Stoke-on-Trent Local SEND Reform Plan 2026

Stoke-on-Trent Local Area SEND Partnership

Reform Plan 2026

Annex A: Local SEND Reform Plan

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

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

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

Name of Local Authority: Stoke-on-Trent City Council

Name of Integrated Care Board: NHS Shropshire, Telford and Wrekin Icb and NHS Staffordshire and Stoke-on Trent Icb

Local SEND Reform Plan Sro: Wendy Fairman (Interim Director of Education)

Signatories

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

Our partnership is on a clear and sustained improvement journey to build a more inclusive, confident and financially sustainable system. We have already moved into a stage of purposeful system improvement, and we are beginning to see the impact of this work in outcomes for children and young people and stabilisation of our high needs deficit.

Our reform plan starts with strengthening the ability of every education setting to meet the needs of children and young people but stretches beyond the gates of the education setting into universal services across health and social care, through parallel programmes including Best Start in Life and Families First Partnership.

We are strengthening inclusion across mainstream and alternative provisions so that more children and young people achieve and thrive in their local communities. The proportion of children with EHCPs educated in mainstream settings has increased significantly, statutory processes are timelier, and schools report growing confidence through Fair Access Protocols. The number of children facing exclusions and suspensions in the city has reduced and we have a strong approach to the use, and assurance, of alternative provision. We have a well-established and clearly articulated ‘mainstream first’ approach that underpins our strategic and operational decision making. Six new mainstream supported inclusion bases have launched in the past year (102 places), and a further 6 are in the immediate pipeline, meanwhile there are early examples of children successfully moving from independent specialist placements back into local provision.

We do coproduction with parents and carers differently in Stoke-on-Trent. Through a well-established Parent Carer Forum, PEGiS and extensive community-based engagement, families are routinely involved in strategic decision-making, service design and quality assurance. Trust and relationships have improved, and parents tell us their voices are influencing change through the visibility of senior leaders at community lounges and events such as

Pegis in the Park. We feel passionately about working with the same energy to embed the voice of children and young people more consistently across the system and make feedback loops clearer and more visible.

We have already developed a locality model that will underpin reforms described in this plan. We are delivering our model in partnership with Whole Education through investment from the local authority. Through their ‘evaluate my school’ tool we will be able to track the impact of our reforms across key areas of the SEND system. Our next phase of reform focuses on the emerging Experts at Hand model, so specialist expertise is used to build system-wide capacity at an earlier point rather than to inform the statutory process. We will monitor the impact through settings self-evaluations, and via quantitative measures such as EHC assessment requests and transitions from mainstream settings into specialist and independent provisions.

Financial sustainability is a central driver of our reform. We have demonstrated an increased grip on our high needs’ deficit in the past year, reducing our forecast deficit position by £4.2m in 2025/26. We are taking a strategic approach to place planning and capital investment, with a mainstream-first ambition and significant expansion of local provision. Despite this our deficit is high and forecast to grow further, as we remain under pressure from high demand, diagnostic pathways and reliance on independent specialist provision. We have a robust approach to financial forecasting, with strong local governance, but strengthening our use of data to link spend, demand, outcomes and value for money is a priority for the next stage of our journey.

Over the next three years, we will raise aspirations, build system confidence and see more children and young people with SEND achieve better outcomes within a financially sustainable system. We will evidence progress through a clear trajectory of improvement, including increasing the proportion of Cyp with EHCPs in mainstream to above the national average, a reduction in Ehcna requests, a decrease in independent placements, and a measurable improvement in average unit cost and high needs deficit trajectory.

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

1. Every child thriving and achieving - Improve outcomes for children and young people with SEND

Children and young people with SEND achieve well in their local communities by strengthening universal and targeted support and reducing reliance on statutory pathways. Success will be demonstrated through improved attendance, reduced exclusions and suspensions.

We will

• Increase the proportion of Cyp with EHCPs educated in mainstream settings to above the national average by 2029

• Reduce the number / proportion of pupils in independent specialist placements (Isp) to below the national average

• Reduce the number of SEND learners who are Neet – to in line with statistical neighbours

• Increase access to specialist support pre-statutory with a growth in the number of Cyp supported by Ot, Slt and Ep without an EHC plan.

• Slow the growth in new Ehcna requests by 2%

• Bring attainment in line with statistical neighbours

Families and young people will experience a system that listens, responds and acts. Success will be evidenced through improved lived-experience feedback, reduced complaints and escalation, visible “you said, together we did” feedback loops:

2. Increase confidence of parents, carers and young people in the system

• By 2028–29, we will reduce the rate of tribunal appeals per 10,000 EHCP population by 1%

• Develop a baseline of parental confidence in the system and deliver yearly improvements measured through widespread surveys and engagement

• Pupil belonging: more children will feel a strong sense of belonging in school. Progress will be monitored through local surveys. By 2029, we will expect all local schools to monitor and share children’s sense of belonging and engagement.

