enabling support across Legal, Property, IT and HR p117. It also names the DCS as Single Responsible Officer and notes central capacity is "lean" as a low-funded authority p70, plus new posts like an EAH Programme Manager and Communications lead p87.
South Tyneside
The council explicitly addresses capability and delivery capacity, not just plans. It states capacity has been reviewed against Year 1 activity, with roles and additional resource aligned, delivery coordinated through existing programme/project management capacity and a dedicated SEND Improvement function, and dedicated operational leadership for EAH p44. It notes transformation funding provides extra project delivery resource and specialist expertise, with additional recruitment needed for a "robust and functioning offer" p44. Data and analytics capability will also be strengthened through dedicated analytical capacity p44. Governance leadership roles, including a named SRO, are also defined p54.
Staffordshire
The council does address delivery capacity, not just plans. It commits to using the transformation fund to build a SEND reform delivery team, adding "around 16 additional members of staff" covering programme/project management, performance leadership, data analysis, school leaders and parent representatives p85. It also flags workforce "requirement for capacity within the SEND & Inclusion partnership" to agree a shared vision p52 and cites system leadership as an enabler p11, plus ongoing governance/leadership continuity review p93.
Stoke-on-Trent
The council specifies capability and delivery capacity needs, not just plans. It commits to a dedicated transformation function with a Local Area SEND Transformation Lead, Early Intervention and Inclusion Lead, and re-purposed SEND Partnership Manager, working with the LA Programme Management Office p26. It plans a partnership-wide SEND dashboard and improved data integration to strengthen analytics capacity p26. It also flags insufficient specialist workforce capacity as a key risk, mitigated through phased implementation and alternative roles p31.
Wigan
The plan does specify capability, leadership and delivery capacity, not just planned actions. It names the Director of Education and Inclusion as SRO, supported by a Head of SEND and a dedicated SEND Transformation Manager for programme grip p44. It commits to strengthening delivery capacity via workforce development, the Experts at Hand model, and dedicated data, analytics and finance capacity p44. Governance structures, including the Health and Wellbeing Board and a Joint Commissioning working group, are also detailed to track delivery (pages 55, 59).
Wirral
The plan does address capability and leadership to some extent, not just listing activities. It names a "workforce consistency and development" pillar building capability through training, guidance and quality assurance p14, sets out governance structures identifying who is accountable, including a named SRO p22, and lists the SEND Strategic Delivery Group's leadership membership and responsibilities for coordinating delivery, commissioning and workforce development p30.
Wolverhampton
Yes, the plan goes beyond a task list to address capability and capacity needs. It names a Senior Responsible Officer and a defined leadership/governance structure with accountability and escalation routes p27. It explicitly recognises capacity, workforce and funding constraints, phasing delivery accordingly, using time-limited specialist project support, and drawing on commissioning, procurement, finance, legal and data functions p20. It also commits to strengthening data/analytics capacity and workforce capability incrementally (page 20, page 7).
Worcestershire
The council goes beyond just listing plans: it explicitly addresses delivery capacity and capability. It states it will "ensure that delivery capacity is clearly identified and aligned to the reform programme," including dedicated programme/project management support, and will use transformation funding "to build additional capability, particularly in programme delivery, change management and analytical support" p23. It also names a specific SRO (Adam Johnston, Director of Children's Services) and sets out governance leadership structures with defined accountability (page 5; page 41).
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