Cambridgeshire Local SEND Reform Plan 2026

Classification: Official

The Local SEND Reform Plan

March 2026

Contents

1. Introduction 3

Document Overview 3

The Local SEND Reform Plan 4

2. Laying the Foundation for Reform 6

The Experts at Hand Offer 7

Embedding the Experts at Hand Offer Within a Broader Reform Strategy 11

Strengthening Effective Partnerships and Practice 13

Governance 17

Funding 18

Structure of the Local SEND Reform Plan 20

3. Submission, Review, and Monitoring Process 21

Submission 21

Review 22

Monitoring 22

High Needs Stability Grant 24

4. Questions 24

Annex A: Local SEND Reform Plan 25

Executive Summary 28

Section 1 – Vision and Goals 31

Section 2 – Strategy 32

Section 3 – Monitoring and Evaluation 71

Section 4 – Governance 74

Section 5 – Central Government Support 79

Annex B - Supporting Documents 80

Annex C – Risk Matrix 81

1. Introduction

Document Overview

This document is designed to support local area partnerships develop a Local SEND Reform Plan with most sections pertaining to the local area partnership as a whole, in particular, local authorities (LAs) and Integrated Care Boards (ICBs), multi- academy trusts (MATs) and schools. Sections that pertain solely to local authorities are clearly marked Local Authorities.

While this document addresses local area partnerships, the government’s expectation is that the local authority is the system ‘convener’; taking the lead to bring together all system partners and ensure they work together to develop and deliver the Local SEND Reform Plan. Similarly, the government has clear expectations on all system partners to proactively respond to the local authority’s leadership, ensuring they commit resources and fulfil their responsibilities in the partnership. Central government will actively engage where system partners are not responding to the local authority’s leadership.

The document contains the following:

1. The Local SEND Reform Plan Guidance

Overview and a practical guide to help local area partnerships complete the plan.

• Local SEND Reform Plan Template – Annex A

The delivery plan that local area partnerships are expected to complete and return to the Department for Education and NHS England by 19 June 2026.

3. Supporting Documents – Annex B

A list of key resources and references including links to relevant policy documents, tools, and guidance referenced throughout.

The Local SEND Reform Plan

The 0-25 SEND system has been under significant and prolonged pressure, resulting in a system that is failing too many children and young people. Local services are overstretched, some children’s needs are escalating unnecessarily to crisis point, and financial pressures have become unsustainable. Yet within this challenging landscape, many local area partnerships have demonstrated determination and leadership - working very hard to improve their local services and often developing compelling and innovative approaches to meet the needs of children and young people with SEND. The government is committed to collaborating with local area partnerships to build on and scale what is working well.

We recognise that system-wide reform and investment is needed to deliver an inclusive and sustainable system that stands the test of time. However, realising this vision will only be possible if every local area takes full responsibility for driving significant improvement in the sustainable delivery of local services. It is imperative that all local areas begin this essential work through robust action plans that demonstrate clear ownership, ambition and accountability. This step change in the delivery of local services cannot be optional; it is a critical expectation of all local area partnerships.

As set out in the Schools White Paper, the government will reform the current SEND system, building on ongoing work to create a system that’s rooted in inclusion, where every child and young person receives high-quality support early on and can thrive in their local early years setting, school or college. The government’s plan is to ensure opportunity for all by delivering an excellent, inclusive education for every child with a world class education and highly trained workforce. This will be based on an inclusive mainstream education system, with professional support for children and young people that need it, and improved, efficient and effective local delivery, as detailed below.

• Inclusive mainstream system: most children and young people with SEND

will be supported to achieve and thrive in mainstream education settings through high-quality teaching, inclusive practice, and targeted support.

Settings will be equipped to create the right environments, and multidisciplinary professional support services will be commissioned at a group level to address needs efficiently.

• Specialist support for children that need it: Specialist settings will continue

to play a vital role for children and young people who require a substantially different curriculum or highly individualised approaches that cannot be delivered in mainstream educational settings.

• Efficient and effective local delivery: investment in and improvement of

local services, including health, care, and wider workforces and resources, will support the delivery of joined-up, place-based provision. Local authorities will work with Integrated Care Boards to commission multi-disciplinary professional support across early years settings, schools and post-16 providers, taking a whole school approach at group level, so children and young people can access the help they need. Improvement of local services eases the pressure on home to school transport, ensuring fewer children and young people with SEND need to travel a long way from home to attend a school or setting. Local authorities will work with all settings to plan and deliver the right physical spaces in mainstream nurseries, schools and colleges.

Delivering lasting change will take collective commitment and sustained effort from all of us; government, local authorities, health partners, early years, MATs, schools and colleges; working together with parents and carers to build the inclusive system our children and young people deserve.

The Local SEND Reform Plan is the key delivery and accountability vehicle for this collaborative commitment, with expectations that it is revised annually as proposed reform is rolled out. We recognise that delivery of the plan will be within the current statutory framework, as such, local area partnerships will not be required to implement any policy that is being consulted on or that will require legislative change.

This first iteration is about building on existing foundations and putting in place the groundwork for reform. It aims to:

• Support central government to understand how the SEND system is being

transformed nationally, understand how investment funding is being used to achieve reform priorities, identify innovative practice that can be disseminated and scaled up, and identify where additional support may be required.

• Support local areas - local authorities, health partners, early years, MATs,

schools and further education - to develop and deliver a clear pathway toward an inclusive and sustainable local SEND system that identifies and supports needs early, meets needs within the local area, is fair, effective and shared; building on existing work and tailored to the unique context of the local area.

• Support local authorities to unlock investment funding and access support for

historic and accruing deficits.

The Local SEND Reform Plan provides a framework that partnerships can use to establish a baseline for their local system and metrics against which transformation progress can be tracked.

The government, working alongside local area leadership, will use the plans - and the insights from regular progress reviews - to understand delivery, support decision‑making on investment funding and access to the High Needs Stability Grant, and reflect progress on target metrics. The Department for Education, in particular, will use the plans - incorporating the data returns, local partnership maturity assessments and core local reform plan – to establish a baseline and ongoing monitoring of local area performance.

Throughout this process, DfE officials, health regional leads, SEND and financial advisers will support local area colleagues with access to tailored guidance and emerging insights to help shape and strengthen their plans. The Local Government Association (Lga) will also provide additional system leadership and transformation support through the children’s and SEND improvement advisers.

2. Laying the Foundation for Reform

A central focus of this first iteration of the Local SEND Reform Plan is the introduction of the Experts at Hand (Eah) Offer and a strengthened approach to ensuring there are sufficient high needs places within mainstream settings, alongside a continued strengthening of effective partnerships and practice. Together, these initiatives aim to build a more inclusive and sustainable SEND system by ensuring mainstream settings, supported by collaborative and maturing partnerships, are equipped with both the right infrastructure and the specialist expertise needed to meet the needs of children and young people with SEND.

The Experts at Hand Offer

The Experts at Hand Offer is a core pillar of the SEND reform programme, designed to strengthen the capability of mainstream education settings to meet the needs of children and young people with SEND more effectively and inclusively.

Local areas should provide a defined route for mainstream education settings to access specialist support, including from a range of experts with specialisms in education & health, such as in, educational psychology, speech and language therapy, and occupational therapy, as well as through outreach from specialist settings. By adding support to shift to increased group-based models and whole setting advice and support, health and education professionals can deliver evidence- based support and intervention with greater impact and value, ensuring, where possible, needs do not escalate. This not only makes better use of a limited workforce but also reduces dependence on costly, individualised provision. There will continue to be children and young people with complex needs that will require individualised and tailored support to meet their needs.

We know that strong practice and effective joint working already exist in many local areas where settings are supported to strengthen inclusive practice. We are keen to ensure that local areas are building on these as they develop and scale up their offer.

Local area partnerships (Local Authorities, ICBs, and system partners including settings) are expected to build their Experts at Hand Offer so that it becomes an ongoing and embedded element of the SEND system.

In order to achieve this, as well as to support a more effective SEND system overall, we need:

• To maintain access and referrals for those children who need specialist

referral pathways identified at triage based on educational and clinical need.

• Better joint working across ICBs, LAs, and local system partners including

education settings, Best Start Family Hubs, Parent Carer Forums (PCFs), health providers and children and young people.

• More effective joint commissioning between LAs and ICBs, including strategic

planning and co-production with children, young people and families and local partners.

• A strong universal offer and fluid layers of support which can be accessed

from day one, one of which should include an offer of support for mainstream education settings giving them access to universal and targeted support from services across health and education – the new ‘Experts at Hand’ offer.

The aim of this offer is for mainstream early years settings, MATs, mainstream schools and further education providers to improve across the following areas:

• Understanding the needs of children and young people in their setting.
• Putting structures in place to build relationships and co-production with the

parent/carer community.

• Strengthening the baseline level of capacity of settings and staff to meet

commonly occurring SEND needs.

• Reviewing practice regularly to ensure current approaches are the most

suitable.

• Improving knowledge of when and how to draw down additional expertise

when required.

This model allows for more efficient deployment of multidisciplinary professionals, promotes broader skill development across settings, and supports a more dynamic and sustainable workforce. It also puts a stronger focus on collaboration between health professionals and education settings, enhancing the role of health professionals in education and enabling them to focus on strategic support to schools and settings as well as system-wide impact.

The offer is designed to build capability within mainstream settings through joint working, empowering education staff to identify and meet a wider range of needs and enabling more children and young people to thrive in inclusive environments; and is expected to be jointly owned and resourced by the Local Authority and Integrated Care Board.

Local areas should consider how they will develop this offer to ensure there is support and appropriate provision across early years, primary, secondary, and further education settings. This should include developing effective models and partnerships for supporting young people with SEND who access further education in a different local area.

Local areas1 have flexibility in how they commission or employ the multidisciplinary workforce required to deliver the offer. They are encouraged to explore, alongside other options, deployment through special schools and colleges, alternative provision schools, Neighbourhood Health Services, Best Start Family Hubs2, and Multi- disciplinary Family Help Teams. Local areas will need to work with neighbouring local area partnerships and representatives of the further education sector to consider how best to deliver this service to all colleges and other post-16 providers their young people attend – including those out of their area.

Local systems are expected to begin building this offer using allocated investment funding as a core focus of their delivery in the first year, with the aim of having all Experts at Hand offers established and operational as the new reforms are introduced.

Guidance relating to the Experts at Hand offer is due to be published in Spring 2026.

