Hackney Local SEND Reform Plan 2026

Hackney Local SEND Reform Plan

June 2026

Hackney Local SEND Reform Plan

Name of Local Authority: London Borough of Hackney

Name of Integrated Care Board: NHS North East London

Local SEND Reform Plan Sro: Jason Marantz, Yvonne Wade (joint SROs for plan submission) Sarah Darcy (Health Sro)

Signatories

Sro Yvonne Wade 17/06/2026

Head of SEND Sarah Darcy 17/06/2026 coordination (Inel), Icb

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 (b) 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

Over the next three years, the Local Area Partnership will build on existing good practice in SEND and fundamentally change its structures, systems, and delivery models. Moving away from a reactive, crisis-driven system that over-relies on high-cost out-of-borough placements, we will transition toward a locality-based collaborative approach built on proactive inclusion. This 'invest-to-save' strategy ensures that 'inclusive mainstream by default' becomes a sustainable, lived reality where every child belongs, thrives, and achieves close to home.

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

To remove the physical and knowledge barriers that force an over-reliance on specialist settings, we are rebalancing our infrastructure from the ground up.

We will use four geographically defined localities to drive local partnerships and deploy targeted resources based on real-time needs data.

By identifying 'Beacons of Excellence' within our specialist landscape and special schools, we will create inclusion networks to share expertise across mainstream environments.

Supported by capital plans, this will achieve a 150% increase in mainstream inclusion base capacity during the 28/29 financial year, establishing a robust middle layer of local provision.

Improve capacity and capability of the mainstream and specialist workforce to identify and meet need

We will empower our workforce with immediate expertise and data to support effective early intervention and reduced escalation to statutory intervention.

Termly Strategic Multi-Agency Planning (Smap) Meetings will bring senior leaders, SENCos, School Improvement Partners, and specialists together to proactively analyse data profiles and strategically deploy resources before barriers escalate.

Through the deployment of Locality Inclusion Teams (LITs) as 'Experts at Hand' linked to the Hackney Education Alternative Learning Service (Heals) and Best Start Family Hubs, we will upskill staff to implement effective interventions and Quality First Teaching.

This workforce transformation will support a 48% increase in children without EHCPs receiving intervention from specialists and a predicted 27.1% reduction in permanent exclusions of pupils with SEN.

Improve confidence of children, families, and stakeholders in reform and readiness of the system

We will rebuild eroded stakeholder trust by replacing ambiguity with transparency, fairness, and a predictable pathway.

A centralised Single Inclusion Data Source will guarantee a data-driven focus across all settings.

We will streamline our Graduated Response into four clear tiers in line with the five areas of development, facilitating early identification and launching portable, dynamic Digital ISPs to eradicate painful transition cliffs.

By strictly aligning all specialist admission criteria with this Graduated Response, pathways will be fair and clear, resulting in a 7.8% reduction in the proportion of EHCNAs that result in an EHCP as families gain faith in non-statutory support.

Stabilise finances and improve value for money

• Financial sustainability will be achieved not through cost-cutting, but through systemic stabilisation.
• By transitioning from reactive, isolated out-of-borough placements to a highly coordinated, local 'invest-to-save' architecture, we will

redirect High Needs Block funding into robust early intervention and internal mainstream bases.

• This strategic realignment creates an equitable system that improves long-term outcomes for Hackney’s children and young people,

allowing us to successfully sustain forecast expenditure growth at 4% without further relying on block transfers.

Section 1 – Vision and Goals

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

Please set out your goals for your local system. These should be clear, aligned to the vision set out in the Schools White Paper,

small in number and measurable. These goals should include clear reference to:

▪ Outcomes for children

▪ Confidence of parents, carers and young people in the system

▪ Management of finances to secure value for money

Our vision is for a borough where every child belongs, thrives, and achieves within their local community, empowered by a collaborative system of support built on child and family voice whilst leveraging our strong schools and settings - with inclusion as our uncompromising marker of success. Growing up in Hackney will mean a start in life where background is irrelevant to achievement. Access to the right support, in the right place, at the right time ensures every child is the architect of their own destiny.

Goal 1: Ensure that children and young people with SEND can achieve better outcomes in Hackney, so that they can achieve their potential

• We will achieve this by establishing a comprehensive Universal Offer and robust ‘middle layer’ of targeted support, with Cyp being more

effectively supported to sustain their local education placements. As a result, we will rebalance our system away from an over-reliance on specialist placements.

• We will see a 10% annual decrease in suspension and permanent exclusion rates of children with SEN and a 20% reduction of young

people with SEN categorised as Neet by 2029, while sustaining the current attainment level of Cyp with SEN.

Goal 2: Restore the confidence of parents, carers and young people in the system, working together effectively in partnership

• We will achieve this by moving to a ‘needs-led’ system, grounded by a partnership-wide Universal Offer Agreement, where families feel supported without statutory escalation. Schools and settings will benefit from a strong service and be equal partners on this journey.
• We will see a significant increase in the number of children receiving specialist support without requiring an EHC Plan and a decreased proportion of cases escalating to tribunal, resulting in a 8% reduction in request rates for EHCNAs.

Goal 3: Establish financial stability in our High Needs Block expenditure, to ensure the improvements we make are sustainable

• We will achieve this by shifting from reactive placements to proactive intervention, investing in a robust ‘middle layer’ of inclusive, local provision which reduces our dependency on Independent Non-Maintained Special Schools (Inmss) and out-of-borough placements.
• We will see stabilised unit costs, reduced transport expenditure, significantly increased inclusion base capacity, and effective early intervention pathways, allowing us to sustain our annual Hnb expenditure increase at 4% without requiring a block transfer.

Section 2 – Strategy

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

A description of what your local system would look like in the next 3 years in line with the national vision set out in the Schools

White Paper and set within the context of where you are starting from as a local system.

In particular, as commissioning system partners, you should reflect on and agree what your fully fledged Experts At Hand Offer

model should be and how this will be deployed via mainstream settings and providers (including those not based in your area – e.g.

further education colleges attended by your young people) to build their capacity as well as identify and meet the needs of children

and young people earlier and without the need for a statutory assessment for Education, Health and Care.

To help you fully consider the scope and scale of change required, you may find it useful to structure your response using these 4

building blocks of an inclusive system, reflecting on what is working well in your system, what you are most worried about, what

needs to change, and how the enablers will help you achieve your 3 year vision.

When summarising where your local area partnership currently is, please include an assessment of where you are in reference to

the core minimum requirements above and how you bridge the gap, making reference to and attaching additional documents that

provide underlying evidence for your summary.

Strengthening inclusion across education settings The Hackney ‘common language’ toolkit - Right Support, Right Time

Strengthening inclusion across education settings The Hackney ‘common language’ toolkit - Right Support, Right Time

Strengthening inclusion across education settings The Hackney ‘common language’ toolkit - Right Support, Right Time

By 2029, the Common Language Toolkit will be the operational standard for all Hackney settings, becoming fully accessible to families after testing.

Universal understanding of non-statutory entitlements will eliminate ambiguity regarding "ordinarily available" support among staff, parents, and partners.

Standardised definitions will link to revised funding tiers, clarifying support across universal, targeted, and targeted plus levels.

Defining and scaling Targeted Plus support through the toolkit is expected to reduce EHCP request rates.

All mainstream secondary schools will run high-functioning Inclusion Bases following the toolkit’s "Best Practice Playbook".

Hackney will transition from "pockets of excellence" to a guaranteed baseline of inclusion for all children. Strategic Multi-Agency Planning (Smap) Meetings

General educational outcomes for many children and young people with SEND in Hackney schools compare favourably to national averages. Currently, the landscape of inclusive provision across Hackney remains variable for some children, with some strong examples of good practice, including in special schools.

While many of our settings demonstrate exceptional practice, there is a lack of a unified "standard" for what constitutes Universal and Targeted support.

This inconsistency can leave parents and carers feeling that they must secure an Education Health Care Plan (EHCP) to guarantee basic classroom adjustments. Strategic Multi-Agency Planning (Smap) Meetings

The ‘common language toolkit’ will be available to schools and settings, detailing Ordinarily Available Provision (Oap), clear local examples of what constitutes ‘universal’ and ‘targeted’ support, and supplementary guidance to support a school’s/setting’s interpretation of the National Inclusion Standards as they begin to draft their Inclusion Strategies ahead of the 31st December deadline.

The toolkit will include comprehensive guidance and best practice examples about how to develop and scale support bases and a clear statement of the support the Local Authority (LA) can provide during this phase of the reform.

The toolkit will be refreshed annually, incorporating emerging best practice examples and locality level insight developed through the initial rollout phase. Strategic Multi-Agency Planning (Smap) Meetings

Hackney currently operates with established multi-agency governance and a shared strategic intent, yet there is a documented "implementation gap" between strategy and operational practice.

Performance data management is not currently robust. While strategic intent is informed by data, it is not integrated into a live dashboard, and lived experience data is not systematically captured alongside performance metrics.

School Improvement Partners currently support Schools with SEND and Inclusion. This good practice will be connected to a wider SEND conversation for a school.

Transition planning remains an area for improvement, particularly from secondary schools to the main Further Education (Fe) provider, New City College, with limited processes or forums for education leaders to collaborate effectively.

Smap meetings will be embedded as a driver of shared and collective working, underpinning a collaborative approach to inclusion, where every child and young person - from their earliest years to their transition into adulthood - belongs, thrives, and achieves within their local community.

Our Universal Offer will be refreshed annually through information garnered from Smap meetings, ensuring both locality- and borough-level input across our educational community. Through high-quality, inclusive teaching and the strategic deployment of LITs we ensure that 'Right Support, Right Time' is a reality for every member of our community.

This strategic meeting offered to all settings (Primary, Secondary and Post-16) will translate their needs into a borough-wide universal offer.

Leaders, including SENCos, School Improvement Partners (SIPs), and Locality Inclusion Team (Lit) leads, use these meetings to spot trends in data, strategically deploy resources, and align DfE funding with inclusion strategies.

Early Years (Ey) settings utilise a similar model attended by senior leadership and a Multi-Disciplinary Team (Mdt) consisting of Area SENCos, Speech and Language Therapists (SaLTs), and Educational Psychologists (EPs).

Smap meetings conduct gap analyses to strengthen proactive, early intervention services provided by SaLT, Ep, specialist teaching, Hackney Education Alternative Learning Service (Heals), Occupational Therapy (Ot), Mental Health in Schools Team (Mhst) and guide the Continuous Professional Development (Cpd) offer.