3. Secure financial sustainability and value for money

Deliver a clear trajectory toward financial sustainability through improved place sufficiency, consistent thresholds, and reduced avoidable demand.

• Stabilise High Needs expenditure, moving toward a balanced in-year position by 2030.

We will also use the Local Area Maturity Assessment Matrix as an ongoing tool to monitor the change in the local area readiness.

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.

Tribunal and appeal rate – 2.4%

The number / proportion of pupils in independent specialist placements (Isp) – Reduced as sufficiency of local provision grows including support bases

Capacity of the specialist workforce – see data template for indicative baseline assessment

High Needs Block in-year deficit position – Stabilised, approaching a balanced in year position by 2030.

Proportion of referrals to health services that are inappropriate i.e. they do not meet the service criteria or have insufficient information on first submission­ baseline data to be established through year 1

Average unit cost of SEND provision – Reduced as less reliant on Isp

Tribunal and appeal rate – Reduced to 1.9% as parental confidence grows.

Capacity and reach of the specialist workforce – increased, including more children support pre-statutory

Proportion of referrals to health services that are inappropriate i.e. they do not meet the service criteria or have insufficient information on first submission - Reduction

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

Document 3.1 SEND Reform Theory of Change.pptx

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 partnership will deliver its reform through a clear, system wide theory of change that shifts the model from reactive, fragmented and high-cost provision to early, inclusive and locally delivered support. This is grounded in our Local Partnership Maturity Assessment, which identifies strengthening inclusion, partnership accountability and system integration as key priorities.

Our strategy focuses on building capacity at the earliest point of need. Through the rollout of the SEND Communities locality model and the Experts at Hand (Eah) offer, specialist expertise (Ep, SaLT, Ot and specialist teachers) will be deployed to coach and support mainstream settings, enabling timely intervention and reducing reliance on statutory assessment. By investing in a locality-based Experts at Hand accessed via specialist community SENCOs, Local Inclusion Standards and increased local provision, we will build mainstream capacity earlier, reducing reliance on statutory processes and high-cost placements, leading to improved outcomes and financial sustainability.

We will underpin this targeted and targeted plus support through embedding of Local Inclusion Standards across all settings, supported by whole system self-evaluation, communities of practice and a strengthened SENCO workforce. This will create a shared understanding of inclusive practice and reduce variation across the system.

Partnership maturity will be strengthened through integrated governance, co production and shared accountability, ensuring education, health and care partners jointly commission and deliver services, informed by lived experience and robust data.

A set of enabling conditions—capital investment in local provision, a single digital front door, improved data intelligence and dedicated programme management—will provide the infrastructure for sustained change.

Together, these reforms will deliver a financially sustainable system where more children and young people are supported successfully in their local communities, outcomes improve, and confidence in the SEND system is restored

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

Document 4.1 The Local Partnership Maturity Assessment Tool.xlsx

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.

covering early years, KS2–KS3, post 16 and post 18, with agreed actions embedded across education and health systems.

Bespoke Local Inclusion Standards for KS2–KS3 transition will be co­ produced with schools and Mental Health in Schools Teams and actively used to strengthen continuity, early identification and inclusive practice at transition.

Formal transition agreements will be developed between Year 11 and Year 12 providers, including a SEND September Guarantee and a Year 13 progression guarantee.

including attendance, suspensions, EHC needs assessment request rates and placement patterns, to confirm that stronger self-evaluation is translating into better experiences and outcomes for children and young people.

Learning from the transitions review will be embedded into pathways, guidance and workforce practice, improving continuity and outcomes for children and young people

A coherent post-16 SEND pathway will be established, supported by the Stoke Future e-prospectus and a single application process, enabling young people to explore and apply for appropriate education, training and employment routes from Year 9 onwards. Progress will be measured through take-up and completion of transition planning, uptake of the single application process, destination data for learners with SEND, and the proportion of young people progressing into suitable further study, supported internships, apprenticeships, traineeships, employment or other agreed preparation for adulthood pathways.

Clear pathways into further study and occupational routes will be embedded across post-16 provision, improving progression, independence and preparation for adulthood. These pathways will be measured through destination tracking at Year 12, Year 13 and post-18, reduction in Neet among young people with SEND, sustained participation in education, employment or training, and improved progression into

partnership governance arrangements.

Local Inclusion Standards will be reviewed and refreshed based on impact, learning, emerging need and feedback from children, young people, families and education providers.

Post-16 and post-18 pathways will be routinely monitored through destination and participation data, including sustained progression into further study, employment, supported internships, apprenticeships and other preparation for adulthood outcomes, with action taken where cohorts or providers show weaker outcomes.

qualifications, supported employment, apprenticeships and other meaningful adulthood outcomes.