Core minimum requirements

Experts at Hand Offer Local area partnerships will be expected to clearly and succinctly set out in their plan:

• The delivery approach for this offer and the rationale for why the outlined

approach is optimal for the local area. This will include setting out if delivery will be local authority-led, contracted to the Icb, in partnership with another area or through an external partner, and setting out the role of Best Start Family Hubs. Where delivery involves an Icb or external partner, please specify the partnership vehicle (such as an Sla or Mou) and how performance will be assured.

1 Local areas who have been involved in Elsec and Pins can use the structures they have in place and the learning they have gained to support the design of their offer. 2 New guidance to be published 23 March 2026.

• A summary of the partnership approach to agreeing an optimal delivery

model including how all system partners were engaged and how the approach was informed by needs-based data.

• How the Eah funding will enhance existing routes to access specialist input,

and how the delivery model will be integrated with other services or offers funded separately.

• Proposal to collaboratively recommission alternative provision to align with

the 3-tier model and best practice identified through Alternative Provision Specialist Taskforces (Apst) models.

• Where alternative provision capacity is constrained, whether the LA will

contract provision, partner regionally, or share expertise and the route chosen.

• Proposals for commissioning outreach from high-quality specialist providers,

where appropriate.

• Proposal for timely access to health and education professionals (e.g., in

educational psychology, occupational therapy and speech and language therapy) for early years, schools and colleges based on assessed local need.

• A detailed year 1 implementation plan, including recruitment approach and

success metrics (e.g. coverage, scale of support available), and a high-level plan for years 2–3.

• A proposed governance and accountability arrangement, as part of the

Local Area Partnership Board, including oversight routes, budgets and funding arrangements, reporting cadence and escalation processes. This should include a single, named LA-based Sro to drive improvement and reform.

• Clear expectations for joint governance, monitoring and shared

accountability across education and health partners.

• Proposed approach to settings accessing support which ensures support is

not disproportionately accessed by the most proactive schools and settings and includes out of area mainstream further education settings attended by local young people with SEND.

Embedding the Experts at Hand Offer Within a Broader

Reform Strategy

Local Authorities

While the Experts at Hand Offer will be a key building block to reform, it is not sufficient on its own to deliver the scale of change required for SEND. Local authorities are encouraged to continue to take a strategic approach to place planning and capital investment to ensure inclusive provision is available and accessible. Guidance relating to inclusion bases (formerly SEN units, resourced provision and pupil support units – Su/Rp/PSUs) is due to be published in Spring

2026.

To support this, we expect that local authorities will:

Set out how High Needs capital funding will be used to invest in new places and adaptations to the physical environment so that needs of children and

young people with SEND are met in alignment with the reform aims of mainstream inclusion.

Use capital investment to improve the inclusivity of provision in all settings, considering a range of interventions that could better support children and young people with SEND through the physical environment, working with professionals who can advise and support e.g. special school/alternative provision practitioners, Occupational Therapists, Speech and Language Therapists, specialist nurses, mental health practitioners and support workers.

Identify where inclusion bases (formerly Su/Rp/PSUs) in mainstream schools or nurseries, or specialist provision in colleges, currently exist, where additional capacity is needed, and how this varies across planning areas.

Engage proactively with early years providers, schools, multi-academy trusts and further education providers as well as health providers, to co-develop strategies for enabling more children and young people with SEND to access mainstream education.

• Engage with parent carer forums and children and young people forums to co-

produce strategies that work for children and families.

Ensure that decisions about the location and type of new SEND provision explicitly consider the proximity to where children and young people live and

the implications for transport, recognising this may not always be possible when commissioning SEND provision in large, further education colleges.

Ensure that all sufficiency and capital investment decisions include an assessment of transport impact, with a focus on reducing long-distance travel and increasing access to local, inclusive settings.

Core minimum requirements

Sufficiency and Place Planning Local area partnerships will be expected to clearly and succinctly set out in their plan:

• A summary of local sufficiency pressures and how planned place growth

addresses demand trends, including EHCP drivers and opportunities to meet need through capacity in mainstream settings.

• How the planned increases in capacity across setting types will reduce

reliance on special schools, especially out-of-area placements and independent specialist provision.

• How collaboration between LAs and MATs could be strengthened to identify

suitable sites and jointly plan the development of inclusion bases.

• Assurance that proposed inclusion bases in early years settings, schools,

and colleges would reflect local demographic need, maintaining high quality standards and clear expectations on type of provision.

• How existing school premises are factored in when planning new inclusion

bases, including opportunities created by falling rolls.

• Detailed plans to meet need for specialist places, by increasing capacity in

mainstream settings through inclusion bases, and to improve the suitability of the physical environment. This should set out how the investment would align with local need and reduce future pressure. Where plans propose use of high needs capital to create additional special school places, this should clearly explain why need cannot be met in mainstream, including how the investment would align with local need and reduce future pressure.

• Proposals for flexibility to accommodate rurality and local variation, ensuring

provision remains viable and context appropriate.

• Evidence that an impact assessment of travel arrangements has been

carried out for any capital, inclusion base or special school expansion proposal, demonstrating expected changes to travel distances, journey times, and reliance on out of area placements. Including any explicit travel related mitigations.

Strengthening Effective Partnerships and Practice

Effective collaboration across all system partners, including local authorities, ICBs, health provider organisations, Parent Carer Forums, Best Start Family Hubs, early years settings, mainstream and specialist schools, further education, dioceses, multi- academy trusts (MATs), parents carers, and children and young people with SEND, is essential to delivering meaningful transformation.

A transformed system that works for children and families must include co- production, collaborative partnership working and stakeholder engagement. Strong relationships at system and setting level are central to this.

The success of this transformation depends on shared ownership of decision-making, design and delivery of the local offer, and responsibility by all system partners, particularly local authorities, Integrated Care Boards and education settings.

The department is clear that MATs and schools have clear responsibilities in the development and active deployment of a strong universal offer of support to children and young people with SEND in their settings. They are expected to proactively collaborate with their system partners, including local authorities and ICBs, drawing on up-to-date understanding of the needs of children and young people in their settings to deliver consistent and robust support, particularly for the most commonly occurring and growing areas of need.

In the long term, MATs and schools will work together to pool some funding from their Inclusion Share for a more collaborative, efficient system to meet needs across their group and allow for better sharing of expertise and resources across an area. Local school groupings will need to be actively engaged with the local authority and Integrated Care Board. We will look to local authorities and their partners to shape the formation of groupings in their areas and have an oversight role for these groups. In designing local systems, local authorities, MATs, schools and other system partners should start to consider how they might integrate school groups into the bigger picture, to work closely with their Experts at Hand and wider reform offer to provide a comprehensive SEND system.

We would like to work with school and local authority partners to understand how these groups are best structured while we move long-term to a system where all schools are part of strong groups. Guidance relating to school groups and pooled funding will be published in due course.

Core minimum requirements

Local area partnerships will be expected to clearly and succinctly set out in their plan: Effective Practice - Universal Offer

• Proposal to co-develop, and regularly refresh, a partnership-wide universal

offer agreement with schools, MATs, early years settings and post-16 providers which will be underpinned by up-to-date, needs-based data and signed off by the local authority, Icb, Mat and school representatives and Parent Carer Forum (Pcf). The agreed universal offer should draw on approaches that will be set out in the National Inclusion Standards.

• Evidence of the processes and mechanism through which MATs and PCFs

are engaged in the development of the universal offer.

• How early intervention services will be strengthened, with enhanced

mainstream support to prevent escalation of need.

• How a strengthened universal offer will support mainstream settings to meet

the most commonly occurring and growing areas of need. This should include how well evidenced early intervention approaches focused on speech and language (e.g. ELSEC3/NELI4), autism spectrum disorder (Asd) and social, emotional and mental health difficulties (Semh), could be

deployed.

3 Early Language Support for Every Child 4 Nuffield Early Language Intervention

• How a strengthened universal offer and group level specialist support will

reduce escalation into out-of-area placements with significant travel- assistance requirements.

Early Years (plans should align with LA Best Start in Life plans)

• Proposal for assessing sufficiency of current level of childcare provision for

0–5s, detailing: (a) availability of early years places; (b) availability of specialist SEND early years places; and (c) any local gaps for children with complex and emerging needs and plan to address these including the role of wider partners such as Best Start Family Hubs.

• Proposal to improve early years identification and intervention strategies,

including the role of Best Start Family Hubs.

• Proposal to strengthen transitions from early years to primary school,

ensuring effective information flow and timely specialist input.

Post-16

• Proposal to strengthen pathways to adulthood, supporting young people to

access education, training, employment and supported internships.

• A clarification of pathways into and out of post-16 settings, informed by

consistent information flow and timely, effective specialist support.

Effective Partnerships

• Evidence of effective, shared, partnership leadership and governance

across all system partners, with clear and mutually understood accountability arrangements.

• Evidence of formal representation from early years, schools, MATs and

further education on partnership boards, with appropriate links to Schools Forums to support coherent engagement across all settings.

• Proposal to underpin partnership working with shared, high-quality data,

including joint dashboards and use of a partnership maturity matrix to assess effectiveness.

• How proposed/agreed mechanisms for engaging all schools, early years

providers and post-16 providers (including out of area mainstream colleges accessed by local young people with SEND) would support collective responsibility for inclusive practice.

• Proposal to strengthen dispute resolution and decision-making processes so

system partners can address issues early and consistently, supported by transparent escalation routes.

• A single named Sro who is part of the leadership team, to provide

operational leadership and drive reform across the partnership. The Sro should be a senior local authority official.

Effective Co-production Practices

• Proposal to strengthen co-production arrangements so that parent carer

forums are properly resourced and consistently engaged in shaping decision making.

• How the voice of children and young people is captured directly and

distinctly from parent voice, with clear evidence of how their views influence decisions.

• How Sendiass will be used to support parents carers with high quality,

independent information and guidance, and how the local area will address variability in service quality where it exists, with reference to the minimum Sendiass service standards. Please include proposed mitigation to any parental concerns about the perceived independence of Sendiass within mediation processes.

• Proposal to adopt a minimum co-production benchmark (based on Nhse

guidance) and self-assess against it in year one, identifying improvement actions where needed.

Mediation

• A description of local mediation and dispute resolution arrangements,

demonstrating how they incorporate the voices of parents and children and young people.

• Proposal to maintain metrics for timeliness, resolution rates and

effectiveness to support monitoring and accountability.

Governance

The Local SEND Reform Plan should be a local area partnership plan. The local authority, as the system convener, has an oversight role over the process of preparing, submitting and delivering the overall Local SEND Reform Plan with active participation from all system partners.