Information from the Smap meeting will be appropriately cascaded to wider LITs through established locality

Success measures Drawing on metrics from the accompanying data template E.g.

Baseline (outline the baseline for your success measures reflecting where you are now – these should be drawn from the metrics in the data template)

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)

1. Capacity of Inclusion Bases in Mainstream Settings.

1. Capacity of Inclusion Bases in Mainstream Settings.

1. Capacity of Inclusion Bases in Mainstream Settings.

• 406 (28/29 financial year)
• 842 (29/30 financial year)

2. Number of Cyp without EHCP supported by SLTs, OTs, & EPs.

• 150% increase by 28/29 financial year
• 162 (25/26 financial year)
• 192 (26/27 financial year)

2. Number of Cyp without EHCP supported by SLTs, OTs, & EPs.

2. Number of Cyp without EHCP supported by SLTs, OTs, & EPs.

• SLTs: 2,364 (28/29 academic year)
• OTs: 1,010 (28/29 academic year)
• EPs: 649 (28/29 academic year)

3. Number of ECHNAs that result in an EHCP.

• SLTs: 32.7% increase by 28/29 academic year
• OTs: 58.8% increase by 28/29 academic year
• EPs: 112.8% increase by 28/29 academic year

3. Number of ECHNAs that result in an EHCP.

• SLTs: 1,781 (25/26 academic year)
• OTs: 636 (25/26 academic year)
• EPs: 305 (25/26 academic year)

3. Number of ECHNAs that result in an EHCP.

• 389 (2029 calendar year)
• 422 (2026 calendar year)
• 7.8% reduction by 2029 calendar year

4. Suspension and Permanent Exclusion Rates of Pupils with SEN.

4. Suspension and Permanent Exclusion Rates of Pupils with SEN.

4. Suspension and Permanent Exclusion Rates of Pupils with SEN.

• Permanent exclusion
• EHC: 0.15 (28/29)
• SEN Support: 0.22 (28/29)
• Pex: 27.1% reduction by summer 2028
• Permanent exclusion
• EHC: 0.21 (25/26)
• SEN Support: 0.28 (25/26)
• EHC: 0.19 (26/27)
• SEN Support: 0.2673 (26/27)
• Fixed term exclusion
• EHC: 13.02 (28/29)
• SEN Support: 14.36 (28/29)
• Fixed term exclusion
• EHC: 17.86 (25/26)
• SEN Support: 19.69 (25/26)
• EHC: 16.07 (26/27)
• SEN Support: 17.72 (26/27)

5. Forecast Expenditure for High Needs Block

5. Forecast Expenditure for High Needs Block:

5. Forecast Expenditure for High Needs Block

• £75,430,300 (26/27 financial year)
• £78,111,830 (27/28 financial year)
• £81,236,000 (28/29 financial year)

We will sustain the 4% Hnb expenditure increase achieved between 25/26-26/27

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

A brief summary of your local system’s theory of change or reform strategy. Reflect on the output of your Local Partnership

Maturity Assessment Tool, particularly your Local System ‘change story.’

The current reality: Whilst Hackney has a strong education system, escalating demand for specialist placements has strained the system and narrowed the local support offer, driving reliance on high cost placements and resulting in an erosion of stakeholder trust. The Strategy: By shifting to a locality-based collaborative approach, Hackney will move from reactive crisis management to proactive local inclusion. Building on existing practice, this transformation is built on three logical pillars:

• If we build the physical and expert infrastructure - through capital investment in enhancing the universal offer in mainstream,

mainstream specialist bases and "Beacons of Excellence" hubs - then we remove the physical and knowledge barriers that currently prevent children from being educated inclusively and "close to home."

• If we empower the workforce with data and expertise - deploying LITs and utilising a Single Inclusion Data Source - then SENCOs and

leaders can identify needs earlier and dismantle systemic barriers to inclusion in real-time.

• If we standardise the language of support - via an expanded Graduated Response and transparent admission criteria - then we rebuild

parental trust through a shared, predictable, and fair pathway for all children. The Impact: This "invest-to-save" approach redirects High Needs Block funding from high-cost, distant placements into high-quality, local early intervention. The Result: A cohesive 0-25 system that is financially sustainable and achieves the reform principles of being Early, Local, Fair, and Effective. Ultimately, this ensures that "inclusive mainstream by default" becomes the lived reality for every child in Hackney.

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

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

Reflecting on the broad timescales and expectation for deliverables set out in the Schools White Paper, key documents and

core minimum requirements set out in this document, please provide a high-level roadmap for the next 3 years. Please highlight

key milestones and a trajectory to the target metrics identified above, including leading indicators.

In the 2026-27 column, in particular, please reference how you plan to meet the core minimum requirements in your narrative,

including details and evidence in supporting documents.

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

clear, borough-wide standard for inclusion.

This framework allows schools to move away from reactive casework toward a proactive model where Universal and Targeted support are guaranteed in every classroom.

By integrating this toolkit with real-time data, specialist Experts at Hand (Eah) and a co-signed universal offer agreement, the Local Authority (LA) ensures that school-based Inclusion Hubs and expert interventions are deployed efficiently.

Ultimately, this creates a seamless experience for students as they move through different stages of education, building parent confidence and ensuring that high-quality support is the baseline for every child, rather than an exception reached only through an EHCP. Strategic Multi-Agency Planning (Smap) Meetings

their Inclusion Strategies by the 31st December deadline. Codify the "Universal Offer," establishing clear expectations for adaptive teaching and environmental adjustments that must be in place before higher-tier funding is accessed. Provide the first "How-to" guide for mainstream schools to audit their physical space and staffing for internal Support Bases. Strategic Multi-Agency Planning (Smap) Meetings

LA-commissioned specialists for Targeted Plus interventions.

confidence is stabilised, evidenced by a reduction in Education Health Care Plan (EHCP) requests for needs that are now successfully met through the Universal Offer. 100% of transition data is communicated using the Toolkit’s language, ensuring support is "plug-and-play" from day one in a new setting. Hackney’s "Support Base" network is fully operational, with the Toolkit serving as the national exemplar for scaling mainstream inclusion. Strategic Multi-Agency Planning (Smap) Meetings

Use the Toolkit as the primary rubric for School Improvement visits and the new Strategic Multi-Agency Planning (Smap) meetings, ensuring "Universal" provision is consistent across all localities.

Align the Toolkit's terminology with the new National Digital Individual Support Plan (Isp) platform to ensure data entry is standardised across the borough. Strategic Multi-Agency Planning (Smap) Meetings

The Smap Meeting will be a key part of Hackney’s collaborative approach. It is the mechanism through which the setting and locality level data aggregated through the Single Inclusion Data Source dashboard, is interpreted by a multi-agency team (detailed below), to agree setting level improvement milestones for the coming year

By 2029, the Smap it is a strategic resource-deployment engine that ensures no child’s needs go unmet due to a lack of coordination, through the following key features:

Smap Integration: Leveraging the improved, comprehensive, and aligned locality and borough-wide data packs, key stakeholders will be able to integrate strategic mapping into discussions. This will allow them to build on the previous year's lessons learned and identify where specific needs are best met, drawing on best practice from Lit or other schools. Consequently, Hackney schools will experience a more consistent distribution of support, reflecting an increase in interaction across both locality and borough levels.

By Year 3, the Smap mechanism has matured into a predictive and highly coordinated system. The focus moves from identifying gaps to maintaining a consistent, high-quality borough-wide standard of inclusion that reflects a consistent distribution of support.

Smap Launch: Initiate Smap meeting in Autumn Term with key school leadership, including the SENCo, their School Improvement Partner (Sip) and Locality Inclusion Team (Lit) mobilisation Lead to ensure strategic deployment of resources and translate setting-level needs to locality- and borough-level. This helps schools by offering them a strategic plan for their inclusion strategy and DfE funding utilisation.

Embedded Strategic Resource Deployment: Smap meetings are now the primary vehicle for the Local Authority’s role as a System Convener. Leadership teams (Headteacher, SENCo, Sip, and Lit Lead) can use three years of longitudinal data to make highly accurate decisions on resource allocation. Schools are no longer managing crises; instead, their Inclusion Strategies are fully embedded into their wider School Development Plans, with DfE funding (Inclusive Mainstream Fund (Imf)/Inclusive

Right Support, Right Time: SMAPs will facilitate "Need Analysis" to ensure early intervention services are strengthened and deployed proactively to prevent the escalation of need. The Lit mobilisation lead attending the meeting will cascade information to the relevant Lit, establishing communication and informing

• From Reaction to Prediction

The Smap matures into a mechanism where the SENCo, Headteacher, the Sip, and the Lit Lead meet as a unified front.

They move from reacting to yesterday’s crises to using data to predict resource needs.

the universal Continuous Professional Development (Cpd) offer.

Early Years Fund (Ieyf)) utilised with maximum "Value for Money" impact.

Refreshing the Partnership-wide Universal Offer: The annual Smap cycles across settings have successfully translated individual setting-level needs into a formal Borough-wide Universal Offer. This harmonises the standard of inclusive practice and resource entitlement for every child in Hackney, ensuring that the "Universal Offer" is robust, transparent, and evidence-based. Comprehensive post-16 and Preparation for Adulthood (PfA) Pathways Digital Universality: Achieve 100% coverage of

• The "Bridge" over the Transition Cliff

The vision for Smap meetings is to end the "cliff-edge" at Year 6 and Year 11.

Transition is treated as a multi-year strategic journey rather than a single summer event.

Comprehensive post-16 and Preparation for Adulthood (PfA) Pathways Neet Prevention: To prevent young people

• Informing the "Ground-Up" Universal Offer

Smap meetings act as the primary filter for the Cascading Engagement Model.

Needs identified in individual school "Audits" are aggregated into Neighbourhood Profile Packs.

The borough’s Universal Offer is no longer a top-down document from the Local Authority; it is a dynamic offer co-produced by the findings of the Smap meetings. Resources and therapies are shifted across the borough in real-time based on where these meetings identify the biggest gaps.

Comprehensive post-16 and Preparation for Adulthood (PfA) Pathways Network Expansion: Fully integrate

Comprehensive post-16 and Preparation for Adulthood (PfA) Pathways

Establishing a high-impact prevention infrastructure that evolves from early identification to a fully integrated

vocational ecosystem, we will ensure no young person with SEND falls through the cracks.