Access to specialist support and

• The Experts at Hand model will be
• The Experts at Hand model will
• The system will demonstrate a

local placements: mobilised across localities, with demonstrate sustained impact sustained shift towards early

navigator roles in place, a clear through improved timeliness, intervention and needs-led support,

locality operating rhythm and reduced escalation and clearer with significantly reduced reliance on

quarterly reporting on reach, demand routes to support for families and independent specialist provision and

and impact. settings. greater use of local mainstream,

• Dedicated school facing SaLT, Ot,
• A clearly defined early years Experts inclusion base and targeted

Ep and Specialist Teacher capacity at Hand/ SEND offer will be specialist pathways. Impact will be

will be live and delivered to an embedded through Best Start Family measured through triangulation of

agreed model aligned to locality Hubs, supporting early identification, demand, delivery, outcome and

need and inclusion priorities. inclusive practice and workforce experience data, including reduced

• Early years and post 16/post 18 development across Pvi and Ehcna request rates, reduced use

offers will be developed within the maintained settings. of independent specialist

Experts at Hand model to ensure

• Community SENCOs will be placements, increased access to

support spans the full 0–25 system embedded to ensue strong specialist advice without an EHCP,

and reduces escalation at transition knowledge of the Local Offer. improved timeliness and reach of the

points.

• Specialist outreach from special Eaho, and stronger evidence that

needs are being met earlier within local provision.

schools will be aligned to Experts at Hand delivery, supporting the

The capital delivery pipeline will bring planned new specialist and

enhanced provision places on development and sustainability of

• Local provision and workforce

stream from September 2026 inclusion bases and strengthening confidence will support children and

developments, increasing local mainstream confidence to meet young people to thrive within their

capacity and reducing reliance on more complex needs. communities wherever possible. This

out of area placements.

• Sufficiency delivery will continue at will be evidenced through improved

placement stability, fewer children educated outside the city, reduced travel demand, stronger attendance for children and young people with SEND, and improved feedback from settings and families on access to support and confidence in local

pace, reducing reliance on independent placements and building confidence in local and mainstream capacity. Universal and targeted SEND pathways will be strengthened so needs are met earlier and escalation is reduced,

Work will accelerate to clarify and strengthen the Alternative Provision continuum, ensuring it is aligned to inclusion principles, sufficiency planning and early intervention pathways.

aligned to Local Inclusion Standards. pathways.

• Our AP continuum of provision will
• Our AP continuum of provision will

be developed including a new KS3/4 be refined and embedded as part of

Challenging Mental Health Cohort a coherent inclusive pathway. Its

04/27 within a registered AP. impact will be measured through

• All medical/additional health needs reduced use of inappropriate or

AP will be supported by a multi­ prolonged alternative provision,

agency taskforce from health, social improved reintegration to

wider reform priorities, ensuring that new specialist, resourced and post 16 places are delivered in a way that supports inclusive practice and long­ term sustainability.

Reviewed SEND Governance Structures ensuring robust accountability and support mechanisms are in place across the partnership.

A SEND specific Joint Strategic Needs Assessment (JSNA) will be developed to bring together fragmented intelligence across education, health and social care.

A shared, outcomes-based performance framework will be established to link need, provision and impact across the system.

A partnership wide SEND data dashboard will be built to support governance, prioritisation and risk­ based decision making.

Programme and delivery roles will be fully in place, with clear accountability for coordination, assurance and benefits realisation.

A strengthened digital front door will support consistent access to Local Inclusion Standards, guidance and resources for education settings, families and partners.

Sustainable funding arrangements for Experts at Hand will be agreed through a joint commissioning approach with the LA and Icb, enabling ongoing workforce development, capacity building and equitable access across early years, schools and post 16 settings. We will use a section75 partnership framework to deliver this at pace.

gaps in need type or geography, while maximising the use of the existing school and Fe estate and reducing reliance on independent provision.

The SEND dashboard and outcomes framework will be routinely used by partnership boards to guide prioritisation, commissioning and investment decisions.

The Stoke Future post 16 e prospectus and single application process will provide a coherent, accessible digital route for young people to explore and apply for post 16 and post 18 pathways, improving navigation and transparency.

Strong links between data, commissioning and sufficiency planning will ensure intelligence consistently informs resource allocation.

Icb Slt Advanced Practitioner role embedded within the local area partnership

assurance arrangements, reducing reliance on time limited programme structures.

Digital solutions will increasingly support smoother transitions, consistent information flow between phases and clearer handovers between children’s and adult services.

Planning for future capital bids and estate development will be informed by robust sufficiency modelling, transition data and the emerging SEND specific JSNA.

Icb Slt Advanced Practitioner role embedded within the local area partnership

Recruit to Icb Slt Advanced Practitioner role

Success measures

Continued use of the core proxy indicators, kept under review through the partnership dashboard and outcomes framework to test sustained impact, value for money and whether reform is delivering improved outcomes and confidence across the system.