Governance arrangement is expected to include active representation from all key partners, including ICBs, PCFs, MATs and schools, with clear roles and accountability. Where local area partnerships involve multiple education partners – including those not always located within their area such as further education colleges – or may commission therapy services from different health providers, they should agree how those institutions/providers can be represented and have a fair voice in decision making.

The local area partnership should agree a single, named Senior Responsible Officer (Sro) for the Local SEND Reform Plan and local area transformation who will be responsible for overseeing SEND improvement and reform for the area. The Sro should be a senior local authority official and part of the local area partnership leadership.

The Local SEND Reform Plan should be discussed, agreed, and signed off at the relevant SEND Governance Board. As a minimum, the plan should 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), reflecting the joint statutory responsibilities for SEND across the system.

We expect your Local SEND Reform plan to be aligned with other local strategic plans you are currently developing, including your Best Start local plan. Both plans sit firmly within the government’s ambition to improve child development and health outcomes, and to create a more inclusive, high-quality system of support for all children and young people with SEND. Together, they should provide a coherent local approach to raising outcomes for children, young people and families.

Funding

To deliver our ambition for an inclusive and sustainable SEND system, the Department has secured targeted funding through the Spending Review. Some of this funding will be delivered directly to LAs and ICBs, other funding streams will be delivered to settings and will need to be considered when developing plans.

LA and Icb Funding

to embed inclusive practice into everyday provision, reducing the need for individual applications or formal diagnoses.

Local areas should consider how these funding streams will be used strategically and effectively to support reform priorities, build capacity, and ensure priority outcomes are realised.

Other Inclusion Funding

We are also investing in mainstream settings to ensure that they are able to meet the needs of more children with SEND effectively.

Structure of the Local SEND Reform Plan

The Plan is structured into five key sections:

• Vision – What the local area partnership is trying to achieve

The vision and goals for your local system in line with the national vision set out in the Schools White Paper.

• Strategy – How the local area partnership plans to achieve it

Where the local system expects to be in the next 3 years, its theory of change, roadmap for the next 3 years and delivery plan for the first year.

• Monitoring and Evaluation – How the local area partnership will know

delivery is on track The processes for tracking progress against milestones and outcomes and reporting to decision-makers.

• Governance – What action the local area partnership will take to stay on track

The governance and processes for monitoring progress and taking action to ensure delivery remains on track.

• Central Government Support – How we can help the local area partnership

An opportunity to identify practical support from central government that will help you deliver your plan.

The Local SEND Reform Plan is set out in Annex A.

3. Submission, Review, and Monitoring Process

Submission

Local areas are expected to submit the first iteration of their Local SEND Reform

Plan by Friday, June 19, 2026.

A month prior to final local leadership sign-off and formal submission of Local SEND Reform Plans; SEND and financial advisers will be available to review a final draft of local area plans to flag any significant gaps or concerns, and together with health regional leads and DfE officials, will offer intensive support if they believe a plan is at risk of not meeting the minimum quality threshold. Local area partnerships will then have an opportunity to action these concerns prior to formal submission to the department.

Local area leadership are encouraged to self-assess their plans using the Local SEND Reform Plan Quality Assessment Framework prior to sign-off and submission.

Further guidance on the submission and review process will be shared closer to the submission date.

Review

DfE and NHS England will use the plans to help identify effective, innovative practice and barriers, and identify how to effectively target support through the period of transformation.

The government will use the Local SEND Reform Plan Quality Assessment Framework to assess the quality of plans and facilitate access to the High Needs Stability Grant for local authorities.

The department will apply a consistent multi-tier assessment and moderation process to ensure that the review and assessment of plans is rigorous, consistent and fair.

DfE officials, health regional SEND leads, SEND and financial advisers will support local area partnerships in reviewing the plans using the Local SEND Reform Plan Quality Assessment Framework in the first tier.

Assessment tiers will include Regional Directors and independent senior civil servants from across the department. A SEND Delivery Board chaired by Regions Group Director-General, Tim Coulson, with DfE non-executive directors, DfE Performance and Risk Committee members and Sir Kevan Collins, the Secretary of State’s delivery advisor in attendance will sign off final ratings and agree recommendations to the Secretary of State.

The Secretary of State will make the final decision to approve or not to approve a plan with assessment outcomes will be communicated in September

Monitoring

DfE Officials, health regional SEND leads, SEND and financial advisers will support local areas to develop iterative reform plans and, together with the local area leadership, jointly monitor the implementation of plans as reforms are rolled out.

The purpose of the joint monitoring is to: i. provide assurance that funding is spent in line with reform priorities and that local area partnerships are working together to co-design and implement key changes to local service delivery, including changes to roles and responsibilities; and ii. provide assurance that the implementation of reforms is delivering the anticipated changes and outcomes, by rebalancing the system towards early intervention, inclusive education, and sustainable local services.

DfE officials, health regional SEND leads, SEND and financial advisers will join quarterly review meetings with local area partnerships (utilising existing governance forums) to understand implementation progress and provide appropriate support and challenge as needed. Where applicable, these review meetings will be consolidated with other engagement or monitoring meetings from DfE or health regional SEND leads.

Local area leadership and officials are expected to discuss progress against the plan, including:

• Progress against key metrics
• Whether key milestones are on track to be achieved
• Whether risks are being effectively mitigated
• Identifying effective and innovative practice that can be shared; and
• Identifying where additional support may be needed or barriers unblocked.

Local area partnerships are required to provide quarterly data returns to DfE against the selected metrics outlined in the accompanying data template. DfE will, in turn, provide quarterly data reports with visualised analysis and benchmarking that will support local delivery, monitoring, and evaluation.

DfE officials and health regional SEND leads will use these data returns and discussions at review meetings, alongside submission of this Local SEND Reform Plan and the Local Partnership Maturity Assessment, as well as Area SEND inspection reports, to assess performance and delivery at the local level. These assessments and this ongoing monitoring will ensure that support and engagement is best allocated and targeted throughout this period of reform.

High Needs Stability Grant

The government will address long standing SEND financial pressures by covering 90% of local authorities’ High Needs-related Dsg deficits accrued up to the end of 2025–26 through the High Needs Stability Grant. This grant will be paid subject to each local authority securing the Secretary of State for Education’s approval of their local area’s Local SEND Reform Plan. Payments will be made in Autumn 2026 for local authorities whose plans are approved. Local authorities whose plans do not meet the threshold for approval will be required to revise their plans to ensure they meet the required threshold, with appropriate support. Local authorities whose plans are subsequently approved will receive the grant payment in Spring 2027. Local authorities will not receive any payments until successful approval of their local area’s Local SEND Reform Plan.

Review and payment timeline outlined below.

4. Questions

For any questions relating to this document or the Local SEND Reform Plan more widely, please get in touch with your DfE SEND Lead or contact Implementationsupport.SEND@education.gov.uk

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 Service (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: Cambridgeshire County Council Name of Integrated Care Board: NHS Central East Integrated Care Board Local SEND Reform Plan Sro: Sarah Callaghan, Service Director Education, Cambridgeshire County Council

Signatories

Role Name Signature Email contact Date

Chief Executive stephen.moir@cambridgeshire.gov.uk 18 June 2026 Dr Stephen Moir Officer Executive Director Martin Purbrick martin.purbrick@cambridgeshire.gov.uk 18 June 2026 Children, Education & Families Executive Director Finance michael.hudson@cambridgeshire.gov.uk 18 June 2026 & Resources Michael Hudson (Section 151 Officer) Integrated Care Board (Icb) Jan Thomas 18 June 2026 jan.thomas@nhs.net Chief Executive Neighbourhood Director, Place Pam Green pam.green8@nhs.net 18 June 2026 and Partnerships - Cambridge and Peterborough Central East Icb Director of Pol Toner pol.toner2@nhs.net 18 June 2026 Safeguarding, SEND and Complex Care Leader of the Cllr Lucy Nethsingha lucy.nethsingha@cambridgeshire.gov.uk 18 June 2026 Council Chair of Children & Younge Cllr Edna Murphy edna.murphy@cambridgeshire.gov.uk 18 June 2026 People Committee Chair of Schools Mark Woods (Ceo, Meridian Trust) mwoods@meridiantrust.oc.uk 18 June 2026 Forum

Executive Summary

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

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

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

500 words Cambridgeshire puts children and young people first. Inclusion for All is our partnership framework that will deliver this ambition, currently organised across 6 workstreams, incorporating our Ofsted action plan and has governance/operational delivery through executive boards, programme delivery groups and aligned to existing bodies, eg Schools Forum. Our ambition is to shift left through engagement with schools/settings and is predicated on a presumption of placement within local mainstream provision; to strengthen the consistent understanding and application of Ordinarily Available Resources leading to earlier intervention; promoting independence and value for money. We will balance meeting the needs of children and young people alongside financial stability outcomes, eg investing in local mainstream and specialist provision to reduce travel time for C&Yp and reduce commitments to high cost independent provision, with a median saving of c.27k per placement.

Our existing plan aligns with the ambition and detail of the national reforms within the Education White Paper, we will Build a 0-25 system where children and young people receive support to achieve and thrive through (a) more inclusive settings and (b) stronger local partnerships, through our focus on building a ‘team around the school’ and ‘team around the family’ model. The council’s Education Service redesign is being designed with school leaders and key partners within health and parent carer forum. We recognise that as a large county we need to ensure we can combine local delivery of services that respond to local need alongside striving for county-wide consistency and our plans to Improve capacity and capability of the mainstream and specialist workforce to identify and meet need will be enabled through the establishment of Education Locality Cluster Partnerships, which build on the effective school cluster governance that has existed for many years in the county. Our approach is predicated on a status neutral approach recognising the mixed market economy across our schools where all of our Secondary Schools are academies and 98 of our Primary schools also. We have an established Sector Reference Group chaired by a Mat Ceo with Director of Education and Dcs engagement to strategically plan a system led response to the White Paper. These locality partnerships will be designed to ensure that service delivery is on a multi-agency basis and utilises peer support and challenge through school leaders. Building on work to date, the benefits that will flow from the new Experts at Hand funding will enable us to collectively Improve confidence of children, families, and stakeholders in reform and readiness of the system. As a local authority within the previous safety-valve programme we know that a key priority remains in ensuring that we can Stabilise finances and improve value for money and as a partnership we will ensure that the high needs stability grant enables us to continue our focus on reducing our reliance on high cost independent provision through investment in local state funded special schools and enhanced resource bases and to develop these alongside school inclusion bases and an enhanced, collective, local offer with a focus on early intervention and effective SEN Support. Inclusion for All is not about expecting children and young people to adapt to rigid systems. It is about creating flexible, responsive and inclusive environments where difference is understood, barriers are reduced and children and young people experience genuine belonging within their local communities.