By expanding the Not in Education, Employment or Training (Neet) Prevention Panel’s reach and launching the Hackney Education Alternative Learning Service (Heals) hub, we create a collaborative nexus where tracking data and family support align to flag intervention needs long before they reach a crisis point.

This transition period replaces traditional academic barriers with "contextualised" technical pathways and universal Digital ISPs, shifting the focus from retrospective reaction to a live, portable narrative of a student's strengths and requirements.

We expect these innovations will scale into a borough-wide standard where vocational excellence holds full parity with academic routes, underpinned by a workforce upskilled in person-centred principles and a tracking system that remains rigorous through Year 14.

Success will be defined by a unified, data-driven framework that proves early intervention and specialised technical pathways have replaced the "fight" for support with a seamless, coordinated journey into adulthood. School preparedness and Early Years (Ey) transitions

(Yp) with EHCPs and those receiving SEND Support from becoming Neet, we will expand the Neet Prevention Panel's focus beyond Year

• This panel will track destinations during the

first half of the term to flag support needs. The Heals hub will offer parents/carers space and staff guidance on post-16 application processes and transition support. New Lit Neet advisors will also be recruited. Strengthening and Clarifying Pathways: We will pilot “contextualised” GCSE repeats, embedding English and Maths into technical trades to re-engage learners. We will launch the Digital & Technology and Green Construction & Retrofitting Pathways Tool for year 10s, and replace the old Transition Booklet with the new, accessible PfA Transition Guide. Access to Training/Employment: Re-establish the formal link between the LA’s Employment and Skills (Eas) Team and Fe providers to streamline apprenticeship access and start building inclusive practice into career pathways. Specialist Support: Roll out PfA training to all mainstream secondary staff and careers advisors, ensuring consistent information flow. This will be alongside a Post-16 Lit pilot menu of support. School preparedness and Early Years (Ey) transitions

independent providers into the local network to support those outside mainstream settings. Scaling Technical Pathways: Fully establish the Digital & Technology and Green Construction & Retrofitting pathways as high-value, "learning by doing" alternatives to academic routes. Mental Health Integration: Formalise mental health support with Young Hackney, focusing on resilience and soft skills and mapping against the inclusion bases that will exist in Post-16 settings. Advanced Tracking: The Neet Prevention Panel expands tracking to include Year 14, ensuring support doesn't "drop off" after the first post-16 year. We will formally collaborate with Heals to address post-16 Neet issues and co-develop solutions. Motivational Interviewing: Roll out Motivational Interviewing training to Young Hackney, with links to 16+ outreach teams to re-engage the most vulnerable high-risk students. School preparedness and Early Years (Ey) transitions

Digital ISPs for children with additional needs, ensuring a portable record of "what works" moves with them. Curriculum Evolution: "Contextualised" GCSE resits are no longer a pilot but a standard offering across technical trades, significantly boosting local pass rates. Refinement: Final review and revision of the Neet Prevention Panel approach based on three years of longitudinal data. Workforce Excellence: The Hackney workforce is fully upskilled in PfA principles, with person-centred support embedded in every interaction. Systemic Parity: Vocational pathways achieve full parity of esteem with academic routes, reflected in increased enrollment in Green and Digital sectors. School preparedness and Early Years (Ey) transitions

We will move from a reactive Ey landscape toward an intelligence-led, inclusive continuum.

By systematically dismantling existing "transition cliffs," the plan front-loads the new inclusion standards - through the Common Language Toolkit and established Smap cycle - to codify

We will achieve a collaborative model where 100% of transition data is communicated using standardised definitions.

The system will have transitioned from "deficit recovery" to a mature, predictive model where granular data from mandatory 2-year reviews and Ey settings and BSFHs directly

We will learn from PACE-H) Ey Transitions project and explore opportunities to further improve transitions.

We will move away from the "crisis-led" experience where families feel they must "fight" for support by rolling out the Digital Isp platform to ensure specialist-informed strategies

We will focus on dismantling the current "fragmented and reactive" landscape by releasing the Common Language Toolkit to define a universal "standard" for ordinarily available support.

We will launch the Smap cycle to ensure settling level needs inform a borough wide universal offer.

support is coordinated, consistent, and proactively deployed to prevent escalation. Access to local placements:

Access to local placements:

Access to local placements:

Access to local placements:

Begin implementing "Middle Provision" (support bases and classroom adaptations) - creating flexible spaces in mainstream settings that offer more than "standard" support but remain connected to the mainstream curriculum.

Progress plans to commission additional Specialist Bases, building on our existing landscape (currently Alternative Resource Provisions)

Begin the phased reduction of out-of-borough independent placements as new local capacity comes online. Strategically recommission AP into a 3-tiered model

Specialist Hubs are fully operational as centres of a mainstream inclusion network, providing a "local by default" option for the vast majority of Cyp.

Sufficiency planning is dynamic - using needs data to predict future placement needs, ensuring Hackney never returns to a "crisis-led" reliance on high-cost independent settings.

Our existing specialist provision has been repurposed, where appropriate, to ensure it is catering for those with the highest levels of need Strategically recommission AP into a 3-tiered model

- A robust "Middle Provision" of Support Bases and adapted classroom spaces ensures the vast majority of children and young people (Cyp) can remain connected to the mainstream curriculum while receiving targeted specialist care. - Special schools and Specialist Bases function as "Beacons of Excellence," not only providing high-complexity care but acting as the engine for an outreach network that upskills local mainstream settings. - High-cost, out-of-borough independent placements are minimised. - Admission to all specialist provision is governed by clear, published criteria aligned with the Graduated Response, restoring parental trust through fairness and predictability. Strategically recommissioning Alternative Provision (AP)

Formally revise and publish the admission criteria for Support Bases, Specialist Bases, and Special Schools, ensuring they are explicitly aligned with the Graduated Response.

Audit the expertise within Special Schools to prepare for the "Outreach" model, identifying specialists ready to support mainstream settings.

Begin working with schools to agree a locality based approach to the development and rollout of support bases. Strategically recommission AP into a 3-tiered model

By 2029, Hackney will operate a unified, financially sustainable alternative provision system under the Heals, where high-cost independent spot-purchasing is replaced by localised, three-tiered inclusive frameworks.

Through rigorous sub-regional contract management and data-driven in-school outreach, the borough will systematically lower permanent exclusions by 10% year-on-year, ensuring that vulnerable learners are supported within their home communities without unnecessary statutory escalation.

Execute and operationalise an updated Memorandum of Understanding (Mou) for the current academic year with New Regent's College to enforce termly quality assurance loops via School Improvement Partners (SIPs).

Launch an intensive Section 19 Statutory tuition compliance sprint, binding all active alternative tutors to a newly designed, legally robust Individual Placement Agreement (Ipa).

Formally mandate that all alternative placements for Children Looked After

Formally transition core contracts for externally provided AP settings into multi-year SLAs featuring performance-tied funding parameters.

Conclude the National Pupil Database (Npd) longitudinal tracking project currently being undertaken with data consultants

Standardise Tiered Top-Up Rates across the maintained Pupil Referral Unit (PRU) network to ensure financial transparency and balanced risk-sharing across the schools forum.

Expand the specialised post-16 Social Emotional Mental Health (Semh) and Level 1 vocational AP offer locally to mitigate the narrowing entry criteria of mainstream Fe colleges.

Fully dissolve the legacy Exclusions Panel framework, transitioning into an integrated, multi-agency Heals Inclusion Panel that provides automated, early triage for pupils displaying school avoidance or escalated anxiety.

Support stabilised High Needs Block growth trajectories by demonstrating

The Single Inclusion Data Source provides the empirical evidence for every local intervention, moving the system from anecdotal "gap finding" to evidence-based "gap filling."

All partners - including the LA, Integrated Care Board (Icb), Multi-Academy Trusts (MATs), and families - operate in total synchronicity, with resources and intervention allocated based on transparent, "ground-up" data.

The Universal Offer is reviewed annually informed by schools, partners and parents carers and reflected in joint commissioning arrangements

The SEND and Alternative Provision (AP) Partnership Board, provides formal sign-off on resource allocation, ensuring the offer is genuinely responsive to classroom needs.

Parents and carers have access to "Locality Summaries" that clearly demonstrate how their feedback and school-level audits have directly influenced the broader borough strategy.

Lived experience data from the Pcf and student panels carries equal weight to clinical data in commissioning discussions, ensuring the system remains human-centred.

School Smap meetings identify real-time needs (e.g., Year 2 Asd rise) to be cascaded to Tas meetings for continuity. MATs are part of our school family. Strategic Leads or delegates can attend Smap meetings to identify common themes, ensuring partnership-wide inclusion. Smap meetings can utilise community engagement feedback from individual educational settings as a data source, despite parents and students not attending directly. The Locality Level (Need Analysis) Individual Smap findings are aggregated by locality. Neighbourhood Steering Groups within Hackney’s Sufficiency Planning meet termly to review this data, showcased in Locality Plans. Mat representatives attend these meetings. We will leverage the Pcf and student panels to influence neighbourhood steering group decisions, incorporating "lived experience" to supplement data dashboards. Additionally, we will use the Heals outreach infrastructure to map feedback channels for children currently supported outside of mainstream settings, including those in elective home education (Ehe), independent placements, or experiencing school avoidance. The Borough Level: Borough-Wide Collaboration The final stage is the formalisation of the Universal Offer co-produced with schools and settings. Findings from the four Neighbourhood steering groups are presented to the SEND and AP Strategic Partnership Board for feedback and standardisation. Mat, Icb, and Pcf representatives on the SEND and AP Strategic Partnership Board collaborate with North East London (Nel) Icb, using regional insights to ensure consistent commissioning that improves outcomes and

align with the emerging Locality Plans. Icb & Schools Forum Integration: Use the "Gap Analysis" to inform joint commissioning discussions with the Icb. If a locality shows a significant Speech and Language Communication Need (Slcn) gap, therapeutic resources are strategically shifted to that neighbourhood in real-time. Transparency Initiatives: Publish "Locality Summaries" for parents and carers, demonstrating how the specific needs identified at their child's school are influencing the broader locality strategy. Student Voice Expansion: The inDEPTh panel begins auditing the "responsiveness" of the system, reviewing whether the "Gap Analysis" from Year 1 resulted in actual service changes in Year 2.

parents/carers, Icb, and MATs act in total alignment, with central resources and therapies allocated based entirely on the transparent data-driven needs identified from the ground up. Borough-Wide Oversight: The SEND and AP Strategic Partnership Board, supported by the inDEPTh panel, provides final sign-off on resource allocation, ensuring that the "Universal Offer" remains responsive to the latest "Needs Audits."

financial sustainability. Oversight is provided by Hackney’s inDEPTh student panel. Decisions, updates and feedback will be shared with key stakeholders, including the community, and ongoing insight will inform future reviews.