Continued use of the core proxy indicators, kept under review through the partnership dashboard and outcomes framework to test sustained impact, value for money and whether reform is delivering improved outcomes and confidence across the system.

These indicators will be monitored throughout 2026/27 to 2028/29 and kept under review through the partnership’s outcomes framework. They will be used alongside the wider measures referenced throughout this plan to assess progress, triangulate impact and refine delivery over time.

Drawing on metrics from the accompanying data template

EHC Needs Assessment (Ehcna) request rate

Tracks early intervention vs escalation

Direct proxy for whether Eah and inclusion are working

Initial reduction or stabilisation in Ehcna request growth

% of EHCPs in mainstream settings

Primary indicator of inclusion

The largest challenge facing the SEND system in SoT.

Number / proportion of pupils in independent specialist placements (Isp)

• Key financial pressure driver
• Strong proxy for sufficiency failure

High Needs Block in-year deficit / net position

• Demonstrates sustainability

Unit cost per child (by placement type or overall)

Shows efficiency of system

Links inclusion strategy to financial outcomes

Access to specialist support pre-statutory

Increase number of children and young people supported by Education Psychologists/Salt/Ot in maintained provision:

Improve overall effectiveness of provision:

Improve attendance of pupils in all maintained schools (mainstream and special) with SEN:

Reduction in the number of Cyp with SEND who are Neet:

Document 5.1 Experts at Hand Outline.docx

Document 5.2 Eah Infographic.png

Document 5.3 Sufficiency Statement.docx

Document 5.4 SEND Communities Operating Model.docx

Document 5.5 SEND Communities Local Support Model.png

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.

2026-27 Local delivery plan Q2 Q3 Q4

Workstream outline – mapped to building block

Responsible lead per workstream –

Milestones per workstream

Target trajectory per workstream

Milestones per workstream

Target trajectory per workstream

Milestones per workstream

Target trajectory per workstream

Outcome - what you want to achieve with this workstream

accountable for the delivery of the workstream and the identified outcome.

What key milestones will enable you achieve your targeted trajectory

Where do you expect your data to be?

What key milestones will enable you achieve your targeted trajectory

Where do you expect your data to be?

What key milestones will enable you achieve your targeted trajectory

Where do you expect your data to be?

Success measures – how you measure progress drawing on metrics from the accompanying data template

WS1: Early Support and Experts at hand

Designated Clinical Officer Workshops held with Mpft (provider trust) for Slt and Ot to confirm

Recruitment to 2x Community SENCO roles is completed.

Recruitment of band 4/5/6 roles for SaLT and Ot completed.

Ehcna requests stabilised at or close to Q1 baseline while the model mobilises

Ehcna requests remain stable overall, with early signs of reduced escalation in cohorts

Ehcna requests show early reduction in key pressure points, particularly where

Building block(s):

Citywide Eaho soft launch with single

School facing SaLT, Ot, Ep and

Strengthening inclusion Jd/Ps for Eah New EHC plans front door and or settings Specialist Teacher earlier identification across education roles. remain broadly access to Eps and accessing the capacity is and intervention are settings. Ep, SaLT, Ot and stable, reflecting Advisory teachers. Experts at Hand operational. strongest, including

Access to specialist Specialist Teaching managed statutory Fully traded Eps and offer most Best Start Inclusion the 0-5 pathway. support and local capacity is mapped demand during advisory teaching consistently. Practitioners will be New EHC plans placements. and aligned to the transition offer ends and Eaho New EHC plans operational across all remain broadly Desired outcomes: Experts at Hand Transitions from begins. remain broadly eight Family Hubs stable at year end.

model, with clear roles and delivery expectations. Internal restructure requirements understood and commenced.

providing a consistent early year’s interface.

mainstream to special school remain broadly stable

stable, with any change expected to lag behind earlier shifts in help­ seeking and access to support.

Recruitment of band 8/7 roles for SaLT and Ot completed

Transitions from mainstream to special school reduce compared with Q3, indicating that more needs are being met through strengthened support. focussing on band material shift special school begin Inclusion Bases. mainstream and

Outcomes for children and young people improve through earlier identification and intervention.

Mainstream settings have clearly defined access route to specialist

Special School outreach offer is launched as part of Eaho – focussing on delivery of

Agile approach to delivery launched – weekly review to iterate the model.

Transitions from mainstream to Isp remain broadly stable, with no

Transitions from mainstream to

Recruitment begins

• Families can access the 8/7 roles for Slt expected until local to stabilise slightly, targeted support.

right support at the right and Ot. pathways and with early evidence Transitions from time in the right place. Joint meeting held support offers are that some needs are mainstream to Isp

operational.

being supported through strengthened local

with neighbouring LAs with post16 provisions from

reduce compared with Q3, reflecting increased

Number of new EHC across the region. professionals pathways. confidence in local plans issued.

Number of transitions from mainstream settings to special school.

