Bristol Local SEND Reform Plan 2026

Bristol City Council Local SEND Reform Plan

Executive Summary

Local context

Improving equity in education and employment is central to Bristol’s Corporate Strategy, supported by strong political, executive and partnership commitment to improving outcomes for children and young people with SEND.

Our SEND and Inclusion Strategy 2024–2028 was co-produced through the voices of children, families, practitioners and partners across the city. It is backed by robust multi-agency governance through the SEND Executive Board, alongside strong collaboration with schools, trusts and partners.

However, demand continues to rise in line with national trends, with around 15,000 children and young people identified with SEND, increasing year on year. Families tell us they want earlier support, more inclusive mainstream provision and smoother pathways to help. Attendance, exclusion and post-16 outcomes also remain concerns for some of our most vulnerable children and young people.

Over the next three years, we will strengthen our 0–25 system through earlier intervention, a consistent graduated approach and a strong Experts at Hand offer. We will maintain a focus on children and young people facing the greatest barriers to inclusion.

More inclusive settings

Confidence in reform and readiness of the system

Our Inclusive Learning Service (Ils) supports schools to embed Bristol’s graduated approach and strengthen universal provision. Eleven SENCO clusters bring schools together to share practice and build collective responsibility for inclusion.

Bristol Parent Carer Forum represents over 4,000 families and is an equal partner in decision-making, quality assurance and service development. Youth voice is embedded through the Listening Partnership.

Over the next three years, children, families and schools will have confidence in high-quality responsive local provision, measured through surveys, stronger engagement and evidence that families feel heard and involved in the decisions that affect them.

Within three years, every school will have a strong inclusion plan, supported by Ils, SENCO clusters and Experts at Hand, enabling more children to receive high-quality support locally and reducing out-of-area specialist placements.

Success will be measured by improved attendance, lower suspensions, stronger transitions, more EHCP pupils in mainstream/ local provision, and feedback and vulnerability indicators including severe absence, elective home education and children missing education.

Financial sustainability

Bristol has taken significant steps to stabilise finances through the Safety Valve programme, including £53.1m to create 569 specialist places, £2m of investments in the Ils and Ep services, and the Bringing Children Back project, supporting 34 children locally and saving £1.6m.

Workforce capability

By 2029, we aim to achieve an in-year balanced high needs budget through early intervention, expanded local provision and less reliance on independent placements, with more children supported locally, timely support for families, and improved outcomes alongside financial sustainability.

Bristol has strong foundations, including experienced SENCOs, high-performing special schools and increasing investment in early intervention. Through the Early Intervention Fund and support from Icb partners, we are strengthening early identification and targeted support.

Our ambition is a proactive, needs-led system where schools can access timely specialist advice and intervention before needs escalate.

Success will be demonstrated by more children thriving in their settings, greater confidence among schools and families, and reduced reliance on independent specialist placements.

What the local area partnership is trying to achieve?

Section 1: Vision and Goals

Our vision is that every child and young person with SEND learns, belongs and thrives in their local community, attending settings that are ready for them.

This is underpinned by a golden thread linking national reform, the four building blocks and Bristol’s SEND and Inclusion Strategy 2024–2028.

Schools ready for children in their community

Outcomes for children and young people

We want schools and settings across Bristol to be inclusive by default, with the capability to meet need early. This means consistent use of the graduated approach and strong partnership working with families and services to deliver support at the right time. Success will be seen through improved Ofsted inclusion outcomes and more children and young people with SEND educated in mainstream schools.

We want stronger outcomes, with ambitious and well- supported transitions into adulthood. This includes improved attendance, reduced suspensions, better attainment and positive post-16 destinations, alongside feedback on confidence, inclusion and feeling supported.

Financial sustainability and value for money

By 2029, we aim to reduce the in-year high needs deficit through early intervention, expanded local provision and less reliance on independent placements, with more children supported locally, timely support for families, and improved outcomes alongside financial sustainability.

Confidence of parents, carers and young people

Children, young people and families will feel understood, safe and confident in local provision. We will measure this through annual surveys, clearing the Ehcna backlog by early 2027, a sustained reduction in EHCP demand, and feedback showing parents and carers feel listened to and valued.

Local blueprint for the next three years

Section 2: Strategy

cross-referenced the local priorities and any other relevant local strategies and programmes, such as our Capital Programme, our Ehcna Improvement Plan and participation in the Safety Valve Programme (now, Transformation programme), with the four building blocks.

We have set out our local blueprint for the next three years aligned to the four national building blocks of SEND reform. As described above, we see national SEND Reform as building on our existing SEND and Inclusion Strategy 2024-28. Within our local strategy, we (the local area partnership, parents and carers, children and young people) have articulated six priorities. These six priorities have dedicated action plans in place. The actions are detailed in our SEND and AP Delivery Plan, which is overseen by our SEND and AP Executive and Delivery Boards. In the first column, we have therefore

We have also mapped our progress against the core minimum requirements, including outlining our plans for addressing any gaps within Annex A. The below blueprint should also be read in conjunction with Annex B which is a full overview of Bristol’s Experts at Hand offer.

Strengthening inclusion across education settings

Access to specialist support and local placements

Organising places and provision to meet as many needs as possible, as close to home as possible, with all settings and providers moving towards a shared understanding and consistent practices around inclusion.

Improving collaboration between settings and deploying expertise from a range of specialist and expert sources, to support schools and settings to meet the needs of children and young people earlier and locally.

System leadership, local partnership collaboration and co-production

Encouraging inclusive culture & behaviours

Using funding and shared accountability towards a system that works for children and families while achieving value for money.

Putting in place the enabling conditions across a local area that ensures planning and provision reflects the local area & is joined up, including strategic co-production with parent carers and children and young people.

Strengthening inclusion across education settings

Local blueprint for the next 3 years Where we are Where we will be in the next 3 years

Strengthening inclusion across education settings:

Where we are now: As a local area partnership, Bristol has invested in the infrastructure required to support schools and settings to be more inclusive. However, the symptoms of non-inclusive practice are still prevalent in the city, such as higher rates of suspensions and lower rates of attendance for children with SEND, as well as increasing demand in 2025 for placement in out-of-city Inmss and/or unregistered Alternative Provision.