Section 1 – Vision and Goals

• What the local area partnership is trying to achieve?

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

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

250 words Inclusion for All is our partnerships programme to improve outcomes for all C&Yp, including those with SEND and requiring AP, through our ambitions is a commitment to improve the lived experience for children and young people who require our help and support to access education so that they can thrive and reach their full potential

• Improve outcomes for children and young people

We will improve outcomes by moving from a reactive SEND system to an inclusive education system in which children and young people receive support earlier, closer to home and in the most appropriate setting. We will strengthen ordinarily available provision and SEN Support, improve the quality and timeliness of EHCPs, and reduce escalation to specialist placements where needs can be met earlier.

Success will be seen in improved attendance, participation, progress, preparation for adulthood and a stronger sense of belonging.

• Build confidence in the system

We will build confidence through a single, co-produced vision, strategy and plan for inclusive education, shaped with children, young people, parents, carers, schools and partner agencies. We will improve communication, strengthen the local offer and use feedback and lived experience to inform service improvement.

Success will be reflected in better experiences of the system, greater confidence among families and clearer evidence that mainstream inclusion is deliberate, equitable and consistently delivered.

• Secure value for money and financial stability

We will secure value for money through stronger performance management, high-quality data, demand forecasting, quality assurance and disciplined financial planning across the partnership. We will expand workforce capacity and increase local provision, including enhanced resource bases, inclusion bases and additional state-funded specialist places, with over 310 places planned by 2028.

Success will mean that we will reduce reliance on high-cost independent provision, make better use of public resources through investment in early support and support delivery of a sustainable high needs budget.

Section 2 – Strategy

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

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

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

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

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

Improve capacity and capability of the mainstream and specialist workforce to identify and meet need. We know that inclusion depends on the confidence, skill and capacity of the workforce. Our locality model will strengthen school- to-school support, specialist outreach, peer challenge and access to practical advice. We will use opportunities from Experts at Hand to improve access to educational psychology, specialist teaching, speech and language therapy, occupational therapy and AP outreach. This will support earlier identification, better SEN Support and more consistent use of Ordinarily Available Provision across mainstream and specialist settings. Improve confidence of children, families and stakeholders in reform and readiness of the system. We recognise that confidence in the SEND system is fragile. Families, schools and partners need to see visible improvement in communication, timeliness, consistency and outcomes. The Sutton Trust’s work on Selective Inclusion reinforces that mainstream inclusion must be deliberate, equitable and monitored, particularly for children with SEND and disadvantaged pupils. We will strengthen co-production with children, young people, families, schools, health partners and the Parent Carer Forum so that lived experience informs design, delivery and evaluation. Stabilise finances and improve value for money. Cambridgeshire is part of the Safety Valve programme and must stabilise high needs expenditure while improving outcomes. Our strategy is to reduce reliance on high-cost independent placements by investing in local state-funded specialist provision, enhanced resource bases, school inclusion bases, commissioned AP and earlier intervention. Decisions will remain needs-led, but we expect better local provision to improve continuity, reduce escalation and support financial sustainability. This work is already underway through the High Needs Block Working Group, with school leader and local authority joint working, refreshing our existing Behaviour & Attendance Partnership (for Pex prevention), additional funding for our special schools and progress on a revised funding model and agreement to provide schools with funding for EHCP where delays in assessment are causing difficulties. We will know we are succeeding through improved EHCP performance, stronger SEN Support, reduced exclusions, improved attendance, fewer children missing education, increased parental confidence, reduced use of independent placements and improved high needs financial forecasts. Qualitatively, success will mean children, families and schools reporting that support is easier to access, better coordinated and more effective. We will further extend the use of feedback surveys and ‘you said, we did’ feedback and monitor how our service improvements are reducing the need for parents to use formal complaint and appeal mechanisms.

multidisciplinary assessments. Workforce shortages in paediatrics, psychology, and speech and language therapy further limit capacity. Community paediatricians also balance neurodevelopmental work with safeguarding, special school responsibilities, audiology, and wider clinical duties, making it difficult to give families precise timelines. Some families pursue “Right to Choose” or private assessments, meaning local referral data may underestimate true demand:

and accessibility needs are addressed before they become barriers. The Education Service Redesign reinforces this ambition by reshaping local authority functions to be more preventative, data‑driven and partnership‑focused. Over the next three years, the Council aims to deliver a more coherent SEND offer, with clearer communication, improved casework quality, stronger relationships with schools, and more consistent support across districts. We will increasingly focus our services on enabling effective SEN Support and building this towards approaches within the new Targeted/Targeted Plus and Individual Support Plan frameworks for schools. Using the Experts at Hand investment to reframe Ordinarily Available Provision and explicitly defining the continuum of needs from the universal offer from education providers through to specialist support commissioned and coordinated through the local authority and health services. Co-production will not operate as a separate consultation exercise running alongside reform activity. Parent carers, children and young people will be active partners in shaping, challenging and reviewing delivery at both strategic and locality level. The partnership will establish clear ‘You Said, We Did’ feedback mechanisms, alongside regular reporting on parental confidence, trust and system responsiveness so that co-production can be evidenced through demonstrable service change and not solely through engagement activity. This will build on the current good practice demonstrated by Pinpoint (Pcf) through their 6 monthly ‘You Said, We Did’ report that is shared with the local authority for joint action. The partnership recognises that improving family confidence will require clearer shared accountability across education, health and care. The Local Authority and Icb will jointly oversee delivery of neurodevelopmental pathway reform, including waiting times, pathway redesign and access to earlier intervention support, with progress monitored through shared governance and reporting arrangements. System‑wide, the ambition is to build a more joined‑up, equitable and sustainable SEND system. This includes improving the quality and timeliness of EHCP processes, strengthening joint commissioning, and embedding the All‑Age Autism Strategy’s vision of an autism‑friendly Cambridgeshire. The long‑term goal is a system where children and young people receive the right support at the right time, where mainstream settings are confident and well‑equipped, and where families experience reduced waiting times, clearer pathways and more coordinated care.

• Early Concerns pilot and skill‑mix team aim to provide earlier support and reduce long waits.
• CAMHS Transformation Programme and additional clinics/commissioned assessments are expanding short‑term capacity.
• Central East Icb is developing a new regional neurodevelopmental pathway with shared triage and locality‑based assessment.
• Partnerships for the Inclusion of Neurodiversity in Schools (Pins)

We recognise that too many children, young people and families currently experience fragmented pathways, inconsistent support, long waits and a system that can feel difficult to navigate. We are committed to seizing the opportunity afforded through the national SEND reforms to accelerate our local improvement programme, creating a system where families experience earlier support, clearer communication, joined-up working and greater confidence that needs will be understood and responded to at the earliest opportunity. This will add capacity to advance progress through the implementation in the autumn term 2026 as we implement our Education Service Redesign and establish new Education Cluster Locality Partnerships.

Baseline (outline the baseline for your success measures reflecting where you are now – these should be drawn from the metrics in the data template) The current distribution of funding within the high needs block illustrates our reliance on high cost independent sector provision and the need to invest in state-funded specialist provision and ensure local mainstream inclusion can be supported. The current rate of spend shows that : Mainstream schools need to benefit from EHCPs being issued on time to ensure funding is provided and also to benefit from the ‘team around the school’ model as part of our Experts at Hand offer.

Target Metrics (outline the target metrics that will demonstrate you have achieved the vision summarized above – these should be drawn from the metrics in the data template) Over the next two years we will be investing more funding in all of the four main provision types but we will be increasing the rate into local mainstream, specialist bases and state-funded special schools more and slowing down the rate of investment in independent sector placements:

Success measures

Drawing on metrics from the accompanying data template

In addition to operational and financial metrics, the partnership will develop measures relating to parental confidence, trust, co- production and lived experience to ensure that success is not defined solely through process compliance, but through whether children, young people and families experience the system as more responsive, inclusive and effective.

these figures illustrate how we plan to reduce our reliance on high cost independent places over time and should be read in conjunction with the whole data set and detail within the rest of the submission

We will be investing further in our Enhanced Resource Bases (ERBs), hosted by mainstream schools, for Semh and Asd to reflect this ongoing need and ensuring that these LA commissioned provisions are complemented by Inclusion Support Bases within mainstream schools, i.e. the Erb will be a ‘locality’ resource and Isb will be for individual school cohorts. Current (2025) specialist bases = 731 special schools = 1981 alternative provision = 104

In addition to our Erb and Isb ongoing developments we will also be anticipating the delivery, via the DfE free school capital programme, of two new special schools in the county. An ‘area’ special school of 210 places to reflect complex needs and a Semh school of 60 places. These will ensure that the need profile of C&Yp in the county is met whilst also enabling us to reduce our reliance on high cost independent sector placements. Future (2029) specialist bases = 1507 special schools = 2405 alternative provision = 200

Baseline: total EHCPs increase from 8,341 in 2025 to 9,047 in 2026, reflecting continuing demand and the impact of the current assessment backlog. Ehcna requests are 2,181 in 2025 and are projected to rise to 2,297 in 2026 EHCPs are concentrated in mainstream schools or academies (3,392), maintained special schools or academies (1,643), specialist bases (255), independent/Nmss placements (487) and alternative provision (414) Total specialist place capacity is 2,832 in 2025, including 731 specialist base places, 1,981 special school places and 104 AP places Total net High Needs Block expenditure is £154.457m in 2025–26, reflecting sustained pressure from demand, backlog clearance and reliance on high-cost provision.

Target: total EHCPs are projected to reach 10,200 by 2029, so success will be measured by managing growth safely while shifting the pattern of support toward earlier, local and more inclusive provision. By 2029, mainstream EHCP placements are projected to rise to 4,528, specialist bases to 377, maintained special schools to 2,080 and independent/Nmss placements to 701, with the aim of slowing reliance on high-cost external provision through better local sufficiency. Total specialist place capacity is planned to increase to 5,125 by 2029, including 2,512 specialist base places, 2,405 special school places and 200 AP places. Total net High Needs Block expenditure is forecast to rise to £207.948m by 2027–28, which will be monitored alongside placement mix, local capacity growth and reductions in avoidable escalation to evidence whether investment is improving value for money over time.