Number of transitions from mainstream school to Isp

Total planned LA and Icb spend on professionals

Success measures

Total planned LA and Icb spend on

• Requests for an Ehcna

increases in line with recruitment, mobilisation and redeployment to the Experts at Hand model.

Transitions from mainstream to Isp begin to reduce following September transitions and the soft launch of clearer local access routes to specialist support.

pathways and earlier access to specialist input.

Engagement meeting held with Isp and Spi settings.

Total planned LA and Icb spend on professionals remains increased, with greater reach into pre-statutory

Workshops held with special schools to confirm scope of outreach offer – building on initial

Total planned LA and Icb spend on professionals remains increased.

support and a clearer shift toward earlier intervention.

proposal to focus on support for Inclusion Bases.

Pilot of SEND presence at/in Integrated Front Door (Ffpp) begins.

First cohort of Best Start Inclusion Practitioners to be recruited and trained.

Eaho engagement plan enacted with all settings – workshops and briefings held with settings 0-19

Coproduction workshops on local inclusion standards carried out.

Local Inclusion standards are launched citywide.

SEND Communities launched in North, South East and South West Localities (includes new governance, and Communities of Practice).

Moves to exclude remain broadly stable while inclusion standards and partnership responses embed.

Moves to exclude remain broadly stable overall, with early signs of improved practice in engaged settings.

with earlier in the year.

System leadership, local partnership collaboration and co-production

Moves to exclude reduced by Q4.

SEND Communities relaunched in Central locality (includes new governance, and Communities of Practice)

Desired outcomes:

Draft local inclusion standards developed.

Attendance for children with SEND and EHCP improved by year end.

A shared approach to inclusive practice and culture is developed and tested in 2026/27, strengthening workforce confidence, embedding SEND awareness across services and improving everyday experiences for children and young people.

The partnership uses integrated data to align spend with impact, ensuring resources are targeted where they deliver the greatest benefit and support a sustainable High Needs trajectory.

Attendance for children with SEND and EHCP remains broadly stable in Q2.

Attendance for children with SEND and EHCP begins to stabilise more consistently.

Local Area Inclusion Data Dashboard indicators agreed.

Rollout of self­ evaluation through Ems and impactful action planning rolled out across remaining communities.

Neet levels begin to reduce or stabilise more positively by year end.

Re-commissioning of local area mediation and dispute resolution service begins.

A co production approach is agreed to develop an Belonging toolkit, involving education settings, social care, health partners, families and children and young people.

Neet trends broadly stable, with transition and participation pathways beginning to strengthen.

Neet risk is better identified and managed through stronger transition planning.

Initial work begins with post 16 providers to develop more formal transition pathways, including testing approaches to Year 11–12 transition planning.

Coproduced review of Sendiass Delivery model completed with Pcf – focus on earlier support aligned to Ffp.

All settings in central community complete self­ evaluation through Ems and begin impactful action planning.

Coproduction training programme is developed and launched.

Bespoke Local Inclusion Standards for KS2–KS3 transition are co­ produced and trialled within pilot/settings, with initial in one community.

Success measure:

Number of all Cyp with SEN in local area not in education

Number of moves to exclude for all children including those with SEN

Attendance of children with SEND and EHCP.

Number of children and young people Neet

A refreshed Cyp Participation Plan is finalised, including actions to widen representation from underrepresented groups such as children with sensory impairments, physical disabilities and Eal.

Whole Education digital platform goes live for Central community.

Cyp Participation Event held with Kids to relaunch participation approach and Coproduction toolkit.

Recommissioned mediation service is mobilised, with a clear focus on early resolution, collaboration and learning from themes arising.

Testing single application process for post16 provisions

Coproduction pledge is developed and launched.

Launch single application process for post16 provisions.

Minimum curriculum entitlement in AP launched.

Steering group established to deliver coproduction of belonging strategy and toolkit.

Icb Slt Advanced Practitioner Role – in post

Engagement across the Icb cluster to begin recruitment to the Icb Slt Advanced Practitioner Role – giving due consideration to national guidance

Do you see me campaign launch – multi agency approach to support long term absent

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.

We will deliver through strengthened programme capacity, clear accountability and enhanced system capability across data, workforce and culture.

Programme management and delivery capacity will be established through a dedicated transformation function working alongside the LA Programme Management Office (Pmo). This will include a Local Area SEND Transformation Lead to oversee delivery and benefits realisation; an Early Intervention and Inclusion Lead to drive implementation of the Experts at Hand model; a re-purposed SEND Partnership Manager to coordinate multi-agency delivery and governance. Together, these roles will provide grip through structured programme governance, risk management and alignment to partnership priorities, addressing current capacity gaps identified in our maturity assessment.

We will strengthen data and analytics capacity by developing a partnership-wide SEND dashboard and outcomes framework, linking demand, spend, provision and impact. This will be supported by improved data integration across education, health and care, enabling timely performance reporting and informed commissioning decisions. We have an internal data transformation programme to support the delivery of improved recording, reporting and analytics.