Vision: All schools and settings will have in place high quality inclusion plans/strategies, which will fully embed the local graduated approach. This will be supported by the Inclusive Learning Service, SENCO Clusters, a mature Experts at Hand offer and a defined and funded equitable universal offer in Early Years and Post-16. Schools and settings will be able to avail of targeted support with options for pooled funding generated by a cluster-level needs and data led approach to identify support gaps.

Link to local SEND Reform Priority 4: Inclusive educational provision Priority 5: Preparing for the future Bristol SEND Education Capital Programme 2024-2030 Bringing Children and young people back to Bristol strategy

Enablers SEND Capital Education Programme Local Authority workforce development and investment

What is working well: A model of inclusion and what constitutes ordinarily available provision in place: City-wide Graduated Response Guidance 24-28 has been developed and co-produced with schools, settings, parents and carers and has been communicated across schools and settings. This has provided a standardized blueprint for inclusive practice across all levels of support (from universal to specialist) phases and types of setting. A service designed to drive inclusion: £1m investment made in an Inclusive Learning Service (Ils)- a team of SEND specialists- who, over the past two terms, has visited every school and setting in the city with a view to supporting all settings to adopt the Graduated Response above and to share best practice. Going forward, Ils will work in partnership with the Eah offer to support all settings at the universal and targeted levels. Significant investment in specialist places: The Council has committed to invest £53.1m in 569 new

How will Eah model underpin vision: The Eah offer will be fundamental to the realization of inclusion across education settings by supporting all settings at targeted plus level. Delivered through locality-based teams (Ep, Salt, Ot, Bristol Autism Team, Family Navigators and Specialist Outreach) working within clusters it will provide:

group-based and whole-school support

targeted interventions at scale

Implementation support through coaching, supervision and modelling

specialist places by 2030 based on existing and forecast geographical need across the city. 84 of these places have now been built with the rest coming online before 2030. The aim of Bristol’s capital strategy is to ensure that children and young people who need specialist support are able to access this close to home and in Bristol. This dovetails with the Bringing children and young people back to Bristol strategy which has supported 34 children in 2025 move back to Bristol from out of city Inmss. Early Years inclusion evaluation: In the Early Years, the Universal Inclusive Quality Practice Framework is being used across all settings to self-evaluate their inclusive practice. The Early Years team is using the outputs of self-evaluation to direct support appropriately. Support with transitions into post-16: To support children with SEND with their transition into adulthood, all schools now attend annual reviews for pupils with EHCPs in Year 9 to better support them into post-16 education, employment and training.

What needs to change: As described above, the framework, investment and infrastructure is in place to support the development of a more inclusive education system. Key to success will be the uniform adoption of inclusive best practice across all schools and settings. This will depend on continuing to strengthen relationships and secure commonality of inclusion policies with all settings across a mixed economy (including several large academy trusts with their own inclusion strategies). Ensuring that there are adequate specialist/AP resource bases in place across the three Bristol localities to cater for emerging need and to drive down reliance on special school placements is also a key priority and funds have been set aside to develop new bases led by schools and trusts working

together.

Status of enablers: Funding: Investment in the Inclusive Learning Service is multi-year and the team will operate as support for all settings at the universal and targeted level. It will also be the front door into the wider Eah offer at targeted plus level. Capital: funds has been invested (much of which is from general funds showing a commitment to local specialist education across the council). The SEND Capital strategy includes 164 places at a new proposed free school, Trym Valley, which has now been approved. We understand national reform drivers around minimizing the development of new special schools. However, the new school will be critical to reducing reliance on out of city placements and costly Inmss. The Council has also worked closely with the incoming trust to ensure that effective specialist outreach into mainstream is a central aspect of the plan and will form part of the emerging Eah offer.

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

Baseline 2025/26 (unless otherwise stated): Ofsted inclusion grades for schools at strong or exceptional standard is 15.4% (2 of 13) Overall Attendance of children with EHCPs in all maintained schools is 83.3% Overall attendance of children on SEN support in all maintained schools is 87.0% Suspensions rate for children with EHCPs is 8.1% Suspensions rate for children with SEN support is 8.3% Numbers of children and young people with SEND in Inmss is 348 Number of children and young people with EHCPs educated in mainstream environments and resource bases is 3336 (90%) 15.14% of young people with EHCPs aged 16-19 who are Neet/not known (2025) % of children with SEND achieving Gld is 25.1%

Target Metrics 2028/29: Ofsted inclusion grades for schools at strong or exceptional standard is 37.9% (i.e. above current national average) Overall Attendance of children with EHCPs in all maintained schools is better than national average Overall attendance of children with SEN support in maintained schools is better than national average Suspensions and exclusions rate for children with SEND is lower than national average Numbers of children and young people with SEND in Inmss is 148 Children and young people with EHCPs educated in mainstream environments and resource bases is 4828 (93%) 13.54% of young people with EHCPs aged 16-19 who are Neet/not known- higher than national average 28.1% of children with SEND achieving Gld (1% rate

% Ofsted Inclusion grades for schools at strong or exceptional standard

Improve attendance of children with EHCPs in all maintained schools (mainstream and special)

Improve attendance of children on SEN support in all maintained schools

Reduce suspension rates for all children and young people with SEND

Reduce reliance on independent special school places

Increase the rate of children and young people with EHCPs educated in mainstream and resource bases

Reduced Neet rates for SEND Yp at age 16-19

Access to specialist support and local placements

Local blueprint for the next 3 years Where we are Where we will be in the next 3 years

Where we are now: Collaboration across settings is improving (as described below) and, generally, support for children and young people with SEND from specialists (Ep, Ot and Salt) is in line with national targets, although children and young people wait too long for diagnostic assessment for autism and Adhd. Also, Ehcna waiting times are still above target- with the backlog expected to be cleared by early 2027. And too many children and young people with SEND are reaching crisis point before receiving support with, on occasion, an over-reliance on unregistered AP.

Vision: A needs-led model of support for all schools and settings, built on early identification and intervention to enable children and young people to thrive in their existing settings and prevent issues escalating. This needs-led model will be in line with an integrated approach across Universal, Targeted and Targeted Plus support, which will encompass both the Ils and the Experts at Hand offer.