Encouraging inclusive culture and behaviours Locality based specialist support and advice from Ey to Fe:

Encouraging inclusive culture and behaviours Locality based specialist support and advice from Ey to Fe:

Encouraging inclusive culture and behaviours Locality based specialist support and advice from Ey to Fe:

Encouraging inclusive culture and behaviours Locality based specialist support and advice from Ey to Fe:

Establish LITs as the single point of contact for all settings, moving health and education professionals into shared clusters.

Launch a unified referral and triage process to stop fragmented pathways and ensure "right support, right time" without service duplication.

Use the Single Inclusion Data Source dashboard to identify locality-specific needs and align initial specialist guidance and input. Aligning School Improvement (SI):

Specialists shift focus toward "System Coaching," delivering data-driven interventions that empower the wider workforce.

Roll out neighbourhood-based Cpd that embeds specialist expertise directly into "Quality First Teaching," reducing the need for individual referrals.

Mature the co-location model, ensuring every setting - from Ey settings to Fe colleges - benefits from either physical or virtual specialist presence. Aligning School Improvement (SI):

Realise a higher proportion of Cyp receiving appropriate, high-quality support within mainstream settings, evidenced by longitudinal attendance and reduced escalation to EHCPs

Integrated triage is fully embedded, with specialists, SIPs, and Family Hubs acting as a single, accessible unit for every neighbourhood.

The system uses real-time data to shift guidance and resources dynamically, ensuring the partnership remains responsive to the evolving needs of the classroom. Aligning School Improvement (SI): Common Standards: Inclusive practice is a fundamental pillar of our school improvement journey. To ensure every child benefits from this, those settings working towards the 'Universal Offer' can receive support from our School Improvement team.including brokered support

Every setting - from Ey providers to Fe colleges - has a single, local point of contact for specialist expertise, eliminating fragmented referral pathways and service silos.

Experts function as "System Coaches," embedding clinical and educational strategies directly into Quality First Teaching so that the wider workforce is empowered to meet diverse needs every day.

Specialist guidance and intervention are allocated, drawing on insights from the Single Inclusion Data Source dashboard, ensuring resources are shifted dynamically to neighbourhood hotspots in real-time.

A higher proportion of Cyp thrive within their local mainstream settings, with success evidenced by increased attendance, reduced exclusions, and a measurable decrease in the escalation to statutory EHCPs. Aligning School Improvement (SI):

Strategy Building: Sip visits can support school refine their long-term Inclusion Strategies based on a full year of Locality Plan data and inform a borough-wide universal offer agreement that will help build the Cpd offer for that year.

Policy & Framework Launch: Implement the revised Sip Programme across primary, secondary, special and in part Fe settings. This has a larger focus inclusion and SEND provision as a core focus of the annual school

School Improvement (SI) professionals work in partnership with settings to further strengthen inclusive practice, building on existing good practice.The SI team will centre

SEND provision in the core of the annual school improvement cycle. By prioritising high-quality, inclusive teaching and learning at the universal level, the SI team supports and enables Hackney settings in delivering an offer where the vast majority of children and young people (Cyp) can thrive together.

Through a collaborative inclusion focus within the standard Sip cycle, SI advisors provide supportive, impact-focused peer reflection. This enables schools to maintain and embed high standards of inclusive practice from Early Years through to Further Education.

To ensure resources are deployed equitably, the SI team uses real-time data to offer adaptive, targeted support to settings facing specific challenges, such as declining attendance or rising suspensions. Ultimately, the SI team operates in close alignment with Local Inclusion Teams (LITs) and Education Advisory Heads, identifying systemic needs together to build a resilient, high-quality mainstream offer that delivers excellent outcomes for young people up to age 25.

improvement cycle.

Graduated Support Implementation: Building on good practice, schools identified as requiring more support will receive it though the existing risk assessment process including data sources.

from other settings,. Post-16 Engagement: Sixth Form and College leadership are partnered to ensure high-quality pathways that directly reduce Neet figures for young people up to age 25. System Stability: The School Improvement team and the Lit act in total synergy, with SIPs identifying the need and LITs deploying the EAHs to ensure every setting has the capacity to remain inclusive.

Sip Visits : Oversight by the School Improvement Team during the Sip cycle of visits will support the ongoing development of inclusive practice and make links with other parts of the SEN system.

Training focus: Design and deliver joined up training initiatives for SI and LITs to foster a shared understanding of roles and build a unified approach to the inclusion reforms. Building on current strong practice, ensure termly Sip training has a closer focus on inclusion.

Standardised Application of Imf and Ieyf:

Standardised Application of Imf and Ieyf:

Skills Audit: Create structured opportunities for SI and Lit professionals to learn from one another, leveraging existing internal expertise to deepen cross-team understanding of complex SEND and school improvement practices. Ensure all advisers are fully aware of (and identify) best practice in schools and settings, including special schools and use this to ensure internal and external colleagues are aware of this.

Standardised Application of Imf and Ieyf:

Standardised Application of Imf and Ieyf:

Use Smap meetings to review the impact of Imf spend. SIPs will audit a sample of ISPs to ensure that the upfront funding is translating into the specialist-informed interventions (from the LITs) promised in the plan.

Mature strategic oversight of the fund, supported by robust data within the Digital Isp, will support better application of the Imf across settings, leading to improved inclusion outcomes from Cyp across mainstream settings.

Publish guidance linking Imf/Ieyf allocations to the delivery of the Universal and Targeted Offer. Clearly state that the Digital Isp will be the mandatory tool for schools to record how these funds are applied to individual outcomes.

The standardised application of the Imf and Ieyf ensures these funds are seen as "upfront fuel" for early inclusion.

The Digital Isp will become the mandatory "receipt" for this

investment, allowing schools to record exactly how funds are converted into specialist-informed interventions.

Over three years, this matures into a data-driven model where Smap meetings and Sip audits use Isp evidence to ensure that upfront funding is successfully driving high-quality mainstream outcomes and reducing the need for statutory escalation.

Distribute Ieyf using 75/25 needs-led national formula.

Supporting high-quality ISPs

Supporting high-quality ISPs

Supporting high-quality ISPs

Supporting high-quality ISPs

100% of Hackney settings lead on the maintenance of Digital ISPs as the primary legal and operational record for the Targeted and Targeted Plus offers.

The link between the Imf and the Isp is fully embedded. Schools use their Isp data to demonstrate "Value for Money," while SIPs provide rigorous, supportive scrutiny of plan quality.

The LA uses aggregated, anonymised data from school ISPs to predict future locality gaps

The Isp is recognised as a robust, trusted alternative to a statutory EHCP.

Launch a Digital Isp platform, providing settings with a unified space to author plans, with automated links to school Mis systems to reduce administrative burden.

Lit specialists begin focusing on upskilling school staff to author ISPs that reflect "Specialist-Informed" Quality First Teaching.

Use Smap meetings to review a sample of school-led ISPs, ensuring that the Imf is being activated effectively and that specialist advice is being implemented.

Pilot the "Digital Passport" feature, allowing Year 6 and Year 11 ISPs to move seamlessly between settings ahead of the September intake.

Educational settings will hold full legal and operational ownership of Digital ISPs, ensuring they are live, teacher-led documents rather than passive records.

LITs will function as expert contributors, dropping clinical strategies directly into the digital plan to eliminate delays for specialist advice.

The Inclusion Mainstream Fund (Imf) and Ieyf will act as "upfront fuel," with the Isp serving as the school’s transparent evidence for how these funds are applied to student outcomes.

A Digital Isp platform will be fully integrated with school Mis systems, ensuring that support strategies are instantly portable and move seamlessly with the child during transitions.

SIPs will provide relational scrutiny, using a sample of ISPs to audit inclusion quality and ensure every child receives their "Guarantee of Entitlement."

Families and young people will be equal co-authors, with real-time access to the digital plan, restoring trust through total transparency of

Co-produce a ‘Hackney Isp Guidance Document”’ document with SENCos and the Pcf, ensuring a shared definition of a "high-quality plan" that aligns with the National Inclusion Standards.

Publish an Imf Toolkit, providing schools with a clear formula to understand how their pre-allocated inclusion funding covers the specific interventions required in an Isp

support and funding.

The Isp will be recognised as a robust, funded alternative to the statutory EHCP for the majority of children, providing immediate, high-quality intervention based on need rather than labels.

Enablers Workforce

Enablers Workforce

Enablers Workforce

Enablers

Workforce

By 2029, the Programme Team will have successfully converted upfront corporate investment into long-term system recovery, with the team's operational costs fully offset by verified reductions in spending.

Senior leadership will be supported by a fully mature Programme Management Office (Pmo) infrastructure capable of translating real-time dashboard tracking into predictive multi-agency resource deployment across the four localities.

The Programme Team will function as the trusted connective tissue across the local authority and Icb, maintaining a synchronised delivery framework where health, social care, and education perform as a singular system.

Launch recruitment for the essential Programme Manager and Technical Lead roles in Q2, while initiating secondment agreements with the LA and Icb to temporarily backfill secondary administrative support functions.

Formally activate the Eah Admin team under the Eah Service Lead - fully funded via the £202,031.30 administrative grant allocation - to establish specialised triage, tracking, and scheduling workflows for the Lit rollout.

Deploy the Service Accountant within the core finance team to construct the financial baseline and baseline monitoring structures required to evaluate High Needs Block "invest-to-save" tracking. Data Capture

Evaluate the initial Year 1 savings to evaluate transitioning seconded secondary project support roles into fixed-term positions.

Fully operationalise internal Pmo tracking architecture.

Fully assimilate the transformation team architecture into the mainstream local authority infrastructure, moving core data and project management roles onto permanent establishment funding.

Compile and present the final 3-year transformation return, mathematically demonstrating that the upfront corporate investment successfully stabilised Hnb expenditure growth.

Data Capture Data Capture Data Capture System Transition: Move from the "temporary" dashboard solution to permanent, integrated Single Inclusion Data Source and Eah Impact Dashboards that aggregate information from fully rolled out Digital ISPs.