***Insert Document Upload Link*** The accompanying data template provides a clearer way to evidence success measures beyond specialist place growth and to link them back to the reform building blocks. It shows that Cambridgeshire is not projecting an immediate reduction in all headline demand measures; rather, the plan is to manage continued demand more safely while shifting the system towards earlier support, stronger mainstream inclusion and better local sufficiency. For example, children and young people with SEN recorded as Elective Home Education are projected to rise from 133 in 2025 to 148 by 2029, with the rate of growth slowing each year. This gives a useful baseline for monitoring whether the strengthened universal offer, Education Cluster Locality Partnerships, Experts at Hand and attendance/inclusion work are beginning to reduce avoidable escalation and improve confidence in local provision.

• Ehe: Cyp with SEN in Elective Home Education are projected to increase from 133 in 2025 to 142 in 2026, 145 in 2027, 147 in 2028 and 148 in 2029. The trajectory therefore

shows continued pressure, but a slowing rate of increase from 6.8% in 2026 to 0.7% by 2029.

• Attendance and children not in education: Cyp with SEN recorded as not in education are projected to rise from 609 in 2025 to 620 in 2026 and then remain flat at 620 through

to 2029. This should be monitored alongside attendance, unauthorised absence, Cme and exclusion data as part of the wider inclusion dashboard, rather than treated as a specialist-place measure only.

• Exclusions and alternative provision: the data template shows Alternative Provision capacity increasing from 104 places in 2025 to 200 by 2029, while EHCPs in Alternative

Provision are projected to remain broadly stable, moving from 414 in 2025 to approximately 454 by 2029. This supports a success measure focused on earlier, local and preventative AP/inclusion support, rather than simply more specialist placements.

• EHCP demand: total EHCPs are projected to rise from 8,341 in 2025 to 10,200 by 2029, and Ehcna requests from 2,181 to 2,304 over the same period. This means success

should be framed as reducing avoidable escalation, improving timeliness and changing the pattern of support, rather than assuming an immediate reduction in plan numbers.

These measures can sit alongside specialist place metrics to show whether the system is shifting left: stronger inclusion across education settings, better access to specialist advice through Experts at Hand, more effective locality partnership working, and improved confidence from families and schools that needs can be met earlier and closer to home.

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

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

250 words Cambridgeshire’s theory of change is that lasting SEND reform will be achieved by strengthening inclusion at the earliest point: building confidence and capability in mainstream settings, improving access to timely specialist advice, using data to target support, and creating stronger shared accountability across education, health, care, families and communities. This means shifting from a system that too often responds after need has escalated, to one where need is identified earlier, support is coordinated around the child and setting, and specialist provision is used effectively for those who require it.

Our approach is informed by national reform expectations, local evidence from Inclusion for All, and learning from systems that have sustained inclusive practice over time. In particular, we will draw on the experience of Glasgow, where a long-term, whole-system commitment to inclusion over the past two decades has been associated with reduced exclusion, stronger mainstream practice, and a consistent focus on relationships, belonging and local partnership working. We are not seeking to replicate a single “Glasgow model” wholesale; Cambridgeshire’s geography, school system, demographic profile and current SEND pressures are different. However, long-term evidence bases for system-wide inclusion reform are not always available, and our close working links provide a valuable opportunity to learn from the principles, implementation challenges and leadership behaviours that have supported sustained change elsewhere.

This evidence will help inform our local delivery model, including Education Cluster Locality Partnerships, “team around the school” and “team around the family” approaches, strengthened Ordinarily Available Provision, earlier access to multidisciplinary advice, and more consistent use of data, feedback and co-production. Our monitoring approach will use a simple theory of change and learning-cycle model, testing whether planned inputs and activities are producing the expected changes in practice, confidence, inclusion and financial sustainability, and adapting delivery where the evidence shows this is needed.

Fundamentally we will ‘shift left’ from our current position of over-reliance on high cost independent provision and AP/tuition to ensure stable places are provided to reflect individual children and young people’s need, within specialist provision (including more specialist bases in mainstream schools) where the consensus of professional opinion and parent/carer preference is demonstrated and for the majority of children and young people within the local early years setting, school or college. Fully utilising the investment of Experts at Hand combined with our targeted savings through the shift-left.

Note: these forecasts shared at recent meetings with school leaders, including Schools Forum, illustrate the need to ‘shift-left’ away from high cost independent specialist provision and to invest in our specialist provision and local mainstream provision.

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

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

Reflecting on the broad timescales and expectation for deliverables set out in the Schools White Paper, key documents and core minimum requirements set out in this document, please provide a high-level roadmap for the next 3 years. Please highlight key milestones and a trajectory to the target metrics identified above, including leading indicators.

In the 2026-27 column, in particular, please reference how you plan to meet the core minimum requirements in your narrative, including details and evidence in supporting documents.

You can insert or upload supporting documents including graphics/visuals that illustrate your data trajectory.

together with partner’s operational services to address current barriers to inclusion

Development of an outcomes framework (including gap analysis) to ensure that Years 2 & 3 of the planned have a secure foundation, based on Year 1 pilot activity for county-wide roll-out

Ensuring that co-production with young people and families is understood across all professionals across the council, health services and within education settings Access to specialist support and local placements

Success will also be measured more holistically through a

Access to specialist support and local placements

Access to specialist support and local placements

shared outcomes framework, sponsored through the Inclusion for All governance structure and supported by local dashboards. This means we will not only track key indicators aligned to national reform priorities, but also ask the more important question of “so what?” — whether children and young people feel happier, healthier and more included, whether parents feel more confident and better supported, and whether trust in the local system is improving. In this way, data will be used not just to monitor activity, but to understand impact, including progress in preparation for adulthood, reduced risk of young people becoming Neet, and stronger evidence that the reforms are making a tangible difference to lived experience

Outcome of current county council Capital/Sufficiency Strategy Review (previous 2022-26 strategy) will determine Year 2 capital schemes, eg Enhanced Resource Base (phase 3), Enhanced Resource Provision, School Inclusion Bases

Publication of Locality ‘local offer’ to ensure clarity for families and professionals regarding the ‘offer’ that is available countywide and the ‘offer’ that is bespoke to local need

Building on all Year 1 activity, within the concept of Assess, Plan, Do, Review

Develop special school outreach/in-reach model to complement local authority and health services for ‘team around the school’ – incorporating current AP commissioned provision via Olive Academies and further development of the Behaviour & Attendance Improvement Partnership

Recognition across all partners that the importance diagnoses can play for children, young people and families in understanding need and

Further development of capital schemes, focussed on mainstream school inclusion bases

DfE delivery of Semh and Area Special Schools (60 and 210 places respectively) – pending DfE confirmation of start of build timescale – enabling children who require specialist placement to occur closer to home

Building on all Year 2 activity, within the concept of Assess, Plan, Do, Review

The partnership will improve outcomes for children and young people by increasing access to support locally and earlier, whilst also improving long-term sustainability of the system.

Review of all services that are currently ‘referral dependent’ for potential to move to non-referral models of access, eg current speech and language therapy offer with zero waiting list

Within the new Education Cluster Locality Partnerships, develop surgery models for rapid access to services and targeting of services through shared data-dashboard to determine relative need (both within and across localities) – building on the current East Cambridgeshire Health Neighbourhood Model

Development of ‘team around the school’ and ‘team around the family’ utilising Experts at Hand funding and guidance – anticipating initial delivery models focussed on key transition points from Ey to R, Y6 to Y7, Y11 to Y14

Team around the school models to be supported by the current AP commission via Olive Academies and associated Behaviour & Attendance Improvement Partnership

accessing support. Our ambition is not to reduce the importance of diagnosis, but to ensure children and young people do not have to wait for diagnosis before receiving meaningful support. System leadership, local partnership collaboration and co-production

System leadership, local partnership collaboration and co-production

System leadership, local partnership collaboration and co-production

Assess Year 1 developments to ensure alignment with strategic and operational delivery of other core initiatives, eg Best Start in Life, Families First…

Full roll-out of Education Cluster Locality Partnerships based on Year 1 learning

Assess governance and delivery changes required to ensure smooth transition with Local Government Reorganisation for Year 3 Encouraging inclusive culture and behaviours

Development of a full Local Area Inclusion Partnership (Laip), building on existing governance arrangements, to ensure system leadership is secured at most senior level to enable local delivery, inc. sub-groups, eg clinical reference group, high needs block working group

Trialling of new Education Cluster Locality Partnership Model – within ‘CB4’ cluster prior to full countywide roll-out – to ensure membership, delivery models, pooled funding etc are defined Encouraging inclusive culture and behaviours

Dependency with Local Government Reorganisation – to be updated for Q3 monitoring submission when Unitary Council model is published by central government Encouraging inclusive culture and behaviours

Within the context of ‘sufficiency strategy’ develop an ‘inclusion barometer’ to determine the availability of inclusive offer across all education settings and local authority/health services

Development of co-production approach within individual children and young people provision and assessment, within concept of appreciative enquiry

Develop Outreach & Inreach models across special, alternative provision and mainstream schools – utilising Experts at Hand funding

Anticipating the successful development of a strengthened Ordinarily Available Provision framework, to be accompanied by clear accountability, workforce development and consistent implementation so that families experience meaningful support in practice and not solely written expectations consistently across all education providers and local authority/health services

Further development of co- production and communication plan, within Inclusion for All, to ensure alignment with new model of locality delivery

Shared outcomes framework to align with national reforms, local partnership plan and local workforce planning across schools, MATs, health and local authority, eg refining the Education Service Redesign

Collective ‘You Said, We Did’ termly feedback and to explicitly inform planning for Years 2 & 3

Triangulating information within the council regarding complaints, tribunal and mediation – with Pcf and Sendiass – to further inform the development of targeted ‘team around the school’ and ‘team around the family’

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• 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.