Access to specialist support and local placements: Link to local SEND Reform Priority 3: Right help, right time Priority 4: Inclusive educational provision Enablers Experts at Hand offer SENCO workforce development (Clusters) Early Intervention funding Encna Improvement Plan NHS Mental Health Support workforce

What is working well: Experienced and skilled SENCOs collaborating: Facilitated by the Ils, 11 locality clusters of SENCOs have been developed. The clusters are new to Bristol but will play a crucial role in identifying need across the city so that support from specialists within the wider Eah offer can be targeted most effectively at what schools need. SENCOs within Bristol are experienced and highly skilled and the aim will be to leverage their skill-set to develop and communicate best practice through the cluster network. Funding to support early intervention: There is investment from the Council in an Early Intervention Fund for schools and settings who need extra capacity to support children and young people on SEN support to prevent issues escalating to crisis point. Investment in statutory and Ep services: There has been £1m investment in both the statutory SEND and Ep service from corporate funds in order to

How will Eah model underpin vision: Eah will be integral in moving specialist support from only a model of individual referrals to proactive, planned support at scale. This support will enable schools and settings to better identify need across a cohort of children and young people and to intervene with impact. Eah will be a multidisciplinary, local based service, jointly commissioned, funded and delivered by the LA and Icb through a shared model, enabling mainstream 0-25 settings to access specialist expertise to build capacity and meet need early. Delivered through locality-based teams (Ep, Salt, Ot, Family Navigators, Bristol Autism Team plus Specialist Outreach) working within the 11 clusters to:

Provide group-based and whole-school support (not an individual referral route)

Deliver targeted interventions at scale

Support implementation through coaching,

strengthen and speed up the management of the statutory system. This is supported by the Ehcna Improvement Plan, which aims to improve the timeliness and quality of Ehcna processes. Mental health support for schools and settings: NHS Mental Health Support Teams have coverage over 75% of schools and settings in Bristol providing early intervention support for children and young people with anxiety who may not have reached the threshold for CAMHs support yet.

supervision, modelling and direct work alongside staff

Aligned with specialist outreach and Alternative Provision to ensure a consistent 3-tier model and clear pathways between targeted and specialist support

Supporting settings to work effectively with families and improve engagement and system navigation with parents/carers

What needs to change: Fixing the foundations in timely diagnosis and assessment is critical to the success of SEND reform in Bristol. This is the biggest issue for parents and carers and, with demand for EHCPs not expected to tail off until 2028, will be critical to realizing the aims of reform.

Status of enablers: Funding: Multi-year investment has been made in both the workforce (Ep and SEND service investment) and through specific funding streams to support both early intervention (Early Intervention Funding) and timely diagnosis and assessment (Ehcna Improvement Plan). Therapeutic capacity: constraints across the Icb however present a risk to the ongoing assessment and diagnosis demands across the city but also the realization of the overall Eah offer.

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

Baseline: Numbers of children and young people with SEND in Inmss is 348 Number of children and young people with EHCPs educated in mainstream environments and resource bases is 3336 (90%) Mainstream schools and settings access to specialist support through Eah offer is 0FTE per cluster

Target Metrics: Numbers of children and young people with SEND in Inmss is 148 Number of children and young people with EHCPs educated in mainstream environments and resource bases is 4828 (93%) Mainstream access to specialist support is 3.8FTE per cluster (as per Eah offer)

Reduce reliance on independent special school places

Increase the rate of children and young people with EHCPs educated in mainstream and resource bases

Mainstream settings with increased access to specialist support

System leadership, local partnership collaboration and co-production

Local blueprint for the next 3 years Where we are Where we will be in the next 3 years

System leadership, local partnership collaboration and co-production: Link to local SEND Reform Priority 2: Listening to families Priority 6: Feeling safe and included Enablers Senior corporate and political support for SEND reform Mature governance structures and processes Inclusion Power-BI dashboard

Where we are now: Education and equity of provision is fully supported at both a political and corporate senior leadership level across the council. This is evidenced by education being the number one priority within Bristol’s corporate plan. This has already led to significant investment in SEND reform prior to the publication of the White Paper. From this strong senior support, flows excellent co-production, collaboration and system leadership across the education system (described below) which sets Bristol up well for reform and ensures there is a golden thread running through senior buy in to strategy to delivery.

Vision: There will continue to be a dual corporate, political and strategic focus and investment on the SEND system- fixing the foundations whilst driving reform in order to deliver an inclusive education system that works for all children and young people.

What is working well: Strong co-production with parents and carers built on excellent relationships: The Parent Carer Forum (representing over 4000 families in Bristol) is an equal strategic partner within the SEND system, with sustainable funding in place, embedded across decision-making, delivery and review alongside all system partners, and operating as genuine colleagues. Strong governance and partnership infrastructure: The SEND and AP Executive Board provides effective multi-agency oversight across education, health and social care with all phases represented from early years to Post-16. Children and young people are also valued participants via the Listening Partnership (a network for children and young people with SEND) SEND & AP Strategy 2024-28: Overseen by the SEND and AP Executive Board, has laid the foundations for

How will Eah model underpin vision: The Eah model will be central to realising the vision and strengthening inclusive education. The development of the Eah offer will be supported by existing governance structures and the repurposing of existing oversight and delivery groups to support reform. Parent and carer confidence in SEND reform will only increase if the experiences of their children in mainstream settings improves and the Eah offer will be vital to this aim.

national reform. The strategy consists of six priorities, which align with the four building blocks of national SEND reform. Bristol’s SEND delivery board supported by three sub-groups representing all partners across the education system are responsible for Bristol’s SEND and AP delivery plan with actions aligned to six priorities above.

What needs to change: Continue to build Youth Voice opportunities for children and young people: The lived experience of children and young people will be vital to the success of SEND reform. Bristol aims to deepen participation from children and young people being asked to comment on reform (as is the case now) to being active partners in developing services and instigating their own areas of reform research. Pivoting governance structures to support the development of the Eah offer: Governance is strong and plans are being developed about how to utilise existing structures to support the development of the Eah offer, including repurposing one of the three supporting sub-groups. Improve experience for parents and carers: Despite strong relationships with the Pcf, families still experience delays to diagnosis and assessment (particularly Asd and Adhd) and surveys highlight concerns about referral pathways, communication and variable support in schools. There is a need to develop an effective “front door” into the council for all issues and concerns.

Status of enablers: Senior leadership, system partnership and co- production are strengths of the Bristol system. The existing governance structures supporting local SEND reform since 2024 will be pivoted to support further reform, particularly the development of the Experts at Hand offer.