Real-Time Access: The Data Packs become fully operational for all key stakeholders, providing real-time access to current caseloads, Cpd attendance, and suspension patterns. Functionality will be built into the dashboard so that schools, localities and the Local Authority can see changes over time. This would allow key stakeholders to compare the current position to the previous term or even the previous year. The new Eah Impact dashboard will be

Single Inclusion Data Source: Establish an agile working space, using a Qlik dashboard platform that compiles existing data workstream. This integrates sufficiency data planning with Family Hubs data to create the first iteration of the Single Inclusion Data Source. Eah Impact Dashboard: Also due in Autumn 2026, this dashboard will track outcomes for children receiving Eah support. Specifically, it

A permanent, integrated digital ecosystem bridges Education, Health, and Care data, providing a single, reliable narrative for every child’s journey from 0–25.

Key stakeholders across schools, localities, and the LA use live dashboards to monitor need, attendance, and suspension patterns,

A collaborative approach in Action: The shift from a "fight" for support to a "coordinated infrastructure" is maturing. The Centralised

allowing for immediate course correction rather than retrospective reaction.

Individual school and SEND audits are aggregated into Neighbourhood Profile Packs, enabling the Partnership to identify and plug specialist resource gaps before they reach a crisis point.

The system moves beyond "snapshots" to track progress over terms and years, providing the empirical evidence needed to prove that early intervention is successfully reducing the escalation of need.

Data transparency allows for dynamic sufficiency planning, ensuring the partnership’s infrastructure is deployed exactly where the data shows it is needed most.

Success is measured by a unified set of metrics, confirming that the shift from a "fight" for support to a "coordinated infrastructure" is delivering excellence in local outcomes.

will monitor how many pupils eventually require a formal EHCP. This relies on a new, standardised data collection process to ensure school-based intervention data is consistent and easily matched to central records.

operational and provide oversight, inform improvements, and communicate impacts and outcomes across the partnership, tracking data to ensure support reaches underserved populations and does not worsen existing disparities.

Single Inclusion Data Source (now a permanent tool) confirms that early interventions for Slcn, Autism Spectrum Disorder (Asd), and Semh are reducing the escalation of need. Success is measured by stabilised local placements and improved attendance for children with SEND.

Locality Aggregation: Combine individual schools by locality to create formal Locality Plans. These plans identify specific specialist resource gaps (e.g., a localised need for more Slcn support). Digital systems (Isp platform)

Digital systems (Isp platform) Digital systems (Isp platform) Digital system (Isp platform)

Execute full-system data migration, transitioning all baseline metrics from the interim Single Inclusion Data Source and "Eah Impact" dashboards into the live, automated national or upgraded local Isp digital platform by late 2028.

Deliver a comprehensive, mandatory training and user-onboarding program for 100% of mainstream SENCos and multi-agency clinical teams to secure full operational system adoption.

Complete a comprehensive local Isp and data-sharing readiness audit to map data fields between our interim dashboards, internal education systems, and regional health platforms.

If central government does not issue a national platform mandate by mid-Year 2, conclude a formal options appraisal to greenlight the procurement and localised configuration of the updated Synergy Isp module.

Launch a restricted testing environment across 4 pilot schools (one per locality) to test user interface

Formally join and commit local authority data specialist resources to The Access Group’s national Synergy Isp Product Design Groups to inject Hackney’s operational requirements into the core software build.

Maintain active strategic engagement with the DfE reform team to monitor, evaluate, and report back on the likelihood, specifications, and deployment timelines of a national mandated digital platform.

By late 2028, Hackney will transition away from our interim corporate dashboards (Single Inclusion Data Source and Eah Impact dashboard), into a unified digital platform that seamlessly integrates ISPs with local authority case management.

Operating in strict alignment with central government specifications, this interoperable digital architecture will provide a single inclusion data source for schools, health partners, and families, securely driving our target to reduce unnecessary statutory EHCP escalations by 7.8% through absolute

3. Number of ECHNAs that result in an EHCP.

3. Number of ECHNAs that result in an EHCP.

Neet data

3. Number of ECHNAs that result in an EHCP.

• 406 (2027 calendar year)

4. Suspension and Permanent Exclusion Rates of Pupils with SEN.

• 396 (2028 calendar year)
• 389 (2029 calendar year)

4. Suspension and Permanent Exclusion Rates of Pupils with SEN.

4. Suspension and Permanent Exclusion Rates of Pupils with SEN.

Permanent exclusion

EHC: 0.19 (26/27)

SEN Support: 0.2673 (26/27)

• Permanent exclusion
• EHC: 0.17 (27/28)
• SEN Support: 0.24 (27/28)
• Permanent exclusion
• EHC: 0.15 (28/29)
• SEN Support: 0.22 (28/29)
• Fixed term exclusion
• EHC: 14.46 (27/28)
• SEN Support: 15.95 (27/28)
• Fixed term exclusion
• EHC: 16.07 (26/27)
• SEN Support: 17.72 (26/27)
• Fixed term exclusion
• EHC: 13.02 (28/29)
• SEN Support: 14.36 (28/29)

5. Forecast Expenditure for High Needs Block:

£81,236,000 (28/29 financial year)

5. Forecast Expenditure for High Needs Block

£75,430,030 (26/27 financial year) 6. Stabilised average placement unit cost for children and young people with SEN

5. Forecast Expenditure for High Needs Block

£78,111,830 (27/28 financial year) 6. Stabilised average placement unit cost for children and young people with SEN

6. Stabilised average placement unit cost for children and young people with SEN

• £13,000 (27/28 financial year)

7. Reduction against unmitigated projection of the number of children and young people with EHC plans

£13,000 (26/27 financial year)

£13,000 (28/29 financial year)

7. Reduction against unmitigated projection of the number of children and young people with EHC plans

7. Reduction against unmitigated projection of the number of children and young people with EHC plans

• 3970 (2027)
• 4057 (2028)
• 3870 (2026)
• 3970 (2027)

8. Reduction in the number of Cyp with SEN who are categorised as Neet

• 4057 (2028)
• 4137 (2029)
• Reduction in the number of Cyp with SEN

who are categorised as Neet

8. Reduction in the number of Cyp with SEN who are categorised as Neet

• 241 (2028)
• 236 (2029)
• Reduction in home to school transport
• 278 (2026)

9. Reduction in home to school

• 247 (2027)

9. Reduction in home to school

transport spend for pupils with SEN

transport spend for pupils with SEN

spend for pupils with SEN

• £7,592,000 (25/26)
• £7,202,000 (26/27)
• Sustain attainment levels for pupils

with SEN

• £6,832,000 (27/28)
• Sustain attainment levels for pupils

with SEN

• £6,490,400 (28/29)
• Sustain attainment levels for pupils with

SEN

SEN Support

SEN Support

SEN Support

% meeting Gld - 36% (26/27)

% meeting phonics expected standard - 64% (26/27)

% meeting expected standard in reading, writing and maths , at KS2 - 54% (26/27)

average attainment 8 at KS4 - 40.7 (27/28) EHCP

% meeting Gld - 36% (27/28)

% meeting phonics expected standard - 64% (27/28)

% meeting expected standard in reading, writing and maths , at KS2 - 54% (27/28)

average attainment 8 at KS4 - 40.7 (27/28) EHCP

% meeting Gld - 36% (28/29)

% meeting phonics expected standard - 64% (28/29)

% meeting expected standard in reading, writing and maths , at KS2 - 54% (28/29)

average attainment 8 at KS4 - 40.7 (28/29) EHCP

% meeting Gld - 11% (26/27)

% meeting phonics expected standard - 29% (26/27)

% meeting expected standard in reading, writing and maths , at KS2 - 22% (26/27)

average progress 8 at KS4 - 22.9 (26/27)

% meeting Gld - 11% (27/28)

% meeting phonics expected standard - 29% (27/28)

% meeting expected standard in reading, writing and maths , at KS2 - 22% (27/28)

average progress 8 at KS4 - 22.9 (27/28)

% meeting Gld - 11% (28/29)

% meeting phonics expected standard - 29% (28/29)

% meeting expected standard in reading, writing and maths , at KS2 - 22% (28/29)

average progress 8 at KS4 - 22.9 (28/29)

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

Please outline the key workstreams, milestones and trajectory your local area partnership will deliver and achieve in 2026-27 as

well as how you plan to spend the investment allocation that will help fund this year’s delivery. Please share key milestones and

anticipated dates, success measures, cost breakdown and category. These should incorporate the core minimum requirements,

be mapped to the building blocks above and should reflect a more detailed trajectory to the narrative, milestones and target

metrics outlined in the 2026-27 column above.

Training (Neet) and strengthening pathways and access to training and employment. Success measures Reduction in Neet data. Number of mainstream secondary school staff who have completed the PfA training. Number of Yp completing their first year in Further Education (Fe). Documented relationship between LA employment teams and Fe providers to ensure timely internship/apprenticeship access. Number of schools who have encountered employers in the Digital and Technology and Green Construction and Retrofitting sectors.

Health Care Plans (EHCPs) and those receiving SEND Support. Ensure schools are consulted as part of the changes. Identified at-risk students officially flagged to schools for extra support. Initiate engagement with appropriate partners including Hackney's largest college group, Multi-Academy Trusts (MATs) and other providers. Begin partner mobilisation for the Digital and Technology and Green Construction and Retrofitting Pathways for Year 10. Replace the old Transition Booklet with the new PfA Transition Guide.

Contact is made between local green and digital industries and settings. Reduction in the number of (children and young people (Cyp) with SEN who are categorised as Neet 269

teams working in the Post-16 landscape. Roll out PfA training to mainstream secondary staff and careers advisors, ensuring consistent information flow. Begin major employer encounters as part of the Digital and Technology and Green Construction and Retrofitting Pathways. All at-risk of Neet SEN students identified by the Neet Prevention Panel during the first half of the term are successfully flagged to schools or colleges. Those who are not enrolled in college are flagged to Lit/Young Hackney for additional support. For pupils in Y12 who were identified as being at risk of being Neet, they are tracked through the Panel's first half of the term and flagged to college (if enrolled) or Lit/Young Hackney for additional support

50% of secondary schools have encountered at least 2 employers as part of the Digital and Technology and Green Construction and Retrofitting Pathways. Reduction in the number of Cyp with SEN who are categorised as Neet 258

We will pilot “contextualised” GCSE repeats, embedding English and Maths into technical trades to re-engage learners. Execute the second cycle of the Neet Prevention Panel’s termly destination tracking and college / school-flagging mechanism. A Memorandum of Understanding (Mou) signed between Employment and Skills (Eas) Team and Hackney’s largest college group for internship / apprenticeship access.