Through Experts at Hand and communities of practice, we will build capability across mainstream settings, ensuring specialist expertise is used to coach and upskill the wider workforce, improving early identification and reducing escalation to statutory processes.

Finally, we will drive cultural change across the partnership, embedding shared accountability, co-production and a ‘mainstream-first’ approach. This will be reinforced through leadership behaviours, the Belonging Strategy and consistent Local Inclusion Standards.

Together, these actions ensure the partnership has the capacity, capability and infrastructure required to deliver sustainable SEND reform at pace, creating a direct causal pathway from investment in early support to reduced demand for statutory plans and high-cost placements

8. Other funding Local Authorities.

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

For 2026–27, we have agreed a 0.5% transfer from the Schools Block to the High Needs Block, equivalent to £1.3m, following consultation with schools and agreement at Schools Forum. This transfer is a targeted and proportionate measure to support delivery aligned to the activities set out in this reform plan, particularly our focus on inclusion, local capacity building and reduced reliance on high-cost independent provision.

The block transfer will be used to support two core strands of reform activity:

1. Scaling inclusive, locality-based delivery models

Funding will support the rollout of the SEND Cluster Model beyond the Central Locality. This model strengthens mainstream schools’ ability to meet a wider range of needs through shared responsibility, peer support and earlier intervention, reducing escalation to EHCPs and specialist placements. This directly aligns with our Ordinarily Available Provision and inclusion workstreams.

2. Expanding inclusion bases and resourced provision in mainstream schools

The transfer will provide revenue support to enable the creation of additional resourced provision and SEND units in mainstream settings, complementing the capital programme. This will increase local capacity for children with complex but manageable needs, particularly where inclusion bases are the most appropriate form of provision. As new places come online, funding will follow the child within the local system rather than to external providers.

Together, these uses support the core reform outcomes by:

• Increasing the proportion of children with EHCPs supported in mainstream settings.

• Ensuring funding is redirected back into Stoke-on-Trent schools and settings.

• Reducing growth in independent specialist provision through cost avoidance.

• Supporting a sustainable trajectory for the High Needs Block while improving outcomes.

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.

Document 5.3 Sufficiency Statement.docx

Document 8.1 AP Continuum Infographic.png

Document 8.2 SEND Provision Pipeline.png

Capital investment is being used deliberately to shift the system away from overreliance on specialist and independent provision and towards strong, mainstream first, locally accessible inclusive provision across the full 0–25 age range.

Inclusion at the core of our sufficiency strategy

We are expanding specialist inclusion bases (enhanced and resourced provision) as the primary mechanism for meeting growing need for children with Communication and Interaction, Speech, Language and Communication Needs and Semh – 102 places created in 205/26 and a further 64 already identified for 2026/27. Our ambition is for each locality to have a balanced mix of primary resourced provision and a secondary inclusion base, with a longer-term goal for every secondary school to host a base supporting transition and inclusion. This enables children to access specialist input while remaining part of their local mainstream community, strengthening outcomes and reducing escalation. In year 1 we will have a secondary supported inclusion base in each of the four localities.

We have an agreed capital pipeline delivering significant growth in resourced provision between 2026 and 2030, including new and expanded inclusion bases in mainstream primary and secondary schools across central, north and south localities. We are working proactively with multi­ academy trusts through joint sufficiency planning to identify suitable sites, maximise existing estate capacity and co-design inclusion bases – this has initially focussed on working with MATs experiencing falling school rolls to look at strategic planning around SEND, Early Years and Wraparound provision.

Our place-planning strategy prioritises local provision close to home, reducing both travel distances and home-to-school transport costs. Expanding mainstream inclusion bases and specialist satellite provision enables children to remain within their communities and supports stronger parental confidence in the local offer.

Reducing travel and keeping children local

Improving the suitability of the mainstream estate

Capital funding is already being used to improve the inclusivity and accessibility of mainstream environments through Inclusive Environment Grants, including sensory rooms, adaptable teaching spaces and therapy-ready accommodation. This will be rolled out citywide as rt of our plan.

Specialist provision – targeted and justified growth

While inclusion is our default, we are also investing capital in specialist provision where need cannot be met elsewhere. Capacity assessments show some special schools are operating beyond physical capacity due to the complexity of need. We have existing developments in progress to expand special schools (creating additional capacity (Watermill Portland, Manor Abbey), creating satellite provision and developing a three-tier specialist model (outreach, satellites and hubs). We do not have plans to expand specialist provision further in pre-16.

We will review the suitability of our specialist provision in year 1 to ensure the suitability of their environments to meet the needs of an increasingly complex cohort of children and young people – to sustain the current level of places, whilst delivering excellent outcomes, not to increase numbers further.