Year 1: Stabilise, Strengthen Foundations, Reduce Immediate Pressures

Focus: Focus: Early identification of children and young peoples need, with quicker access to the

support they need, and immediate capacity boosts

Assistant Director Inclusion / Director - Children and Young People's Health Services & Chair(s) of Education Cluster Locality Partnership & Designated Clinical Officer Service Director Education & Ceo Pinpoint (Pcf)

Demonstrating a slowing down in referrals for EHCP where earlier support is proving effective at SEN Support (Targetted/Plus). Average referral rates per month stabilising at 150 per month without peaks experienced in March and May of 2026 (ie 198 and 237 respectively)

for similar profiles of need Re-defining Ordinarily Available Provision (Oap) to ensure alignment with Universal, Targeted & Targeted Plus Development of ‘team around the school’ and ‘team around the family’ utilising Experts at Hand funding and guidance – anticipating initial delivery models focussed on key transition points from Ey to R, Y6 to Y7, Y11 to Y14 Trialling of new Education Cluster Locality Partnership Model – within ‘CB4’ cluster prior to full countywide roll-out – to ensure membership, delivery models, pooled funding etc are defined

academic year 26/27). Demonstrating a slowing down in referrals for EHCP where earlier support is proving effective at SEN Support (Targetted/Plus). Average referral rates per month stabilising at 150 per month without peaks experienced in March and May of 2026 (ie 198 and 237 respectively)

academic year 26/27). Referrals for EHCP reducing to reflect the previous / recent lower average rate achieved, i.e. average monthly referral rate of 138 (as experienced during autumn 2025)

Within the new Education Cluster Locality Partnerships, develop surgery models for rapid access to services and targeting of services through shared data- dashboard to determine relative need (both within and across localities) – building on the current East Cambridgeshire Health Neighbourhood Model Roll-out of Education Cluster Locality Partnership Model countywide

EHCP timescales improving to target (20% by end of 2026) and fewer children waiting over 30/52 weeks for assessment who are currently in backlog, leading to support being implemented to enable their learning needs to be addressed Access to specialist support and local placements Schools reporting earlier access to advice and support to enable children, young people and their families to experience timely support and improved outcomes Communication to families and to settings, schools and colleges more effective to ensure clarity on respective responsibilities across education providers, health and local authority services and leading to more effective and consistent offer System leadership, local partnership collaboration and co- production Stronger partnership working across the system with governance arrangements ensuring that current good working relationships between key partnership leaders can continue if changes occur, i.e. not reliant upon individual working relationships

Developing the effective school cluster work within the county through 4 x Education Cluster Locality Partnerships – for school/LA/health co-ordination of services – aligned to integrated neighbourhood delivery models Review of all services that are currently ‘referral dependent’ for potential to move to non-referral models of access, eg current speech and language therapy offer with zero waiting list Pins project roll- out to next wave of 32 schools Development of a full Local Area Inclusion Partnership (Laip), building on existing governance arrangements, to ensure system leadership is secured at most senior level to enable local delivery, inc. sub- groups, eg clinical

Assistant Director Education & Chair(s) Primary, Secondary, Special Headteacher Associations / Chair of Schools Forum

reference group, high needs block working group Further development of co- production and communication plan, within Inclusion for All, to ensure alignment with new model of locality delivery

Encouraging inclusive culture and behaviours By the end of Year 1, families should begin to experience a system that feels more joined-up and easier to navigate, with earlier access to advice and support, fewer hand-offs between services, improved communication and increasing confidence that support does not depend solely upon diagnosis or statutory escalation

Shared outcomes framework to align with national reforms, local partnership plan and local workforce planning across schools, MATs, health and local authority, eg refining the Education Service Redesign

Collective ‘You Said, We Did’ termly feedback and to explicitly inform planning for Years 2 & 3

Projected Investment Spend per quarter

Experts at Hand – indicative Experts at Hand – indicative Experts at Hand – indicative commitments Pro-rata of 8/12ths funding illustration below commitments commitments Pro-rata of 8/12ths funding illustration Pro-rata of 8/12ths funding illustration below below Indicative distribution of funding across LA and Icb functions for Year 1 Note: Section 2. (3 Year Blueprint) above sets out the indicative funding illustration over the three year period of the Experts at Hand Grant Indicative use of funding within council/health focussed activity for Year 1 : Experts at Hand, professionals directly supporting ‘team around the school’

Note: total combined funding/costs at end of this section illustrate a balanced budget overall.

Indicative use of funding within council/health focussed activity for Year 1 : Experts at Hand, monitoring and evaluation to determine impact of ‘team around the school’

Indicative use of funding within council/health focussed activity for Year 1 : Experts at Hand, strategic and programme management to co-ordinate development and delivery of the ‘team around the school’

Indicative use of funding within council/health focussed activity for Year 1 : Combined Costs / Totals ***Insert Document Upload Link***

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

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

250 words A Laip will provide overarching governance for the SEND reform plan, incorporated into our Inclusion for all Programme (Chair, Service Director Education), ensuring effective quality assurance, evaluation and monitoring; reported from sub-groups, workstream/project groups.

The leadership across the LA is now stable and permanent with the Service Director Education, Ad Education & Ad Inclusion driving a new and ambitious approach working with the new Icb leads. Dedicated programme/project management (2 Fte) and finance business partner/policy & intelligence ensuring join up between practice delivery and finance/data monitoring. Using Experts at Hand funding to provide increased programme capacity (3 Fte) which will be hosted by the local authority and utilised across the partnership plan to ensure joined up activity and monitoring of progress and impact.

Recruiting a ‘deputy’ to the Ad Inclusion to ensure that a single focus on SEND reform plan (strategic/operational delivery) enabling effective and regular reporting on progress, risks, mitigations and impact on C&Yp through local governance and DfE quarterly reporting.

Harnessing/co-ordinating partner capacity, through their active involvement within the programme and within individual task and finish project work; building on work to date within our Inclusion for All programme where headteachers, SENCOs and Mat leadership colleagues are committing their time to progressing co-produced outputs and implementing joint plans. Key data from the finance and data template will be triangulated with existing Inclusion for All programme KPIs and local operational dashboards to analyse the impact of the improvement programme, with a particular focus on whether activity is improving outcomes, access, inclusion, participation and lived experience for children and young people.

A revised communication plan has a focus on ensuring that families and all professionals are aware of what can be achieved currently within SEN Support and what will be available in future through Universal, Targeted/Plus and what can be accessed without formal diagnosis. These elements, that are focussed on direct educational support and outcomes, will be co-ordinated with core improvement work to ensure coherent joint up with, for example, Best Start in Life, Families First so that the resources across the system are aligned with the principles for Inclusion for All.

8. Other funding Local Authorities.

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

250 words n/a. We did not carry out a block transfer for the current financial year and we do not anticipate doing so in future years.

Capital: We have announced at least £3 billion in high needs capital between 2026-27 and 2029-30 to support children and young people (Cyp) with SEND, or those requiring alternative provision (AP). This funding is intended to support place delivery across the full 0-25 age range, including early years and post-16. We expect funding to support the following outcomes: a. Inclusion at the core of high needs sufficiency strategy, resulting in more children and young people with SEND accessing suitable places in mainstream settings, across all phases of education b. Every child or young person who needs a place in an inclusion base can access one c. Fewer children and young people with SEND needing to travel a long way to access a suitable placement d. Improved suitability of the mainstream estate to support children and young people with SEND, with adaptations to improve inclusivity and accessibility of the physical environment We also welcome innovative uses of high needs capital to drive inclusion, for example, investment in assistive technology for use in mainstream settings.

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

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

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

500 words The Council is delivering a significant programme of investment to strengthen mainstream inclusion, expand specialist support, and ensure the school estate is increasingly able to meet the needs of C&Yp with SEND. A central element of this strategy is the continued development of specialist Bases within mainstream primary schools. These bases provide targeted specialist support within an inclusive environment, enabling more children to remain in their local schools while receiving the expertise they require. Three additional bases will open in September 2026, designed in response to identified local needs and forming part of a wider effort to reduce reliance on high‑cost Inmss. We intend to extend specialist bases into the secondary phase, strengthening 0–25 pathways and improving local progression opportunities with engagement through a network of Mat CEOs to ensure that the most effective countywide spread of provision is identified and their leadership is harnessed to align these provisions to the wider Inclusion for All developments and aims.

Guided by sufficiency data, the Council has allocated £4million for 2026–27 to develop additional primary/secondary mainstream specialist bases.

We have also launched an Inclusion and Accessibility Grant to improve the suitability of the mainstream school estate. This enables schools to make proactive adaptations to their buildings and learning environments, ensuring that physical layout, accessibility, and sensory considerations do not become barriers to learning. This represents a shift from reactive adjustments to a proactive approach aligned with national ambitions to make mainstream education more inclusive for C&Yp. The scheme opened to schools in April 2026. Assessments will begin from June 2026, enabling first round projects to be implemented over the summer. An initial £500,000 has been allocated for 2025–26, with the potential to increase this by £1.5 million in 2026–27 if demand and project quality are strong.

We are also embedding inclusive design principles into new school developments. A total of £1 million has been allocated to two new primary schools to ensure that SEN spaces, Inclusion Bases, and accessibility features are incorporated from the outset. A further £570,000 is earmarked for another primary school in 2026–27 to support expansion works that include SEN and accessibility improvements. These investments demonstrate a commitment to creating a school estate that is inclusive by design and capable of meeting local needs.

Pilgrim Pathways School project, within the new Children’s Hospital at Addenbrooke’s will replace inadequate facilities with purpose‑built spaces for learners with complex medical/physical/mental health needs; total project costs of c. £5 million has been ring‑fenced.

We recognise that specialist provision continues to play a vital role and that inclusion does not mean ‘mainstream at all costs’. This is reflected in our work to fully describe the continuum of provision within the county and that, eg with Enhanced Resource Bases, the curriculum offer that is being developed with the host schools is being rolled out alongside capital developments to ensure that build and provision offer are integrated. This will ensure that we reserve specialist placements for those C&Yp who have the greatest need and cannot benefit from mainstream inclusion, however, we will ensure that in parallel to our capital developments we explicitly identify cohorts of C&Yp that can be offered ‘first refusal’ for more local specialist provision as we aim to ‘step-back’ from high cost and long distance Inmss provision.

The Council’s capital investment programme has strong partnership buy-in and is informed by needs analysis, demographic forecasting, EHCP demand and local sufficiency planning. Current plans prioritise specialist bases in mainstream schools, mainstream accessibility and adaptations, additional state-funded special school capacity and growth in AP places. The increase in maintained special school and special academy capacity reflects pre-reform capital commitments, including planned DfE free school provision, and sits alongside the wider reform aim of strengthening inclusive mainstream provision. AP capacity is planned to increase from 104 places in 2025 to 200 by 2029, reflecting the need for more timely local support for pupils at risk of exclusion or disengagement and closer alignment with the emerging three-tier model.

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

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

500 words Inclusion for All reflects the ambitions of the Education White Paper (SEND reforms), echoes the ambitions of Best Start in Life and Families First, and all have an ambition to identify and support need earlier predicated on an asset based approach to build resilience and empower children and families through a strength based whole system approach. The governance arrangements in Cambridgeshire facilitate a joined up strategic approach through the shift in focus from the existing independently chaired ‘Rapid Improvement Board’’ that includes the Chief Executive Officer and Senior leads from the Icb, Police, Pcf, Schools etc to a Children’s Outcomes & Improvement Board. This ensures that the SROs for Families First, Best Start in Life and Inclusion For All report to the partnership through the same board supporting more efficient use of resources and strong communication to avoid duplication. Early work is underway on a shared outcomes framework to illustrate the success of each of these key policy drivers on the lived experience for Children and families.