100% of secondary schools have encountered at least 2 employers as part of the Digital and Technology and Green Construction and Retrofitting Pathways. Reduction in the number of Cyp with SEN who are categorised as Neet 247

Comprehensive Data Capture Outcome: Develop and integrate Experts at Hand Impact Dashboard

Head of Management Information

Complete the full specification for the dashboard content, focusing on monitoring impact (i.e. EHCP conversion rates), and caseload and activity.

The full specification is formally signed off by the working group and Lit Professionals before being shared publicly. The template for Lit interventions and support data collection is designed and validated ready to collect data for the dashboard. Data collection matched against child-necessary information.

Integrate linked data sources, including School Census and DfE Attendance Data dashboards, with the Qlik environment. Lit launches the new Lit interventions and support data collection to continuously track activity for the cohorts of Cyp in Targeted Plus. Deploy the Qlik dashboard to monitor early impact, caseload, and activity, aligning with the deployment of the setting-level data dashboard.

The Experts at Hand Impact Dashboard is fully deployed, operational and successfully shared with Lit professionals for use. Linked data sources are integrated and the Lit launches interventions and data collection for continuous tracking of Targeted Plus cohorts.

Review the dashboard output and data quality based on initial live use, especially concerning EHCP conversion rates and monitoring caseload. Maintain the continuous and live data collection, ensuring all relevant child-level data (Targeted Plus cohort) is accurately captured and integrated into the dashboard.

A formal multi-agency review of the dashboard, based on feedback from Q3 sharing, is completed, resulting in agreed-upon recommendations for Version 2 development. The scheduled data collection for child-level interventions and support is continued and completed for the second cycle.

Success measures

Rate of dashboard usage by key stakeholders.

Design and validate a template for the Lit interventions and support data collection, ensuring quantification of interventions (i.e. hours).

Accuracy of data.

Ease of data collection.

Ensure the new data collection includes necessary child-level information (Unique Pupil Number (Upn), name, Date of Birth, postcode) to accurately match the child to other centrally held data.

Early Years (Ey) School Readiness and Transition Outcome - Align Ey with other workstreams, monitoring early impact, activity, and caseloads, specifically tracking EHCP conversion rates. Success measures Ease of data collection Number of Named Lead SEND Practitioners recruited/assigned to work alongside established Family Navigators within BSFHs. Number of successful Smap meetings that take place. Impact of Lead SEND Practitioner on preventing unnecessary escalation to statutory services.

Assistant Director, Early Years, Early Help and Wellbeing

Integrate EY-specific data sources, including the mandatory 2-year-old developmental checks and Pvi (Private, Voluntary, and Independent) caseloads, into the setting-level data dashboard. Formally recruit/assign Named Lead SEND Practitioners to work alongside established Family Navigators within BSFHs to create a multidisciplinary early-years front door. Deliver joint training for Family Navigators and Lead Practitioners on the "Common Language Toolkit" to ensure early identification uses a single, borough-wide terminology.

The setting-level data dashboard" dashboard is 100% populated with Ey baseline data; 100% of Ey Consultants have access to the dashboard to monitor active caseloads and activity. 100% of BSFHs have a Named Lead SEND Practitioner integrated into the team. A "Bsfh Universal Offer Map" is produced, documenting how family hub activities meet the newly defined "Ordinarily Available" standards.

Launch a dedicated tracking module within Qlik to monitor the "Support to EHCP" conversion pipeline in real-time. Use the first full cycle of Smap meetings to identify Ey transition needs to Primary settings, using "Intelligence-Led" data. Establish a schedule of joint case reviews where Family Navigators and Lead SEND Practitioners utilise "Intelligence-Led" data from the 2-year-old checks to triage early intervention. Begin recording the impact of Lead SEND Practitioner advice on preventing unnecessary escalation to statutory services.

100% of Ey settings are actively recording intervention data; the dashboard provides a live view of EHCP conversion rates, allowing for "intelligence-led" identification of settings requiring additional support. 85% of "Targeted Plus" families in the Best Start Family Hub system have a support plan that uses Common Language Toolkit terminology. Data captured in Best Start Family Hub systems shows the volume of families receiving "Universal Offer" support without the need for a statutory EHCP request.

Conduct a multi-agency review (including Best Start Family Hub leads, Pcf, and health partners) to evaluate the impact of the Lead SEND Practitioner/Family Navigator partnership on early identification.

A comprehensive Ey Impact Report is formally signed off by SEND & AP Partnership Board, demonstrating that 85% of Bsfh SEND support is now aligned with the Borough-wide Universal Offer. The "Borough-level Visualisation of Need" includes a distinct data stream showing the reduction in "implementation gaps" within the Ey sector due to the new Best Start Family Hub workforce model.

Outcome 2 - Establish support bases across all four neighbourhoods in our area-based model, ensuring mainstream settings are inclusive by default Outcome 3 - Expanding specialist base provision across the borough, ensuring a higher level of need can be met inclusively in mainstream Success measures Number of EOIs received for support bases across phases. Number of available in-borough specialist places. Direction of travel identified for special school places. Construction completed for placement expansion.

Assistant Director, School Estates Strategy Assistant Director, School Estates Strategy

Locality steering groups discuss and agree approach to establishing additional support bases Construction phase of in-progress specialist base continues to schedule

Locality level approach agreed Construction on program for Sns specialist base

Expression of interest forms or other agreed approach distributed to all mainstream schools by locality, taking consideration of schools’ record of inclusion excellence Construction phase of in-progress specialist bases continues to schedule Expression of interest forms or other agreed approach distributed to all mainstream schools by locality, taking consideration of schools’ record of inclusion excellence

EOIs received for 4-6 support bases across Ey, mainstream, and Fe Construction on program for Sns specialist base

Determine where capital work is required to mobilise support bases Construction phase complete for new 30 place Specialist Base for Semh at Stoke Newington secondary school EOIs or other agreed approach output evaluated against criteria

Capital funding amount agreed with all settings requiring capital funding Number of available in-borough specialist base places increases by 30 All EOIs/ other agreed approach output evaluated

Successful “soft test” of the “Digital Passport”.

Projected Investment Spend per quarter Please specify funding source for each category Example categories: Programme oversight/additional leadership capacity. Workforce Recruitment Workforce training and development Data/Digital Total Spend

Hnpca (from previous allocations)

Hnpca (from previous allocations)

Hnpca (from previous allocations)

● £2,000,000 Transformation allocation spend

● £2,450,000 Transformation allocation spend

● £1,403,599 Transformation allocation spend

● £47,034 Lit Workforce

● £70,552 Lit Workforce (source Eah funding)

● £70,552 Lit Workforce (source Eah funding)

● £118,089 Eah Admin

● £671,064 Eah Admin

● £671,064 Eah Admin

● £42,481

● £63,722

● £63,722

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

Please set out how you will ensure the required capacity and capability is in place from organisational corporate functions to

support implementation of the plan. This could include reference to how you plan to build or bring in project delivery

capability to manage delivery against the plan, support prioritisation, and effective use of resources; and how you plan to

build the capacity and capability in data and analytics to support effective tracking against the measures in the plan and

reporting that informs decision making.

To ensure the successful delivery of our plan, we have established a dual-structured SEND Reform Team that separates strategic transformation from operational service delivery.

High-level oversight will be provided by the existing head of SEND, with a Programme Manager and Programme Coordinator driving the core workstreams funded by the transformation allocation. To ensure the programme remains on track, a transformation-grant-funded Service Coordinator sits within this team to manage cross-partner logistics and milestones. Financial integrity will be maintained by extending the remit of our existing Service Accountant, who oversees the "invest-to-save" realignment of the High Needs Block. A dedicated Data Analyst will be recruited using the transformation allocation to provide the Single Inclusion Data Source capability, ensuring that Strategic Multi-Agency Planning (Smap) meetings are informed by real-time evidence and longitudinal trend analysis. In year 2 when our grant increases, we will also fund a technical lead to oversee platform development for the migration to Digital Individual Support Plans (ISPs). We will use our Experts at Hand (Eah) admin allocation to fund an Eah Service lead to provide deep Subject Matter Expertise and operational capability to lead the mobilisation of the Locality Inclusion Teams (LITs). To protect specialist capacity, a dedicated Eah Admin function - funded specifically through the 10% administrative allocation of the Eah grant - sits under this lead. This ensures that the triage and scheduling of specialists are managed efficiently without detracting from the core transformation budget, allowing the LITs to function as a responsive, "support-first" service from day one. This function will consist of a business support manager and business support officers.

• 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.

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.

Hackney has had a well established SEND Sufficiency strategy and programme for the past 7 years, with a robust delivery framework, reporting progress into the SEND and AP Partnership board and publishing publicly on the local offer. Building on our collaborative working model with schools and settings with strong inclusion practice, as well as foundational engagement from 2021 and a phased delivery plan; Hackney has invested in 211 new specialist places since 2021, primarily through expanding existing maintained special schools and developing Additionally Resourced Provisions (Arp) in mainstream settings.

Within this new plan, we are transforming our approach to SEND sufficiency by delivering via a neighbourhood model aligned with the council’s new target operating model, health and social care neighbourhoods. Our neighbourhood model will ensure local, equitable access to inclusive education. This is underpinned by locally informed demographic forecasting, using current data to predict and identify shifts in demand, and pinpoint capacity gaps that currently drive reliance on expensive, out-of-borough independent placements and transport costs. Our ongoing engagement with headteachers through planning neighbourhood Steering Groups for September 2026 is beginning to map out the delivery parameters for our neighbourhood model, ensuring school leaders and partner Multi-Academy Trusts (MATs) are actively engaged in the local SEND data and corresponding neighbourhood level provision plans. This is detailed in our Hackney Education Three Year Strategic Plan.

In June 2026, the local authority hosted focused data-sharing workshops with mainstream school leaders, and the Parent Carer Forum (Pcf).

In these sessions, we shared our neighbourhood forecasting model and the target numbers for our new Support and Specialist bases. These workshops reviewed the baseline data framework and draft plan. Future engagement will be used to agree this plan which will then be ratified within the steering groups and wider partnership at the corporate board.