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

Baseline: In 2025/26, the percentage of EHCNAs completed within 20 weeks is below national average Rate of increase in EHCPs in 2026/27 is 14.2% Percentage of children and young people with SEND feeling understood is 69% Percentage of parents and carers feeling like valued partners is 77%

Target Metrics: By end of 2028/29, the percentage of EHCNAs completed within 20 weeks is better than the national average Rate of increase for EHCPs will be 9.6% Percentage of children and young people with SEND feeling understood is 90% plus Percentage of parents and carers feeling like valued partners is 90% plus

Improvement in Ehcna waiting times

Reduced rate of increase in number of ECHCPs year on year

Increased percentage of children and young with SEND people feeling understood (as measured through annual survey response)

Increased percentage of parents and carers feeling like valued partners (as measured through annual survey response)

Encouraging inclusive culture & behaviours

Local blueprint for the next 3 years Where we are Where we will be in the next 3 years

Where we are now: The SEND & AP Strategy 2024-28 and Bristol’s participation in the Safety Valve programme (now, Transformation programme) has provided a solid foundation for moving the system away from a reliance on statutory assessment to access support to one built on inclusion first by design across all schools and settings. This will take time however and will require a dual strategic focus on building inclusion across all settings and managing the statutory system as it currently exists.

Vision: The high needs budget will be approaching an in-year balanced position and funding pressures will be reduced through new specialist places coming online. In terms of value for money, families will see an improvement in the service they receive should they pursue statutory assessment but there will be a slower growth as more and more children and young people receive the support they need in mainstream education.

Encouraging inclusive culture & behaviours: Link to local SEND Reform Safety Valve Programme- now, Transformation Programme Priority 1: Understanding needs Priority 6: Feeling safe and included Ehcna improvement Plan 2025 Enablers Workforce investment Inclusion Power-BI dashboard

What is working well: Improvements to timeliness of diagnosis and assessment progressing: As an objective arising from the Safety Valve agreement, the Ehcna Improvement Plan has been developed with the aim of eliminating the backlogs in assessments by early 2027. The Plan has been built on investment of £1m in the statutory SEND service and £1m in the Ep service- this investment has been focused on reducing backlogs in assessment. This has been further supported by the Icb, which has established a local team of specialist health advisers in order to improve/strengthen identification of needs and to intervene early. Building culture of inclusion across all schools and settings: The Graduated Response, the Inclusive Learning Service and 11 nascent SENCO clusters are in place to support schools and settings in strengthening inclusive culture and behaviours. This already builds on strong relationships with multi-academy trusts through existing governance relationships and will support schools and settings in the development of their own inclusion plans.

How will Eah model underpin vision: The Eah model will aim to provide whole school and setting support at targeted plus level within a wider model of support at universal and targeted provided by the Inclusive Learning Service. This will result in more inclusive mainstream settings capable of supporting more children and young people with SEND. As parent/carer confidence grows in mainstream settings, there will be less demand and reliance on the statutory system.

Early development of Power Bi Inclusion dashboard: It will support the Bristol local education partnership to identify and support schools and settings with implementing inclusive practice. This will be a live dashboard monitoring inclusion data points for SEND children and young people (attendance, suspensions, use of AP, fair access, information from other services etc) as well as other intelligence (such as school inclusion plans) across all schools and settings.

What needs to change: The infrastructure is in place to support a cultural shift towards more inclusive education across all schools and settings. However, in a fragmented school system with many large MATs operating in the region, there needs to be a focus on what this means in practice. There also needs to be a focus on supporting children and young people through crucial transition points, as well as efforts to better identify the inclusion support, practice and behaviours required across the Post-16 landscape. As highlighted above in building block 2, this cultural shift needs to be accompanied by a focus on fixing the foundations of the SEND statutory system, which will also be critical to the delivery of SEND reform. Status of enablers: Workforce capacity has been increased to support statutory services and the Inclusive Learning Service is in place and has been well-received by schools and settings. The Inclusion data dashboard is at an early stage of development. The focus will be on building a model through consultation and co-production through this financial year.

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

Baseline: In 2025/26, the percentage of EHCNAs completed within 20 weeks is below national average Rate of increase in EHCPs in 2025/26 is 14.2% 2025/26 net overspend in Hnb was £29.5m New specialist places (both capital and commissioned) to be created in 2026/27 is 116

Target Metrics: By end of 2028/29, the percentage of EHCNAs completed within 20 weeks is better than the national average Rate of increase in EHCPs in 2028/29 is 9.6% 2028/29 net overspend in Hnb will be £9.9m New specialist places created by 2030 is 569

Improvement in Ehcna waiting times

Reduced rate of increase in ECHCPs year on year

Positive trajectory in High Needs budget moving towards balanced in-year position by 2029/30

Number of new specialist places created to cater for the needs of children and young people with complex SEND in a placement within Bristol

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

We are investing in inclusive mainstream provision, expanding specialist capacity, and strengthening the graduated response so that needs are met earlier and more effectively. Through Inclusive Learning Services, a strengthened Experts at Hand model, and SENCO clusters, specialist expertise will become more accessible, joined up and preventative, increasing the confidence and capability of schools and settings.

Drawing on our established strategy and SEND reform programme, our theory of change is rooted in a shared vision: that every child and young person with SEND learns, belongs and thrives in their local community, attending educational settings that are ready for them.

We are building on strong foundations. The Local Government Association has identified Bristol’s SEND and Inclusion Strategy as best practice, and our Department for Education adviser has recognised it as “an ambitious, clear SEND and Inclusion strategy with wide stakeholder support”. Delivery is underpinned by mature and robust governance, independently chaired, and supported by a strong partnership commitment to continue building momentum on Bristol’s existing strategy and collaborative approach.

We are embedding co-production and shared accountability across the partnership, ensuring that children, young people and families play a central role in shaping services, while partners work collectively to deliver consistent pathways and support.

Our SEND Education Capital Programme will further support this shift, with £53.1 million investment planned to deliver 569 additional specialist places by 2030. Of these, 217 places have already been delivered, with further schemes progressing. Alongside continued investment in statutory services, this will improve access to local provision, as well as the timeliness and quality of assessment and overall family experience.

Two years into delivery, we have completed 61% of our SEND and Alternative Provision Development Plan. This progress reflects both the strength of our shared ambition and our focus on sustained, system-wide reform.

Our approach is centred on creating the conditions for earlier intervention, stronger mainstream inclusion across the 0–25 system, and more integrated decision-making. Alongside improving support for children and young people with SEND, we will maintain a clear focus on those facing the greatest barriers to inclusion.