Beneath this overarching Council wide partnership strategic board that will drive improved support to families through the delivery of our 3 complimentary policy drivers we are currently planning for a further development of our existing governance arrangements for SEND/Inclusion to ensure that we established a fully Local Area Inclusion Partnership (Laip) to be operational during the academic year 2026/27. Our current SEND Executive Board arrangements have been paused whilst we have been preparing for that change alongside the national reforms; whilst continuing to work in partnership strategically and operationally with key Icb / health provider colleagues, the parent carer forum (Pinpoint) and school leaders through a High Needs Working group (sub-group of Schools Forum) and through the primary, secondary and special school headteacher associations. We are also ensuring that our improvement plans for Inclusion are co-ordinated with other improvement programmes across the local children’s system and with oversight via the Children’s Outcomes & Improvement Board and through the development of a shared outcomes framework.

Through our existing improvement programme, Inclusion for All, we engaged in a conversation about the SEND reforms, having

• Heard directly from families regarding their current experiences and their thoughts on the SEND reforms via four ‘listening’ sessions hosted by Pinpoint
• Briefed school leaders on the principles and aims of the reforms and set out how we plan to incorporate these into our existing Inclusion for All programme

Provided a report to the council’s C&Yp Committee as part of quarterly reporting, with a focus on our EHCP improvement plan within our ‘Inclusive Practice’ workstream, our capital developments as part of the ‘Inclusive Places’ workstream and we are hosting a briefing of county councillors to ensure their thoughts can be incorporated into the plan

Hosted an all day F2F workshop of the local partnership (40 members) in April, where we collectively reflected on the discussions that have occurred to date within all agencies, achieved a consensus on our maturity assessment and created our three year road map/year one priorities

We are now progressing our Experts at Hand model/recruitment for Year 1, aligning partnership SEND reform priorities with the council’s Education Service Redesign and focussed on the concepts of ‘team around the school’ and ‘team around the family’ and enabled through the development of Education Locality Cluster Partnerships.

The ongoing development, implementation and review of Inclusion for All will continue to be co-produced with children and young people, parents and carers, education settings, health partners and wider system leaders, rather than treated as a one-off engagement exercise. This reflects the Schools White Paper expectation that local authorities and schools work in close partnership to build shared responsibility for inclusive practice, early support and improved outcomes. Our approach will be informed by the outcome of our self-assessment against the co-production pillar of the Local Partnership Maturity Matrix, with improvement actions built into delivery planning, locality partnership working and regular “You Said, We Did” feedback loops. This will ensure that lived experience, school insight and partnership evidence continue to shape decisions, test whether reforms are making a difference, and strengthen accountability for impact on children and young people

10. Risks and Mitigations

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

Note: the terminology of ‘Inclusive Services’, ‘Inclusive Practice’ etc reflects the current Inclusion for All workstreams as agreed within the local partnership. We will be rescoping the Inclusion for All programme to fully reflect the content of the SEND Reform Plan (in particular the activity, milestones, metrics set out in the ‘roadmap’

section) to demonstrate that current programme risks will be aligned with those linked to the SEND Reform Plan.

identify variation and maintain oversight of system performance.

Establish Education Cluster Locality Partnerships and “team around the school” approaches to support collaboration between schools, local authority and health partners, including in rural areas.

Red / Amber Strengthen joint working across local authority, Integrated

Inclusive Partnerships

Alignment of workforce expansion across the Critical / Moderate / Unlikely: Possible Green/ Amber local authority and Central East Icb (eg, Care Board and system partners, including education settings, (Education–health–care integration) EPs, Salt, Ot, CAMHS) lags behind policy health providers and wider services, with clear shared ambition, with resulting project progress and responsibility for delivery.

Key Reform Elements reputational risk.

Establish formal partnership arrangements, including Experts at Hand Governance Complexity Risk governance, oversight routes, reporting and escalation Icb duties clarified Clearer statutory roles increase scrutiny. If processes, to ensure clear accountability across education partnership agreements between Ccc, Icb and health partners.

Multi-agency integration and schools are not tight, inspection findings Develop a jointly owned and resourced Experts at Hand offer, Schools as safeguarding partners could identify weak integration.

providing mainstream settings with defined and timely access Data Sharing & Digital Risk to multidisciplinary professional support.

ISPs require secure, interoperable digital Improve joint commissioning arrangements between the local systems. Poor integration across education, authority and Integrated Care Board to support strategic health and care systems risks delay, planning, resource alignment and delivery of integrated duplication and safeguarding concerns.

services.

Workforce Competition Risk Build capacity and capability within the system through National Ep expansion may intensify workforce development, expansion of multidisciplinary support competition between neighbouring and improved deployment of specialist professionals.

authorities, affecting Ccc recruitment stability.

Strengthen data, monitoring and reporting through shared dashboards, performance tracking and regular review processes to support oversight and decision-making.

Use programme and governance structures, including partnership boards and sub-groups, to monitor delivery, manage risks and ensure effective coordination across organisations.

Support delivery through strengthened programme management, data and analytical capability funded through existing funding streams.

Red / Amber Strengthen co-production with parent carer forums, children

Inclusive Voices

Parental Trust Risk Critical / Moderate / Unlikely: Possible Green/ Amber If reforms are perceived locally as cost and young people to ensure that system design, delivery and (Co-production, parental trust, rights) containment rather than inclusion review are shaped by lived experience.

enhancement, Ccc may face organised Key Reform Elements Improve communication and clarity of the local offer so that parental opposition.

families and professionals understand available support Co-designed ISPs Tribunal Risk During Transition across Universal, Targeted and Specialist levels.

Strengthened Parent Carer Forums Until ISPs are fully embedded and trusted, Embed clear feedback mechanisms, including “You Said, We EHCP appeals may temporarily rise.

Children’s Commissioner oversight Did”, to demonstrate how parental views are influencing Communication Risk service improvement.

Tribunal remains backstop Complex reforms require clear messaging.

Improve consistency, timeliness and quality of services, Misinterpretation at school level may including EHCP processes and wider support pathways, to escalate complaints to Ccc.

build confidence in system reliability.

Equity Risk Strengthen early intervention and ensure that meaningful If system reform benefits articulate families support is accessible without the need for diagnosis or more than vulnerable ones, inequality gaps statutory escalation.

may widen, increasing reputational risk Ensure Sendiass and mediation arrangements provide accessible, independent information and support to families.

Use monitoring and evaluation processes, including complaints, tribunal activity and parental feedback, to track confidence and respond to emerging issues.

Maintain strong partnership working and shared accountability across local authority, health and education partners to ensure a consistent and equitable experience across all areas.

Red / Amber Build workforce capacity and capability through expansion of

Inclusive People

Workforce Supply Risk Critical / Moderate / Unlikely: Possible Green/ Amber Cambridgeshire’s proximity to London and multidisciplinary support, including improved access to (Workforce, leadership, culture) high housing costs may affect educational psychology, speech and language therapy and recruitment/retention of specialist staff, occupational therapy through the Experts at Hand model.

Key Reform Elements especially EPs and therapists.

Strengthen mainstream workforce confidence and skills by National SEND training Leadership Variability Risk improving understanding of needs, supporting inclusive SENCO empowerment Inclusion depends heavily on collective practice and enabling earlier identification and response within ownership of the ambition and joint planning, settings.

Ofsted inspection of inclusion therefore, inconsistencies across statutory Establish Education Cluster Locality Partnerships and “team Ep workforce expansion agencies and headteacher leadership around the school” approaches to support peer collaboration, (across MATs and maintained schools) may shared learning and collective responsibility across schools, lead to uneven system outcomes.

including smaller and rural settings.

Burnout Risk Use programme management and transformation capacity to During transition, expectations on SENCOs coordinate delivery, support prioritisation and ensure effective and school leaders may increase deployment of resources across the system.

significantly, risking attrition.

Strengthen partnership working across local authority, Accountability Shift Risk schools, trusts and health partners to support shared Stronger inspection of inclusion increases ownership of delivery and reduce reliance on individual pressure on LA advisory and improvement leaders. Including explicit joint working on ‘grow your own’

teams to evidence impact clearly.

models, eg for EPs and Salt using trainee and assistant roles.

Develop shared data, dashboards and monitoring arrangements to support performance management and provide clear evidence of impact for inspection and governance.

Align workforce development and delivery with wider system reforms and partnership programmes to support coherent implementation and reduce duplication of effort.

Red / Amber Increase local capacity through investment in mainstream

Inclusive Places

Capital Delivery Risk Critical / Moderate / Unlikely: Possible Green/ Amber If Ccc cannot deliver Inclusion Bases at inclusion bases, specialist provision and improvements to the (Local capacity, Inclusion Bases, pace (planning, construction, governance physical environment to better meet needs within local capital expansion) approvals), demand will continue to flow into settings.

independent special schools at high cost.

Key Reform Elements Use high needs capital funding to expand provision across Independent School Market Risk early years, schools and post-16 settings, ensuring alignment £3.7bn capital for Inclusion Bases Cambridgeshire currently places pupils in with identified local demand and sufficiency planning.

Expansion of specialist places independent special schools. Market pricing Strengthen sufficiency planning through the use of data on power may continue, limiting Ccc’s ability to Estate accessibility guidance demand trends, demographic need and placement patterns to reduce expenditure quickly.

inform decisions on the location and type of provision.

Reduced reliance on distant Demographic Pressure Risk independent placements Reduce reliance on independent and out-of-area placements Cambridgeshire has growing pupil numbers by developing local provision that is aligned to need and in some districts. Demand growth could supports children and young people to access education offset planned local capacity expansion.

closer to home.

Community Perception Risk Engage proactively with schools, trusts and other providers to Expansion of Inclusion Bases may meet develop and deliver inclusion bases and specialist provision, resistance from some communities including joint planning and use of existing estate where concerned about impact on mainstream appropriate.

identity.

Ensure that capital investment and place-planning decisions consider local context, including rurality and variation across districts, to maintain viable and sustainable provision.

Strengthen co-production and engagement with families and communities to support understanding of inclusion approaches and build confidence in local provision.

Use governance and programme oversight to monitor delivery of capital schemes, manage risks and ensure alignment with wider SEND reform priorities.