Together, these investments ensure capital funding demonstrably delivers inclusive capacity, equitable access, reduced travel and improved mainstream environments for children and young people with SEND in Stoke-on-Trent. This investment will reduce reliance on independent placements in line with our best-case scenario forecasting and ensure that at least 41% of EHC need can be met within local mainstream provision.

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.

Document 9.1 SEND Reform Stakeholder Engagement Plan.docx

We recognise that a system which works for children and families must be designed with them, not for them and have a well-established approach to coproduction evidenced in our maturity assessment. Parents and carers are seen as genuine partners in Stoke-on-Trent, and we will continue to work hard to embed the principles of asset-based community development to ensure that we coproduce solutions with communities and give power back where appropriate.

We will continue our coproduction of a partnership-wide universal offer agreement with schools, MATs, early years settings and post-16 providers, underpinned by up-to-date needs-based data and signed off by the local authority, Icb, Mat and school representatives and our Parent Carer Forum. We will brand this as our Local Inclusion Standards to align with national standards when they are released.

We have already piloted a locality model in the city, and we will take the learning from this to roll out a revised SEND Communities approach, bringing together schools within their localities to make decisions around the commissioning of support to meet their needs. Alongside this we will establish Communities of Practice bringing together SENCOs, headteachers and Mat SEND leads on a termly basis to share practice, identify emerging pressures and co-design responses.

Schools and settings will have an increased formal representation on our Local Area Partnership Board.

We recognise that many young people with SEND access further education in settings outside our local area. We will work with neighbouring local area partnerships and with Fe representatives to ensure that our Experts at Hand Offer and broader support arrangements extend to out-of-area settings attended by our young people.

Our Parent Carer Forum is a well-established consortia arrangement including several parent groups.

The voice of children and young people will be captured directly and distinctly from parent voice through our Cyp participation plan with clear evidence of how their views influence decisions. We will adopt the Nhse minimum co-production benchmark and self-assess against it in year one.

We have well established mechanisms for service leaders to engage with parents through initiatives such as our monthly SEND Community Lounge. We will look to expand these opportunities, when parents feel comfortable to do so, into each of the 4 areas of the city to ensure all parents can access them

Our Sendiass service provides valued impartial information and guidance to parents and carers – and continues to see increasing demand. We are cognisant of minimum Sendiass service standards, and we will review the delivery model against these in year 1, with an ambition to pivot the approach to supporting more families through earlier intervention and greater alignment with Best Start Family Hubs and Families First Partnership Family Help teams. We have no evidence of local parental concerns about the perceived independence of Sendiass.

Our local mediation arrangements have been reviewed and are considered to be inconsistent. We will recommission services to align to our vision of the future system, building in metrics for timeliness, resolution rates and effectiveness.

Impact will be measured through annual parent confidence surveys, reduction in complaints and tribunal rates, and increased participation of Cyp in decision-making forums. We will reduce tribunal rates by 1% over three years and have regular surveys with parents to understand their lived experience of accessing the local area partnership.

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.

Data quality or availability limits the ability to evidence progress, demonstrate impact, and inform decision-making

3 3 9 Development of partnership data dashboard to be prioritised, investment in partnership intelligence lead. 6

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

Our Local SEND Reform Plan sits within a complex landscape of national and local reform. We have identified the following key dependencies and set out how we will manage them.

NHS reforms: The restructuring of Integrated Care Boards and the development of Neighbourhood Health Services will directly affect the commissioning and delivery of health services for children and young people with SEND. We are mitigating this through early and sustained engagement with our Icb partners, ensuring that SEND is embedded within NHS planning at Place level. Our joint governance arrangements and the requirement for Icb Chief Executive sign-off on this plan provide a structural mechanism for maintaining alignment through transition.

Local Government Reorganisation: Whilst our plan focusses on addressing the opportunities we have now, design has been future proofed through engagement with neighbouring authorities and an understanding of their proposed operating models to align wherever possible. Shared Icb footprints have supported this endeavour. Whilst Lgr represents an opportunity for the city to redefine our local offer, our sufficiency planning will need to adapt to the changing needs of a potentially larger population of children and more dispersed geography of settings.

Reforms to Children’s Social Care: The development of Multi-disciplinary Family Help Teams and the broader reforms to children’s social care will intersect with our SEND system, particularly for children with complex needs who are known to both services. We will ensure alignment between our SEND reform plan and our family help implementation, with shared governance where appropriate. We are exploring the role of SEND as part of our

new integrated front door through the families first partnership

Best Start in Life, including Family Hubs: Our Local SEND Reform Plan is aligned with our Best Start local plan. Both sit within the government’s ambition to improve child development and health outcomes. Our Best Start Family Hubs will include children and family services professionals specifically trained in supporting inclusion for children with additional needs, and the Experts at Hand Offer will be designed to integrate with Family Hub provision, particularly for early years identification and intervention through Best Start Inclusion Practitioners.