Through this combined programme of reform, partnership working and investment, children and young people with SEND in Bristol will experience a more inclusive, responsive and sustainable system.

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

Below we have set out high level key milestones for the three financial years aligned to the four building blocks and trajectory on key data points, which reflects the narrative within the local blueprint above. This is supplemented by Annex A, which provides an overview of actions taken or that we propose to take in order to address the core minimum requirements. For Eah, this is further supplemented by Annex B which provides a more detailed overview of Bristol’s proposed Eah offer.

Strengthening inclusion across education settings

resource provision: 30 places Commissioned places in existing resource bases/special schools: 20 places Total: 116

places Broomfield Juniors- expansion of mainstream resource provision- 24 places Briarwood Middle School- expansion of special school- 24 places Commissioned places in existing resource bases/special schools: 24

Total: 48

Total: 306

Inclusion Base consultation: Based on outcomes of Capital survey across Bristol schools and setting Estate, consultation launched with schools and trusts to develop new mainstream resource bases across three Bristol localities.

Inclusion Base delivery: Begin to build/commission new places in new or existing resource bases based on outcome of consultation with schools and trusts.

25% Ofsted Inclusion grades for schools/settings at strong or exceptional standard Numbers of children and young people placed in Inmss is 348

30% Ofsted Inclusion grades for schools/settings at strong or exceptional standard Numbers of children and young people placed in Inmss is 312

38% Ofsted Inclusion grades for schools/settings at strong or exceptional standard Number of children and young people placed in Inmss is 148

Success measures Leading indicators:

% Ofsted Inclusion grades for schools/settings at strong or exceptional standard

Reduce reliance on independent special school places

Access to specialist support and local placements

System leadership, local partnership collaboration and co-production

Encouraging inclusive culture & behaviours

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

We have set out the five key workstreams aligned to the milestones above. For workstream 2, the milestones should be read in conjunction with Annex B which provides a detailed overview of the Eah offer.

Workstream 1: Strengthening inclusion across education settings

2026-27 Local delivery plan Q2 Q3 Q4

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

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

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

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

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

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

Workstream outline – mapped to building block

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

Outcome – what you want to achieve with this workstream

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

Alison Hendy, Head of Inclusive Learning Service (Ils)

Schools and Settings to develop their inclusion plans aligned to graduated response/approach with support from Ils Recruit specific Post- 16 role to support Fe colleges and sixth forms Co-development of Inclusion dashboard concept with schools and settings

100% of schools/settings have developed inclusion plans

Schools and settings to share inclusion plans within their SENCO Clusters to ensure equity and to learn from each other facilitated by Ils Development of Inclusion dashboard

100% of schools/settings have tested their inclusion plans across their Clusters/Hubs

Schools and settings to have in place and start implementing inclusion plans Launch of Inclusion dashboard

100% of schools/settings have operationalised their inclusion plans

Workstream 1: Build inclusion across mainstream schools and settings: Outcome All schools and settings will have inclusion plans in place mapped to local graduated response: Success measure Inclusion plans in place and being implemented across all schools and settings:

Workstream 2: Access to specialist support and local placements

Eah workforce

capacity Begin development of shared inclusion standards and practice frameworks Establish 0–25

Begin phased recruitment and/or alignment of Educational Psychology, Salt, Ot and Bristol Autism Team capacity Establish multidisciplinary teams aligned to clusters Work with special schools to pull together the strategic outreach offer Co-produce initial Parent Navigator function. Recruit key system leadership and enabling roles (Data Lead, Project Manager, Senior Ep, Advanced Practitioner Salt, Cluster SENCo leadership, Post-16 Lead) .

integration (Ey and

Post-16)

Identify Eah capacity (including exception funding) within each cluster based on population/deprivati on/phase data.

Establish link roles into cluster governance.

Launch Early Years and Post-16 Inclusion Hubs with protected capacity

Workstream 3: Strengthening inclusion across mainstream settings

2026-27 Local delivery plan Q2 Q3 Q4

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

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

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

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

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

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

Workstream outline – mapped to building block

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

Outcome – what you want to achieve with this workstream

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

Sandra Roebuck, Bristol SEND Capital Strategy

66 New places at Briarwood South delivered Schools condition survey commences with a focus on further establishing potential resource and inclusion base sites within schools with falling rolls

66 additional children educated in a placement close to home

30 new places at Henbury Court delivered Consultation with schools and trusts on the development of resource bases across three localities. This will be in parallel to schools condition survey.

30 additional children educated in a placement close to home

20 commissioned places completed Schools condition survey completed and plans developed for new resource bases across three localities

Overall, 106 additional children educated in a specialist placement close to home

Workstream 3: Development of more specialist places and resource bases to ensure delivery close to home and out of Inmss: Outcome 105 new specialist school places will come online through a mix of expansions to resource bases and special schools Success measure More children who require specialist support educated in a placement close to home

Workstream 4: Encouraging inclusive culture and behaviours

2026-27 Local delivery plan Q2 Q3 Q4

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

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

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

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

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

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

Workstream outline – mapped to building block

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

Outcome – what you want to achieve with this workstream

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

Dr Helen Cox, Head of Inclusion

Number of EHCPs finalised is consistent with Ehcna improvement plan and the number of children and young people waiting is reducing.

Number of EHCPs finalised is consistent with Ehcna improvement plan and the number of children and young people waiting is reducing. The number of EHCPs meeting 20 weeks is increasing.

Number of EHCPs finalised is consistent with Ehcna improvement plan and the number of children and young people waiting is reducing. The number of EHCPs meeting 20 weeks is increasing.