Starting autumn 2026, we are co-designing service level agreements, admission criteria, and design standards with partners to ensure shared ownership and excellence. To incorporate lived experience, the local authority will hold workshops with the Pcf and school leaders through winter 2026. These sessions will co-design operational routines, transparent admissions processes, and environmental standards, establishing local provisions as high-quality, affordable alternatives to the independent sector. Following initial engagement with schools and partners throughout 2026, settings and locations for specific proposals will be formalised in early 2027. These developments will be prioritised and phased in alignment with our year-on-year delivery targets, with the first support bases opening in 2027 and the first specialist bases under this new framework opening from 2028 onwards

Our capital strategy supports this by repurposing underused spaces within existing mainstream provision, creating high-quality inclusion bases that provide children with specialist support within their own neighbourhood, thereby reinforcing our commitment to inclusive learning and long-term financial sustainability.

Moving forward, our strategy will transition to a longer-term trajectory by implementing a flexible commissioning model. Including possible two-year Service Level Agreements (SLAs) designed to be reviewed and adjusted based on evolving student numbers and specific needs. This ensures we can scale capacity up or down in a dynamic way to manage oversupply, with the ability to be responsive as mainstream demand fluctuates. This will enable flexibility including the incorporation of bulges when needed and to factor in longer term the impact of further falling rolls and the impact of the successful roll out of experts at hand.

Despite declining mainstream pupil demand across the borough (primary -12%, secondary -6% from 2021–2025), demand for Education Health Care Plans (EHCPs) is projected to grow by almost 19% by 2032. Currently, nearly 24% of the borough's EHCP cohort is educated out-of-borough, contributing to an unsustainable £20.5m cost for independent settings in 2024/25. To address this, we need to move away from the current limited model of mainstream, additional resource provisions in some schools and settings to a nuanced and interconnected area based model offering local support with a continuum of need for children. By utilising an expanded and robust range of ‘middle’ provision, we will ensure local placements, reduce travel distances, and significantly lower our reliance on expensive, out of borough, independent settings.

To ensure equitable geographic support and embedded early intervention, we are establishing support bases across all four neighbourhoods in our area-based model, aiming for approximately 530 places overall. We will work through steering groups to connect with all schools (including federations and trusts) on requirements and ask for expressions of interest.We will prioritise commissioning these bases in schools and settings with both a strong track record of SEND delivery and inclusion, as well as a desire to offer this early. These pilots will be used to inform other expansion. Individual base sizes will remain flexible to adapt to specific school environments and student profiles, working on an updated planning assumption of between 16 and 24 pupils per inclusion base.

Our goal is to expand the current accessibility strategy, utilising additional capital funding to enhance inclusivity across a broader range of schools. This initiative will be aligned with emerging neighbourhood plans and ongoing SEND reforms. Key actions will continue the

comprehensive review of the school estate and targeted physical adaptations to foster a more accessible and inclusive environment. We will explore the deployment of assistive technology through the neighbourhood steering groups.

Concurrently, building on strong local practice, we are expanding specialist base capacity by 186 new places to ensure mainstream settings are inclusive by default, identifying partner settings with a demonstrated history of inclusion. This includes targeted social communication bases, an early years complex needs unit, a secondary Semh provision, and a central primary Hearing Impairment base designed to eliminate long journeys to other settings for vulnerable pupils. Working in partnership with secondary schools around their inclusion bases, we will collaborate to re-align provision, and map out pathways from primary ARPs to ensure sufficient secondary capacity and onto post-16.

Our plan also identifies a clear local requirement for 120 additional all-phase social communication special school places. Rather than commissioning entirely new infrastructure, in accordance with the reforms,we will collaborate with our existing special schools, who have a strong track record, to consider how we could best evolve or realign our provision in accordance with wider SEN reforms. This review will allow us to consider how we optimise existing spaces, ensuring special school provision is strategically positioned to focus specialist resources on the most complex social communication and high-dependency needs. To maintain a balanced provision during any strategic expansion or necessary reprovisioning, additional specialist bases may be required. This works in alignment with our broader goal of supporting lower-complexity cohorts locally within our expanded mainstream inclusion bases. Concurrently, Ickburgh Special School is being expanded by 48 all-phase Asd places to deliver committed local capacity.

Post-16 Strategic Expansion & Partnership Model: To address the overrepresentation of young people with EHCPs in the Neet cohort, our strategy establishes a vital, localised "middle ground" in our post-16 landscape. To ensure seamless transition pathways for students graduating from our secondary bases, building on best practice, we are planning to expand local capacity by establishing a 48-place Specialist Hub alongside a 32-place Support Base by 2029. Recognising that further education institutions operate as independent corporations, this proposed provision will need to be agreed and engaged and delivered in formal partnership with local schools, settings and colleges. This model moves toward a possibility of multi-year Service Level Agreements (SLAs) with revenue-guaranteed block funding rather than ad-hoc place purchasing. This provides potential providers with the long-term financial security to recruit highly specialised workforces and invest in local Preparation for Adulthood (PfA) infrastructure. Delivery remains strictly dependent on physical space and site feasibility across our local campus estate; consequently, this framework will be continuously reviewed, adapted, and updated in close partnership with providers to ensure long-term sustainability. Alternative Provision (AP) & Inclusion: We are implementing a 3-tier AP model, through the Hackney Education Alternative Learning Service (Heals) which will include a close partnership with our PRU, New Regents College, as well as local authority run Heals Hub, to provide short-term, targeted support that facilitates reintegration into mainstream settings. Supported by the proactive deployment of targeted 'experts at hand', we anticipate a systematic decrease in overall AP numbers. Concurrently, a structured reintegration framework will be established to transition children safely back into borough provisions at key educational milestones as our local specialist capacity comes online, driving down our reliance on the independent sector.

In contrast to the general trend of declining school rolls, the Charedi Jewish birth rate in the north of the borough is rising. Currently, the majority of these pupils are enrolled in independent faith schools. As part of our broader education strategy, we are collaborating with the community to investigate new provision models, including a transition pathway to Voluntary Aided (Va) status. Several Charedi independent schools have already expressed interest, and we anticipate that two will transition to Va status within the next three years. This shift will create new opportunities for specialist maintained provision specifically tailored to the Charedi Jewish community.

To deliver these spaces cost-effectively, we will utilise the significant surplus capacity in school buildings created by falling mainstream rolls. We have already initiated engagement with schools via locality steering groups to collectively identify where to set up new inclusion bases. Furthermore, we are strengthening collaboration with MATs and identifying Specialist Hubs within our localities to serve as "Beacons of Excellence". Crucially, we will revise the admission criteria for Support Bases and Special Schools, enforcing transparent criteria strictly aligned with our local Graduated Response. Ultimately, these localised inclusion bases act as an immediate travel mitigation measure, projected to achieve substantial reductions in daily travel distances and directly alleviate the Hacm overspend currently straining our travel assistance service.

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.

Strengthening Parent and Carer Co-production

Hackney Education and the Integrated Care Board (Icb) have funded a host provider for the past 3 years. A further year of support for the Parent Carer Forum (Pcf) has been agreed with an additional year available, if deemed necessary. This resourcing is in place to enable the Pcf to act as an independent strategic partner in SEND reform design and governance. Engagement includes:

• Strategic Integration: Pcf chair and vice chair sit on the SEND & AP Partnership Board and work directly with Health partners and the

Preparation for Adulthood (PfA) working group to help shape local strategy. The Pcf are key partners in the Partnerships for inclusion of Neurodiversity In Schools (Pins) programme.

• Direct Communication: Monthly strategic meetings between Pcf, Head of SEND, and Icb lead ensure rapid issue resolution. We are

committed to strengthening SEND Information, Advice, and Guidance Service (Sendiags) to support the early resolution of queries and ensure families clearly understand the pathways and support their children are entitled to.

• Collaborative Events: Co-hosted workshops driven by forum topics refine the Local Offer and the Pcf have an active role in our

annual Preparing for Adulthood event.

• Wider Parent/Carer Engagement: This will be achieved through an annual parent/carer survey, a formal co-production charter, and

planned engagement milestones as detailed in the year 1 roadmap.

Empowering Cyp voice

We ensure the distinct voice of children and young people (Cyp) drives service improvements through:

• Distinct Data: Separate feedback channels including our annual lived experience survey for Cyp ensure child-led perspectives are

analysed independently.

• Targeted Panels: The iNDEPth Panel (neurodivergent experts by experience) co-designs information and support major events like PfA

Live.

• Participation Groups: Termly SEND Pupil Forums for secondary and Fe students focus on representation and access to role models.

The Deaf Youth Council empowers pupils to advocate for themselves, exemplified by student-developed "Sharp" teacher prompt cards.

• System Influence: Cyp have already acted as paid "Systems Influencers" for health service design, strategic surveys, and participate

in recruitment panels for CAMHS projects to vet service providers.

Engagement with Education and System Partners

The partnership works across the 0-25 system, providing collaborative oversight of transitions through:

• Thematic Analysis: Our independent Sendiags provides feedback and analysis of complaints and identifies systemic gaps to drive

workforce development and ensure consistent quality standards for families, regardless of whether their child attends a local or out-of-borough setting.

• Impartiality: Operating from a separate venue with an independent database, Sendiags provides unbiased advice on rights and

mediation, which is communicated verbally and in writing by staff. This builds trust by emphasising parental choice and control during dispute resolution.

• Quality Assurance: All partners will utilise the "4 Cornerstones of Co-production" to align priorities and improve outcomes.
• Integration: Strategic Multi-Agency Planning (Smap) meetings will translate data into milestones that will be communicated

borough-wide.

• Cross-Borough Synergy: Formally communicate via Neighbourhood Steering Groups to ensure that Multi-Academy Trusts (MATs),

maintained school and setting leaders, and Integrated Care Board (Icb) partners remain mutually accountable for the Borough-Wide Universal Offer Agreement.

Communicating our Plan

Our Local Plan monitoring framework uses established escalation pathways alongside standard bulletins and websites as primary communication channels.

• Cyp: Existing panels and forums will update Cyp. We will also use Hackney Education Alternative Learning Service (Heals) infrastructure to reach students in independent placements, elective home education, or school avoidance.
• Education Partners: A settings representative on the SEND Reform Governance Board will update Neighbourhood Steering Groups.
• System Partners: Updates occur via the SEND & AP Partnership Board and monthly meetings between the Pcf, Head of SEND, and Icb leads.
• Parents/Carers: The Pcf chair will communicate directly with families to ensure accessible information for the entire community.