Curriculum and Assessment Review: The outcomes of the Curriculum and Assessment Review may affect how schools identify and respond to SEND needs within the universal offer. We will ensure that our universal offer agreement with schools is reviewed and refreshed in light of any changes to curriculum expectations, and that our Experts at Hand Offer is responsive to evolving practice requirements. We are working with schools through the local Futures Forum to look at innovative approaches to curriculum development and vocational pathways that will engage SEND learners in meaningful education leading to employment opportunities in the city.

Managing across dependencies: Our named Sro will be responsible for tracking cross-cutting dependencies and reporting to the Partnership Board on any risks to delivery. We have built flexibility into our year 1 delivery plan to allow for adjustment as national guidance is published, including the Experts at Hand Guidance, inclusion bases guidance, and Local Inclusion Partnership Grant methodology, all expected in Spring 2026.

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.

We will develop a Local Area SEND and Inclusion Dashboard that will inform our risk and governance frameworks. The dashboard will be linked to our Pots of Positivity outcomes framework, coproduced with children and young people. In the meantime, we will use the following monitoring tools and processes:

• Live, daily operational statutory dashboard through PowerBi monitored to review the demand on statutory EHC processes. This data feeds from our case management system. • Develop bespoke reporting • Monthly financial forecasting and reporting through our High Needs Board, including updates to the Data Template

Alongside the key 6 success metrics identified in this document, we will:

• We will monitor EHCP requests, conversion rates, timeliness of statutory processes, tribunal activity and diagnostic pathway demand. This will allow us to understand pressure points, predict future need and assess whether earlier intervention is reducing escalation. • We will monitor attendance, suspensions and exclusions, placement stability, educational progress and post-16 destinations for children and young people with SEND. Service quality will be monitored through parental satisfaction, Sendiass themes, complaints, tribunal trends and audit findings.

Tracking service delivery:

• We will track capacity and deployment across the system, including therapy input, Experts at Hand activity, specialist and resourced mainstream places creative AP usage and transitions support. This will be used to assess whether services are being delivered as planned and aligned to need.

Feedback and adaptation:

• Progress will be reviewed routinely through the SEND Board and Delivery Groups, using data alongside lived-experience intelligence. Co-production forums, SEND Community Lounges, PEGiS feedback, youth participation activity and frontline audits will provide qualitative insight. • We are adopting a “you said, together we did” feedback loop to support transparency and enable us to adapt delivery where impact is not yet strong enough. This will be shared through the Local Offer. • We will trial the use of a ‘your 60second say’ service using voice notes and WhatsApp to gather parental feedback on thematic priorities. • We will use the Mind of My Own App to gather Yp voice

• We are commissioning a joint piece of work with Keele University and the Ymca to survey and engage directly with 300 children and young people with SEND • We will use our Local Offer website • We will use SEND Community Lounges to gather parental voice

The SEND Reform Sro holds overall accountability for delivery, benefits realisation and risk management, supported by the SEND Delivery Group and reporting to the SEND & Inclusion Partnership Board.

Together, this approach ensures we maintain grip on delivery while remaining responsive to children, young people and families.

13.Reporting to DfE

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

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

Document 13.1 SEND Reform Plan Data Template.xlsx

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.

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

Section 5 – Central Government Support

15.How can we help you? Please outline any practical support you need from central government to implement your plan effectively.

This may include:

• Access to specialist expertise or advisory support

• Help with workforce development or recruitment challenges

• Tools or templates to support data collection, reporting, or evaluation

• Facilitation of peer learning or regional collaboration

• Support with system-level coordination across education, health, and care

• Guidance on navigating regulatory or policy barriers

We would welcome the following practical support from central government to strengthen our delivery.

• Support with workforce development, particularly for Educational Psychologists and Speech and Language Therapists. The national shortage of these specialists is a significant constraint on our ability to deliver the Experts at Hand Offer at scale and to reduce assessment waiting times. We would value access to regional workforce planning support and any national recruitment initiatives. • Guidance on the use of AI-enabled tools within statutory SEND processes. This would support wider sector confidence and reduce barriers to adoption. • The continuation of regional peer networks through the Riia. • Tools or templates to support consistent data collection and reporting to avoid duplication and enable regional and national benchmarking, particularly for the quarterly data returns. Standardised dashboards and benchmarking tools would reduce the burden on local teams and support more meaningful comparison across areas. • Support with system-level coordination across education, health and care, particularly where Icb restructuring or NHS reforms create uncertainty about commissioning responsibilities and governance arrangements for SEND. • DfE capacity to promptly, but safely, process significant change applications to enable rapid deployment of new Specialist Inclusion bases where they have been identified at a local level. National standards around Inclusion bases would allow Las to deploy these quickly with reduced risk and increased parental confidence. • A national communications campaign, that can be tailored locally, to ensure that the benefits of a mainstream first system are shared with all stakeholders across the partnership, building parental confidence in the benefits of a mainstream education.