Ehcna timeliness (20 weeks) is better than national average

Workstream 4: Fixing the foundations of statutory delivery- Ehcna improvement plan: Outcome Backlog in EHCNAs cleared and timeliness to start to be brought into line with 20 week statutory window Success measure Improvement in Ehcna waiting times to statutory time limit

Workstream 5: System leadership, local partnership collaboration and co-production

2026-27 Local delivery plan Q2 Q3 Q4

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

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

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

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

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

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

Workstream outline – mapped to building block

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

Outcome – what you want to achieve with this workstream

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

SEND reform communication plan developed to explain SEND reform to families Development of Youth Voice opportunities. For instance, researchers and ambassadors

Launch of local comms to families Launch of new Youth Voice networks Begin implementation of any changes in effectiveness of co- production arrangements following independent review

Tbc, Senior Programme Manager (recruitment progressing)

Establishment of governance arrangements (above for workstream 2) to support delivery of Eah offer alongside maintenance of existing mature governance structure Work with an independent advisor to provide constructive challenge and insight on the effectiveness of current co- production arrangements, including whether governance is

80% + Parents and carers feel like valued partners 75% + children and young people with SEND feel listened to

Workstream 5: Evolving governance arrangements and enhancing parent, carer and children’s and young people’s voice Outcome Role of Parent Carer Forum enhanced, plans put in place to communicate with hard to reach parents and carers and Youth Voice SEND participation developed Success measure Parents and carers and SEND children and young people confidence in system as measured by annual survey responses

driving improvement in practice and outcomes, and how accountability across all partners can be strengthened in line with Reform Plan. Full adoption of Pcf co-production charter across all service areas Co-development of communication plan around SEND reform for families with focus on reaching hard to reach parents and carers Scoping of enhanced Youth Voice opportunities with existing youth participation groups, including implementing recommendations from the Lost Learning project

Projected Investment Spend

Projected Investment Spend per quarter Q2 Q3 Q4

Inclusive Learning Service workforce: £250,000* SEND Reform and Eah programme delivery workforce- core enabling roles (including senior programme oversight, project management, data and digital): £220,139** Experts at Hand core specialist workforce: £375,616*** Independent advisor on co-production and governance: £15,000

Inclusive Learning Service workforce: £250,000* SEND Reform and Eah programme delivery workforce- core enabling roles: £220,139 Experts at Hand core specialist workforce: £1,000,000

Inclusive Learning Service workforce: £250,000* SEND Reform and Eah programme delivery workforce- core enabling roles, including senior programme oversight: £220,139 Experts at Hand core specialist workforce: £1,000,000 Cluster exception funding for delivery of local cluster/hub Eah priorities: £215,967**** Capital expenditure on new specialist places: £13,080,000***** Expenditure on new commissioned places: £600,000******

Total Spend Q2-Q4= £17,697,000 Q2 total: £860,755 Q3 total: £1,470,139 Q3 total: £15,366,106

Assumptions: *Inclusive Learning Service is a £1 million per annum investment in workforce from general funds- delivery cost is therefore apportioned across three quarters **Programme management function cost made up Eah implementation grant (£466,277) and SEND reform transformation grant from general funds (£194,140). This is apportioned across Q1-Q3 as equal expenditure ***Investment in Experts at Hand core workforce assumption that investment will increase as gaps are identified and filled- made up of Eah delivery grant ****Consistent with Bristol Eah model, funds made available to school locality clusters, Ey and Post 16 Hubs for delivery of local Eah priorities- made up of Eah delivery grant *****Capital expenditure (inclusive of Central Government Hnpca and contribution from General Funds) for all new places over 2026/27 ******£30,000 per commissioned place (from High Needs Block) x 20 places

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

At a local level, the above SEND reform strategy and workplan brings together existing local reform programmes: 1. SEND & AP Delivery Plan and 2. Transformation Programme delivery (formerly Safety Valve) supplemented by a new 3. Experts at Hand offer. Therefore, capacity and resource will encompass coverage of the three programmes, which will collectively form the SEND Reform Programme Management Office. This will include all enabling roles required to deliver the above. The enabling roles will be funded through the Eah implementation grant and the existing SEND reform transformation budget. The roles envisaged for this Pmo included in the table below.

Role Data / System Rationale What the Role Does Where it Sits / Remit

- Develops and maintains inclusion dashboards - Ensures data informs cluster decision- making - Tracks impact and outcomes - Identifies trends, gaps and disparities

Need for robust, shared data to identify need, reduce inequity and move away from referral-led system. Variation across wards and groups highlighted in local data.

Central system role supporting all clusters, Inclusion Hubs and partnership governance

Strategic Data Lead

- Oversees delivery of Eah model - Coordinates partners (LA, Icb, schools) - Manages timelines, risks and dependencies - Supports embedding of new ways of working

Complexity of system change and need for coordinated implementation across education, health and early help systems

Cross-system role overseeing implementation and operational delivery of Eah model

Inclusive System Project Manager

- Leads cluster-level inclusion planning - Chairs or supports Cluster Boards - Aligns school-level practice with Eah delivery - Drives shared practice and collaboration

Need for strong education leadership within clusters and consistent application of inclusion strategies

Cluster-based role linking schools, Ils and Eah delivery; key interface between strategy and practice

Cluster Lead SENCo / Ht

- Provides strategic leadership across Ep function - Oversees quality and consistency of delivery - Supports complex case/system issues - Contributes to system design and evaluation

Requirement for clinical and professional leadership, quality assurance and consistency across Ep practice in system

Cross-cluster leadership role supporting all EPs and wider Eah model

Senior Educational Psychologist

- Leads Slcn practice model - Provides supervision and training -Strategic data/need led overview from health perspective - Supports quality assurance and innovation - Develops evidence-based approaches

Need for advanced clinical leadership in Slcn (highest area of need) and workforce development across system

Works across clusters, supporting Salt workforce and broader system practice

Salt Advanced Practitioner

- Organises meetings and documentation - Coordinates inputs (data, Ils, partners) - Tracks decisions and actions - Supports consistency across clusters - Supports commissioning of exception funding - Manages provider relationships - Tracks spend and impact - Ensures alignment with cluster priorities

Need for consistent governance, coordination and efficient functioning of Cluster Boards and triage processes

Central coordination role supporting all Cluster Boards and governance processes

Cluster Board Project Support Officer

Need to manage exception funding effectively and ensure commissioning is strategic, consistent and value-driven

- Provides strategic oversight of transformation - Aligns Eah with wider SEND reform activity - Ensures delivery against national expectations - Reports to senior governance structures

Scale and complexity of SEND Reform implementation and requirement for senior oversight and alignment with wider reform programme

Senior Programme Manager (Transformation grant)

Senior cross-system leadership role (may be shared across programmes)

- Leads post-16 inclusion planning - Identifies transition pressures and priority needs - Ensures effective deployment of protected capacity - Strengthens pathways into adulthood and inclusive practice in settings

Cross-system role aligned to Cluster Need for clearer coordination of post-16 SEND support, with identified gaps at transition and into adulthood, and increased complexity of need beyond statutory school age Boards and Post-16 Inclusion Hub, attending relevant clusters and linking colleges, sixth forms and Eah delivery Post-16 Inclusion (Transformation grant)

Other funding

Block Transfers:

Capital:

For 2026-27, 0.5% (£1.86m) of the Dedicated Schools Grant was approved by Schools Forum for block transfer to the High Needs Block. This funding is being utilised to support delivery of the Ehcna improvement plan. Delays in EHCNAs and EHCP delivery remain the main concerns of both schools and parents and carers and this funding has been partially utilised through investment in Educational Psychology and SEND statutory services in the delivery of more EHCNAs and EHCPs at pace. This is an essential aim of local system reform and will support Bristol to improve and strengthen the foundations of its statutory system whilst driving reform.