11. Dependencies

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

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

500 words Cambridgeshire’s SEND future state and roadmap are intentionally aligned with wider national reforms, recognising that the principles underpinning Inclusion for All reflect the ambitions of the DfE Education White Paper, Best Start in Life (Bsil), and Families First. All three policy drivers share a common ambition: to identify and support need earlier through an asset based, strength focused whole system approach that builds resilience and empowers children and families. Our local area partnership has therefore designed governance, delivery and workforce plans that anticipate and integrate the impact of NHS reforms, local government re organisation, children’s social care reforms, the Bsil programme, and curriculum and assessment changes.

To support this, Cambridgeshire has strengthened its strategic governance by transitioning from the independently chaired Rapid Improvement Board to a new Children’s Outcomes Board. This Board brings together the Chief Executive, senior leaders from the Central East Icb, Police, schools, and the Parent Carer Forum, ensuring that the Senior Responsible Officers for Families First, Best Start in Life and Inclusion for All report through a single partnership structure. This enables clearer accountability, more efficient use of resources, and reduces duplication across programmes. Early work is underway on a shared outcomes framework that will demonstrate the collective impact of these reforms on the lived experience of children and families.

Beneath this, we are strengthening our SEND and inclusion governance to establish a fully operational Local Area Inclusion Partnership (Laip) during the 2026/27 academic year. The Laip will oversee delivery of our SEND transformation roadmap, ensuring alignment with national reforms and local priorities, including the development of integrated pathways across education, health and care.

Best Start in Life is a central enabler of our future state. Our Bsil Delivery Plan identifies five Family Hubs across Cambridgeshire, building on our established integrated early years pathways. These hubs will provide multi agency access points for early identification, SEND support, and evidence based parenting programmes that help families sustain support at home. This will reinforce our strength based approach, support school readiness, and complement the expanded childcare offer; including enhanced early years SEND practitioners and family support roles— will strengthen capacity across the 0–5 pathway.

Where delivery involves the Icb or external partners, this is governed through formal partnership vehicles including service level agreements, joint commissioning arrangements and contractual oversight led by our Service Director for Commissioning. Performance is assured through shared dashboards, joint audits and reporting to the Children’s Outcomes & Improvement Board and Laip. Acknowledging that the NHS reform is a key dependency for Cambridgeshire’s SEND future state. The partnership recognises Central East Icb as a statutory SEND partner and strategic system leader, with shared responsibility for commissioning, assurance and delivery. Joint governance will support integrated planning, shared decision-making and clear escalation of risks across the Council, Central East Icb, health providers, education settings and families. This will include oversight of neurodevelopmental pathway reform, therapy access, Experts at Hand and locality-based “team around the school/family” models, ensuring NHS reforms strengthen the wider SEND improvement programme

National reforms—including NHS structural changes, children’s social care redesign, and curriculum and assessment review—will continue to shape our roadmap. These will be managed through dynamic programme oversight, shared risk management, and co production with families to ensure that Cambridgeshire’s SEND system remains resilient, inclusive and focused on improving outcomes.

Section 3 – Monitoring and Evaluation

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

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

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

the impact on outcomes.

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

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

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

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

your approach.

500 words We will develop a revised set of KPIs, building on those currently being used across our Inclusion for All programme,

• Increase % of EHCPs completed within 20 weeks = end of year target 2026 20% (compared to 9% previous year) and end of 2027 46%

Reduce % of EHCPs without an annual review timescales = no direct metric in data template; to be tracked through local Early Years & Education System (Eyes) dashboard and annual review compliance Kpi

% of EHCPs with a Quality Assurance (Qa) audit outcome of ‘good’ or ‘outstanding’ = no direct metric in data template; to be tracked through local Qa audit cycle alongside EHCP timeliness and quality improvement

• Increase no. of Children and Young People (Cyp) having needs met in mainstream settings = current 3,392 mainstream EHCP placements in 2025, rising to 3,824 in 2026 and 4,528 by 2029

Reduce proportion of Cyp in Independent Special Education Providers (ISEPs) = current 487 LA-funded Nmss/independent placements in 2025, projected to 548 in 2026 and 701 by 2029; reduction is therefore relative to overall demand growth and dependent on new local capacity coming on stream

o Increase no. of Special School Places = current special school capacity 1,981 in 2025, rising to 2,075 in 2026 and 2,405 by 2029

o Reduce proportion of Cyp in out of county placements = proxy measure is reduced reliance on independent/Nmss placements as local specialist base, special school and AP capacity increases

o Increase no. of Cyp in Enhanced Resource Bases (ERBs) = current specialist base capacity 731 in 2025, rising to 763 in 2026 and 2,512 by 2029

Increase in attendance of Cyp with Special Educational Needs (SEN) and EHCP = no attendance metric in submitted data template; to be monitored through DfE quarterly attendance data and local operational dashboards

Reduce no. of exclusions and suspensions of Cyp with SEND and EHCP = no exclusions/suspensions metric in submitted data template; to be monitored through DfE quarterly exclusions data, local AP demand and Pex prevention work

Improved educational outcomes for SEN and EHCP at each key phase = no attainment/outcomes metric in submitted data template; to be tracked through local outcomes framework, attendance, participation, progression and preparation for adulthood measures

Reduce no. of Children Missing from Education with SEND/EHCP and reduce no. of Cyp with SEN/EHCP in Elective Home Education (Ehe) = SEN not in education currently 609 in 2025, projected 620 from 2026 onwards; Ehe with SEN currently 133 in 2025, projected 142 in 2026 and 148 by 2029

Reduce no. of complaints, Lgsco investigations and legal challenge as a proxy indicator of parental dissatisfaction and low confidence in ‘local offer’ = tribunal appeals recorded as 54 in 2025, projected 57 in 2026/27 and 58 by 2028/29; complaints, Lgsco and legal challenge to be triangulated through local dashboards

These KPIs were agreed by the partnership to meet the requirements of the original Inclusion for All programme (from November 2024) and revised to incorporate the five areas for improvement identified in the Local Area Ofsted/CQC Inspection Report (May 2025).

A new case management system, Eyes, is being implemented in June this year across the Education Service and this will enable historic data issues to be addressed and supporting a new suite of dashboards that will be used for both operational team delivery, assessing varying levels of need across the county and monitoring impact of services deployed (including through the Experts at Hand model) and used for strategic planning, reporting and evaluation into the Laip and council and Icb internal and public governance.

We will build upon existing arrangements to capture the feedback of children, young people and families, for example the regular engagement through Pinpoint as Cambridgeshire Parent Carer Forum, through the Sendiass, with Voiceability, who are commissioned through the Disability Social Care 0-25 Service, and contribute through feedback to the Preparing for Adult Life Partnership.

We know that the voice of children and young is routinely captured through Cambridgeshire schools, through commissioned services such as Speech and Language and through the council’s District SEND teams and we need to ensure that this feedback that assists individual team/service delivery is captured in a comprehensive and consistent way so that it can inform a strategic Assess, Plan, Do, Review approach.

Within our revised governance arrangements, with the development of a Laip and formal sub-group structure, we will ensure that the current ‘ordinarily available provision’ information within our Local Offer is refreshed to align with guidance for the Universal Offer and set this out within our local ‘continuum of provision’ to clearly articulate the offer across settings, schools and colleges for Universal, Targeted/Plus and Specialist and align this to an annual refresh of our Sufficiency Strategy, ensuring that sufficiency combines capital development and service provision.

In addition to operational and financial metrics, the partnership will develop measures relating to parental confidence, trust, co-production and lived experience to ensure that success is not defined solely through process compliance, but through whether children, young people and families experience the system as more responsive, inclusive and effective.

13. Reporting to DfE

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

absence.

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

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Section 4 – Governance

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

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

• Health

Community Paediatrics CAMHS / Mhst Salt Ot School Nursing

• Early Years & Family Support

Early Years Inclusion Lead Family Hubs representative Early Help Coordinator

• Community & Vcse

Parent Carer Forum Vcse SEND support groups

• Data & Insight

LA Data & Performance Officer **Inclusion for All The established programme Chaired by the Sro for Inclusion Bi-monthly Determining the Escalation to Council’s Programme Board board for the Inclusion for All for All – Service Director, direction of the Corporate Change programme Education (incorporating the programme, Board SEND Reform Plan), inc. multi- milestones, resource agency sub-groups (comprising allocation and maintained/academy reporting on progress, headteacher & Mat Ceo, risks and mitigation to health, parent carer forum, etc Change Board and to representation the Children’s Outcomes & Improvement Board *Laip membership in development

Education (Ey Settings,

Early Years & Family

Local Authority Health / Icb

Community, Vcse & Lived Experience

Schools & Fe)

Support

Chair, Early Years & Executive Director for Children, Icb Executive Lead for Primary Headteachers Childcare Provider Chair, Parent Carer Forum Education & Families SEND, Cyp & Lda Executive Representative Association Icb Lead for SEND / Secondary Headteachers Head of Early Years Service Director for Education Designated Clinical Officer Vcse Sector Representative(s) Executive Representative (Bsil Board Lead) (Dco) Special School Executive Service Director of Children’s Social Community Health Family First / Early Help Headteachers Participation Manager & Youth Representatives Care / Targeted Support Providers Cyp Directors Strategic Lead Representative Representatives from services involved in regulatory Acute Trust Paediatrics / Multi-Academy Trust CEOs Best Start Family Hubs Service Director of Adult Social Care inspection activity (e.g. safeguarding partnerships, Complex Care Lead Representative Lead CQC-regulated providers) Place-Based Directors / Director of Public Health Ey Settings Representative — — Cyp Leads Commissioners: Public Health, — Fe College Representative — — SEND, Cyp, Health Chair or Vice-Chair of the Children & — — — — Young People’s Committee Chair (host Chief Executive for Children, Young People & Maternity — — — — Abu) If you have a diagram to show the relationship between these governance mechanisms, please upload this here.

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Section 5 – Central Government Support

15. How can we help you?

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

This may include:

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

250 words We are clear locally about the direction of travel needed to deliver the SEND reforms and are already taking forward the changes required through our Inclusion for All programme and wider partnership arrangements. The support we would most value from the Department for Education is in helping to accelerate and strengthen that work while retaining a strong focus on our own place-based needs.

We would also welcome an approach from DfE that allows local plans to evolve as reforms develop, evidence strengthens and local circumstances change. Our reform plan should provide a clear direction and a robust framework for delivery, but it should not prevent us from adapting our approach where this is necessary to respond to learning, changing demand or wider system change, including local government reorganisation. In that context, quarterly monitoring and reporting should support reflection, improvement and shared problem-solving, rather than locking local areas into assumptions or delivery models that may reasonably need to develop over time.

We will be looking to the DfE for strategic support to join up the parallel policies across Best Start in Life, Families First and Inclusion for All.

Annex B - Supporting Documents

Annex C – Risk Matrix