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.

statutory intervention remains the only route to support for this sector. Additionally, risk of non-compliance with the Public Sector Equality Duty (Psed) and further erosion of trust within a significant local community.

Impact: Critical

Possible Rapid deployment of additional local

Head of School Mainstream Workforce Capacity and Implementation Burnout: The delayed release of national "Experts at Hand" (Eah) guidance, combined with the new Isp mandate and heightened inclusion standards, leaves mainstream SENCos and teachers overwhelmed and without sufficient specialised support.

guidance and support: Timely deployment of Improvement Significant burnout LITs to begin supporting settings and and Education among school staff, fast-tracked development of the Common Performance leading to a failure to Language Toolkit (Right Support, Right Time) to embed inclusive reduce administrative "friction" and clarify classroom practices, expectations.

which would result in increased requests for EHCPs and an erosion of trust with mainstream partners, and between schools and families as the

to recall. LITs and programme

Align Eah recruitment with funding

team, stalling the confirmation: To mitigate the initial DfE recall overall reform.

risk, we will initiate recruitment processes (job descriptions and advertising) during the review period, with formal contracts of employment only being issued upon confirmation of the funding status. This ensures no loss of momentum in Year 1.

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 To deliver our plan, Hackney is aligning its SEND Reform Plan with major national, regional, and corporate transformations. Managing these interdependencies effectively is critical to unlocking our targeted outcomes.

• NHS North East London (Nel) Icb Restructure
• The Nel Icb restructure is due to be completed by Autumn 2026; with a combination of change and continuity in place and strategic leads working with SEND partners.
• The commitment to work in partnership across the SEND system and deliver statutory responsibilities remains an Icb priority.
• There are named leads within the City and Hackney Neighbourhood Delivery team; a Head of SEND for Inner Nel, and clear accountability and escalation routes through the Director for Inner Nel, Sro for SEND (Director of Outer Nel) and the Chief Strategic Commissioning Officer who is the Executive Lead for SEND.
• The new structure will balance the importance of close working with the Hackney SEND Partnership with optimising the opportunities to commission strategically across Nel, to support equity and consistency of high quality needs based offers to all families.
• National Curriculum and Assessment Review
• Our strategic targets to reduce permanent exclusions by 27.1% and lower EHCP escalation by 7.8% depend on national accountability

metrics shifting away from rigid academic outcomes toward inclusive performance measures. If the national framework remains unchanged, mainstream settings will face continued systemic pressure to exclude or rely on statutory safety nets.

• We are launching our local Common Language Toolkit early to build inclusive capacity in schools, bridging the gap ahead of the

statutory 2028 national rollout.

• Social Care and Family Hubs Alignment
• The success of early identification relies on seamless integration with wider Children’s Social Care reforms and the Best Start Family Hubs network. This collective infrastructure must serve as a localised gateway for multi-agency intervention.
• By utilising Family Hubs as physical delivery points for our LITs, we will streamline access to early specialist advice. This builds parental confidence and equips the frontline workforce to identify and assist children with additional needs before statutory escalation is required.
• Corporate Transformation
• Our financial sustainability goals are intertwined with Hackney's wider corporate transformation programme and medium term financial

sustainability plan. To ensure long-term sustainability, we must wrap administrative, legal, and operational reform around how we govern high-cost SEND spending and statutory workflows.

• Corporate investment has been secured to restructure multi-agency panels and build the Strategic Outcomes Dashboard. This internal

alignment provides the necessary administrative grip to improve our strategic use of data, streamline decision-making, and reduce unnecessary systemic friction.

• Our corporate transformation programme also includes further innovation in SaLT, wrap around multiagency Ey support and work in

universal settings to ensure the right support at the right time.

Section 3 – Monitoring and Evaluation

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

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

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

measure the impact on outcomes.

Some Local Area Partnerships hold data in a central SEND operational dashboard. This is used by teams on

a weekly basis to identify trends in demand or inform conversations with local school or setting leaders.

In some Local Area Partnerships, a view of the Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) is reviewed monthly by a

SEND Board to take decisions on prioritisation, resourcing and delivery of services informed by regular data.

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.

Hackney is well-positioned to integrate the top-level monitoring of our SEND Reform Plan into existing tracking mechanisms for the SEND and Inclusion Strategy and our post-inspection action plans but this will be underpinned by a bespoke set of escalation routes and success metrics. We are currently operationalising a system-wide Outcomes Dashboard to capture partnership level progress against qualitative and quantitative success measures for both existing action plans, so the metrics detailed in this plan and the supporting ‘success metrics and measures’ document will sit within this central framework. Through rigorous recording of both qualitative and quantitative insights, the SEND and AP Partnership Board and the SEND and AP Executive Board (as detailed in the ‘Governance’ section), will be empowered by transparent, cross-partnership data to challenge us on the delivery of this plan and take strategic, evidence-based decisions on the future direction of travel. Our success metrics are a combination of measures required as part of the DfE quarterly returns, in addition to qualitative measures gathered through a combination of surveys and feedback loops, and some additional service-level data, so will all be gathered as part of the business as usual delivery of the programme. The SEND Reform Governance Board will act as the middle bridge between programme delivery and monitoring and evaluation, using its representative membership (detailed in the ‘governance’ section), to determine where workstream-level issues require escalation to the partnership board for consideration and review, and the partnership board will in turn determine where escalation to the Executive board is warranted. The programme board will maintain constant attunement to ‘on the ground’ delivery issues as they emerge, through the following membership channels. The Experts at Hand service lead will directly escalate issues surfaced at the Senior Lead Lit Neighbourhood Meetings, the Pcf chair will directly escalate concerns from families outside of planned engagement and feedback loops, and the settings representative will directly feedback concerns surfaced at neighbourhood steering groups. However, all areas of the partnership, including children and young people, will also have the option to escalate concerns directly to the partnership board through established participation channels. The setting-level data dashboard will enable SMAPs to monitor and respond accordingly as it will have real-time access to school-level data,

including caseloads, attendance, suspensions, and transition information. Our Smap meetings will provide a school-level mechanism for delivering the SEND Reform programme. It will enable analysis of a school's SEND profile and inclusion data, identifying unmet need and barriers to attainment, attendance and belonging, evaluate the effectiveness of the school's Universal Offer, determine whether pupils are receiving the Right Support at the Right Time and deploy support from the Lit where required. Through the use of data it will inform school inclusion strategies and School Development Plans and identify workforce development priorities. In addition, our Experts at Hand Impact Dashboard will enable tracking the outcomes for children receiving "Experts at Hand" support, monitoring how many pupils eventually require a formal EHCP. Collectively, our approach will ensure different boards, essential to the local and strategic governance of our approach, receive regular real-time data relevant to their specific oversight duties, allowing us to take a truly iterative approach to delivering our plan. This layered approach is designed to allow proactive monitoring of progress against success measures and identify early any slippage in targets and accountability to authorise and trigger any necessary adjustments via our central programme management function.

• 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.

See email attachment.

Section 4 – Governance

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

Please outline the governance structures in place to oversee delivery. Clearly set out who is responsible for overseeing reform

delivery, what each governance group or individual is accountable for, and how these arrangements ensure progress is

monitored and decisions are made transparently. Please identify where the named Sro for the Local SEND Reform Plan sits

within the governance structure and ensure your response incorporates the core minimum requirements.

children and young people Head of Integrated SEND are identified and with SEND in Hackney (Sro) escalated.

Chair of Hackney Ensuring all local

Responsibilities:

Independent Parent, Carers partners are working Responsible for setting the Forum towards creating strategic priorities across the Icb representative inclusive settings.

SEND and AP Strategy.

Cabinet Member for SEND/ Monitoring the Providing oversight for the SEND Champion effectiveness of the Sendap Partnership Board Group Director, Children and preparedness of Education adulthood pathways.

Director, Education and Provide assurances Inclusion of the effectiveness Head of Integrated of joint Commissioning commissioning Director, Children’s Social arrangements Care relating to SEND Head of SEND and AP.

Education Property and Monitor and agree Development Advisor the expansion of Adult Social Care SEND and AP representative places across the Director, Integrated local area.

Commissioning Assistant Director, School Estates Assistant Director, Early Years, Early Help and Wellbeing

Purpose:

Chair: Director of Education Bi-monthly

Operational

Escalation to SEND

SEND and AP

Shaping the shared vision and Inclusion Supported by

Decisions:

Exec Board issues,

Partnership Board

and strategic direction of

Members:

outcomes from Refer finance challenges and SEND provision in Hackney, Head of Integrated SEND Neighbourhood decisions to Schools blockages that through setting priorities, (Sro) Steering Group Forum cannot be influencing member Health designates and Icb meetings addressed through organisations to achieve the SROs this partnership agreed outcomes. The board Multi-Academy Trust strategic provides oversight of delegates partners' strategic work.

Mainstream School Leaders Ey & Childcare strategic

Responsibilities:

leads Responsible for providing a Further Education (Fe) and critical friend function to Post-16 Providers Hackney’s education, health Special School & Alternative and care partnership.

Provision (AP) Headteachers Providing strategic oversight, Parent Carer Forum (Pcf) evidence-based challenge, Children & Young People’s and support to ensure the Voice best possible outcomes for Best Start Family Hubs children and young people strategic representatives with SEND.

Responsibilities:

Lead, Service Accountant, workstreams, Responsible for monitoring Icb Head of SEND approval of Escalates the Reform Programme, Coordination, Parent Carer adaptations based system-wide risks and dependencies, Forum chair/ delegate, and an on ‘test and refine’

"Universal Offer" or success measures/ KPIs, Advisory outputs, approval of significant ensuring milestones are met, Headteacher/Schools risk escalation and co-production managing the Representative, Education management.

disputes to the "invest-to-save" budget property representative Sendap realignment, and completing Final sign-off on the Partnership Board.

quarterly reporting to the In Attendance: Programme "Engagement DfE.

Coordinator, Data/Technical Roadmap," ensuring Lead, and Service consistent Accountable for overseeing Coordinator as required.

co-production and the sequencing and planning engagement is of all engagement embedded across all workstreams.

milestones and ensuring effective communication across the partnership.

If you have a diagram to show the relationship between these governance mechanisms, please upload this here.

***Insert Document Upload Link***

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

Annex B - Supporting Documents

Annex C – Risk Matrix