We have set out our SEND Education Capital Programme: Bristol SEND Education Capital Programme 2024–2030 (Annex E) with a plan to deliver 569 new specialist places by 2030. This is a core element of Bristol’s SEND reform strategy and has been co-produced and agreed with all local area partners. This involves capital expenditure of £53.1m, which is made up of funding provided by the DfE and contribution from local authority general funds. The Capital Programme is essential to delivering specialist places for children and young people with the most complex needs close to home. It is aligned to national reform with regard to the creation of more places in Bristol meaning fewer long-distance journeys, fewer placements in Inmss and better access to local support.

In light of the dual aim to push forward with reform, further investment will be made from the block transfer in the Early Intervention Fund: Early Intervention Fund. This fund is for mainstream settings. It is designed to support children and young people with emerging needs to be supported with Ordinarily Available Provision through SEN support. The funding is intended to provide additional support at an early stage to enable children and young people to access mainstream education alongside their peers. The fund is well received by schools and, alongside the work of the Inclusive Learning Service, will be crucial in realising the aims of building block 1 (more inclusive mainstream settings) of SEND reform.

The programme builds on consultation undertaken for the School Organisation Strategy and the SEND & Inclusion Strategy. The schemes are made up of expansions of existing resource bases in mainstream schools, expansion or redevelopment of existing special schools, and the delivery of one new special free school. For the latter two, plans for expanding places in special schools and developing a new special school were informed by a lack of local places for the specific complex needs identified despite exploring options to expand specialist bases, which meant that children and young people were being placed either out of Bristol and/or in expensive Inmss. Further, where special schools are expanded and the new school established, as part of the agreement, we have worked closely with the trusts leading these schools to ensure that they have robust outreach plans in place to support mainstream schools and settings.

Additional to Bristol’s Capital Programme, we will be working with schools and trusts to develop new specialist and AP inclusion bases in mainstream schools across three Bristol localities (North, East Central, and South). Circa £6m of funding from general funds will be available to support the development of new inclusion bases via the 11 Inclusion Cluster Boards (that also encompass Ils and Experts at Hand offers) in order to ensure a needs-led, partnership, locality approach. The intention of the inclusion bases will be to meet the needs of children and young people with SEND in mainstream environments based on the unique and varied characteristics and gaps of the locality itself. For example, we have already identified a gap in Alternative Provision support in South Bristol and consultations/plans are at an early stage for the development of a resource base to support all schools in the locality. Potential locations for new inclusion bases will be informed by our Estate Conditions Survey due to be completed over the 26/27 academic year. Key to the development of new inclusion bases will also be the role of special schools via EaH Specialist Outreach offers in supporting the culture, curriculum, pedagogy and workforce training within new and existing inclusion bases.

System partner and stakeholder engagement, and co-production

• Schools Governors (all phases) session

Bristol is strongly committed to co-production and partnership working. This is evidenced through our robust and mature governance structures built from the experience of developing our SEND and Inclusion Strategy and through participation in the Safety Valve programme. In developing our local SEND Reform Plan, insights have been gathered from system partners through numerous workshops summarised below. As the plan moves into the implementation phase, this engagement will continue at pace. To date, close to 300 stakeholders from across the partnership have engaged in engagement and planning sessions. Overall, stakeholders shared the view that the SEND reform plan should build on existing local strategy and the positive momentum in Bristol. The following sessions have been delivered:

• Headteachers (all phases) session

• Two sessions with school SENCos (all phases)

• Three sessions with Early Managers (one for each Bristol locality)

• Session with Maintained Nursery School Heads

• Two sessions with representatives from Colleges West (representing Colleges serving our area)

• Post-16 SEND roundtable

• Bristol Schools Forum

• One local authority support and challenge session with two neighbouring local authorities

• Keeping Children Safe Board (Local Safeguarding Board)

The above was supplemented by two specific sessions with children and young people: the Listening Partnership (a participation forum for Disabled young people) and the Keeping Bristol Safe Shadow Board (a participation group for young people to inform partnership working on a range of policy and safeguarding issues). Children and young people’s suggestions on inclusion were rooted in their experience of the classroom and will be fed into the insights for the Inclusive Learning Service to take forward with schools and settings and within the Eah offer.

• Two workshops (on Change Story and Experts at Hand offer) with the Local Area SEND Partnership (including Bristol Parent Carer Forum, schools and settings) and key service areas

• Two sessions with Bristol City Council (Bcc) councillors – Leader and Committee Chair session and an All Members session

• Seven workshops with relevant Bcc officers, including one for extended Children and Education Directorate leadership

• Two sessions with young people – West of England Centre for Inclusive Living (Wecil) Listening Partnership and Keeping Bristol Safe Shadow Board

Risks and Mitigations

Risk Impact Likelihood Rag Mitigation Residual Rag

Critical Possible Amber-Red Based on existing strong relationships, early engagement with the Icb and with local authorities within region to establish demand for specialists and the supply available to inform a coherent regional plan which is the best fit for individual local authorities Eah offer. This will be coupled with realistic demand modelling and a phased, system-wide workforce mobilisation approach

Amber-Green: Moderate-unlikely

• Specialist capacity across the Icb

region is already limited and the additionality of the Eah offer across neighbouring local authorities will put capacity under further pressure

Critical Possible Amber-Red Our model is based on the assumption that there will be the continuation of grant funding beyond the initial three-year period and uplifts in line with inflation over time. These assumptions support longer-term stability and planning, enabling the system to invest confidently in workforce and capacity while maintaining flexibility to respond to future demand. The model prioritises demand reduction and financial sustainability through focus on building school capability, preventing escalation and whole system inclusion strategies.

Amber-Green: Moderate- unlikely

• Strategic financial risk and

sustainability risk for the Icb and local authority due to a lack of long-term funding. In particular, the Icb will need to recruit more than 40 new staff across Bristol, North Somerset and South Gloucestershire (Bnssg). Fixed term 3 year contracts would be impractical.

Critical Possible Amber-Red The development of Inclusion Cluster Boards will enable a more planned, equitable and preventative model, where support is coordinated across partners, directed strategically and data informed. System-level decision- making, drawing on cluster-level insight around patterns of need, provision gaps and local sufficiency

Amber-Green: Moderate-unlikely

• Inequity of access - risk that

funding and support will be disproportionately accessed by proactive schools with higher capacity, rather than those with the highest need.

Critical Possible Amber-Red Through the existing strong relationship with the Pcf, ensure that communication about the aims of local SEND reform is done at pace with families with a particular focus on reaching seldom heard parents and carers (often from disadvantaged and minority groups). Communicate where and how better inclusive mainstream practice is having an impact on the outcomes and experience for children and young people with SEND.

Amber-Red: Moderate-Possible

• Parents and carers are not

aligned on the principles of SEND reform and will see local plans as a means of diluting support for their children.

Critical Possible Amber-Red Within year one of implementation, build several opportunities for children and young people with SEND to shape SEND reform and to hold system leaders to account for delivery. This may take the form of new networks of engagement, such as councils, researchers and ambassadors as a part of a wider strategy on Youth Voice.

Green: Marginal- unlikely

• Children and young people with

SEND do not have a say in shaping SEND reform meaning the vital opportunities to improve their lived experience of school is missed

Dependencies

National reform

Regional reform

1. NHS reforms: Icb reorganisation may reduce capacity to provide the specialist support mainstream schools need. The Local Area Partnership is working to mitigate this risk and maintain SEND reform delivery, supported by the Icb’s shift towards strategic commissioning and the prevention and early intervention focus of the Healthier Together 2040 strategy.

1. West of England Combined Authority (Weca) Child Poverty Action Plan: The recently published (February 2026) action plan focusses on alleviating the symptoms and causes of child poverty across the region. Given the strong link between SEND and disadvantage, the action plan complements and supports local SEND reform and presents an opportunity to leverage further support.

2. Best start in Life Strategy: A core aim of Bristol’s Best Start in Life strategy is earlier identification of, and support for, children with additional needs. In line with SEND reform, all early years settings have completed a self-evaluation of inclusive practice, which will inform setting-level support and link to local SEND reform plans.

2. Weca Skills Strategy: The aims of the regional skills strategy aligns well with the aims of SEND reform, particularly its focus on reducing NEETs. As part of this plan, we have specifically referenced improved % of young people with SEND aged 16-18 in education, employment and training. As above, the strategy presents an opportunity to avail of resources across the region to support this aim.

3. Best start in Life family hubs: Bristol’s three Family Hubs align with SEND reform localities. As part of the Experts at Hand offer, Parent Navigators overseen by the Parent Carer Forum will help parents and carers navigate the SEND system and work alongside Family Hubs to provide timely support. Family Hub representatives will also be represented on each of the 11 Inclusion Cluster Boards.

Bristol reform

1. Bristol Future Strategy: The Bristol Future Strategy brings together Mat and school leaders across the city to break the link between deprivation and low educational attainment. Its aims align closely with SEND reform, recognising that schools that are excellent for all children and young people must also be excellent for those with SEND. The stronger partnership working it supports will help drive a shared city-wide approach to inclusion.

4. Curriculum and Assessment Review: The review makes clear that “high standards means high standards for all”, including children with SEND. Within the reform plan, outcomes measures have been specifically highlighted as success measures as it is not enough for children and young people with SEND in Bristol to be supported in mainstream environments; they need to be able to succeed with better outcomes (Gld, Rwm at KS2, and attainment at KS4) than they have done previously.

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

Section 3: Monitoring and Evaluation

2. SEND data dashboard: Developed to support reporting for the Safety Valve programme, Bristol’s SEND data dashboard provides an overview of key performance metrics. It is reviewed monthly by the SEND&AP delivery board.

Bristol’s experience of participation in the Safety Valve programme (now, Transformation Programme) and through the development of the local SEND & AP action plan means that the local area partnership is in a strong position, to effectively monitor and evaluate progress towards realisation of the plan. Bristol will be building on the robust foundations that are already in place in order to achieve the aims of this plan.

3. Inclusion dashboard: As highlighted in the strategy section above, Bristol is in the process of developing an Inclusion dashboard to support the aims within the reform plan. This will be a data-driven dashboard, co-produced with trusts, schools and settings designed to monitor performance against key inclusion metrics. It will be used across all system partners, including schools and settings, and will provide a transparent means of measuring inclusive performance.

Monitoring tools and processes

1. SEND & AP Development Plan: Bristol currently monitors performance against existing local SEND strategy through the SEND & AP Development Plan and, previously, progress against the conditions in the Safety Valve programme through the Safey Valve monitoring report. Both are overseen by the SEND&AP Executive and Delivery Board (see governance below), the latter meets monthly to review performance against key actions. For the SEND&AP Development Plan, 61% of priority actions have been successfully monitored and completed. The plan is to bring both existing programme dashboards together, as well as monitoring of actions needed to realise the Experts at Hand offer. This expanded dashboard will together form the SEND Reform Action Plan.

Feedback and adaptation mechanisms

As described below in the governance section, all system partners are engaged in the development and delivery of the SEND reform programme either through membership of the SEND&AP Executive Board, Delivery Board and/ or three supporting sub-groups. This coverage and robust governance structure built on transparency allows for regular feedback loops and stakeholder input. As highlighted above, a priority aim will be to complement this existing strong foundation by providing more opportunities for children and young people to feedback and influence the direction of SEND reform.

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.

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

Section 4: Governance

Existing governance arrangements across the local partnership are mature and in a good place for supporting and overseeing delivery of the reform plan. See diagram for full description. This is informed by experience gained from managing delivery of actions aligned to priorities within Bristol’s SEND & AP Development Plan (61% of which have now been completed), as well as participation in the Safety Valve (now local Transformation) programme. The existing governance arrangements will stay in place with changes made to support delivery of the Eah offer.

How can we help you?

Section 5: Central Government Support

We are already engaging well with our Department for Education Regions Group lead, as well as our SEND

advisor.

We would welcome further support, to deliver the new Special Free School (Trym Valley Free School), which has recently been approved and remains a priority for Bristol.