South Gloucestershire Local Area Partnership Special Educational Needs Strategic Action Plan

South Gloucestershire Local Area Partnership Special Educational Needs Strategic Action Plan Introduction South Gloucestershire local area was subject to an inspection by Ofsted and Care Quality Commission (CQC) from 14th to 18th July 2025 to determine the effectiveness of the local area partnership’s arrangements for children and young people with special educational needs (SEND). The inspection team’s final report was published on 18 November. The report can be viewed using the following link: (https://files.ofsted.gov.uk/v1/file/50290649) The report highlights many strengths, and inspectors noted that arrangements have improved rapidly in recent years, leading to positive experiences for many children and young people. However, because this was not consistently the case across all categories of need and age groups, the overall outcome of the inspection was: The local area partnership’s arrangements lead to inconsistent experiences and outcomes for children and young people with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). The local area partnership must work jointly to make improvements. In particular, the inspection team made five recommendations for the local area partnership to consider as specific areas for improvement. The recommendations are:

• Leaders across the partnership should secure effective engagement with children and young people with SEND and their families consistently across the local area, including through stronger co-production at a strategic and operational level.
• Leaders across the partnership should develop further the work they have started to ensure children and young people can access the support they need when waiting on neurodevelopmental pathway.
• The local area partnership should establish a fully compliant dynamic support register, where all relevant children and young people up to the age of 25 are included and have a key worker when necessary.
• Leaders across the partnership should address the specialist sufficiency challenges, particularly in the breadth of Semh provision, appropriate available AP, and range of post-16 opportunities, so that children and young people with Semh needs secure improved outcomes.
• Leaders across the partnership should continue to improve the quality and consistency of EHC plans to ensure that they consistently provide specific reference to appropriate health and social care provision that reflects children’s needs and outcomes.

This means that the local area partnership comprising South Gloucestershire Council and Bristol, North Somerset, and South Gloucestershire Integrated Care Board and all local providers of early years, education, children social care and health services in partnership with South Gloucestershire Parent and Carer Forum, should work together to produce an update of the local Strategic Action Plan, focussed on addressing the findings and in particular setting out a response to the five recommendations.

The updated local Strategic Action Plan (The Plan) is set out in this document and has been produced by representatives with leadership responsibility for strategic planning, commissioning and delivery of Inclusion and SEND services drawn from the Local Authority, Integrated Care Board and partnersfrom across the local area partnership working closely with representatives from South Glos Parent and Carer Forum (Sgpcf).

In developing this Strategic Action Plan, the Local Area Partnership has drawn on a wide range of existing insight already gathered through engagement, co-production,

and service improvement activity over the last 12–24 months.

This includes common themes raised through the Neurodiversity Transformation Project, feedback from work with children and young people engaged in the losing learning project through Barnardo’s, experiences shared through conversations with the Children and Young People’s Participation Group, and the insight routinely collected by the Parent Carer Forum through peer support, workshops, surveys and ongoing engagement with families.

We have included relevant examples of what has been shared with us in each section of the Plan with the aim of demonstrating that we are listening to our local community and are planning activity to address concerns.

The Plan was published on 03 March 2026 and marks the start of delivering a long-term programme of change over several years.

To ensure we stay on track in delivering the improvements identified by the inspection team for the experiences of children and young people with SEND, we have clearly identified:

• Outcomes

that we aim to achieve.

• Impact that successful implementation of our plan will have on the experiences of children, young people and their families.
• Timescales

for implementation. • Key performance indicators (KPIs)

so that we can measure and monitor progress.

In relation to the measures these have been set with a reasonable level of confidence that they are achievable based on a baseline measure of where we are now.

Local governance arrangements will provide robust oversight of the Strategic Action Plan’s delivery. This will be managed through the governance structures of the South Gloucestershire Children’s Partnership, which includes senior leaders from the Council,

the Integrated Care Board, school and college leaders,

and the Parent and Carer Forum.

In addition, a

Children’s Outcomes Board

has been established. This board brings together executive leaders from the Council, the Integrated Care Board, the Parent and Carer Forum, as well as advisors from the Department for Education (DfE) and NHS England (Nhse).

Its role is to monitor progress in delivering the plan, provide support to overcome any barriers, and offer challenge where necessary to ensure accountability. This will help maintain focus on the plan’s key aims and sustain an appropriate pace of progress.

Each section of the plan identifies the local area partnership members who collaborated to develop it and who will be involved in its delivery. The plan also specifies the lead officers responsible for implementing each action.

• Engagement and Co-Production

Recommendation Leaders across the partnership should secure effective engagement with children and young people with SEND and their families consistently across the local area, including through stronger co-production at a strategic and operational level. Children and young people told us:

• They want to be listened to earlier, not just asked for their views once decisions have already been made.
• They want to understand how their views are used and what difference their feedback makes.

Parents and carers told us:

• Being involved in making services better for children and young people and their families feels more like consultation.
• It is not always clear how to get involved, who to share feedback with, or what happens after feedback is given.

Aims:

• For the Local Area Partnership to have a clear oversight of engagement and co-production activity, with improved coordination, reach and use of lived experience to inform priorities and improvement.
• To ensure feedback from children, young people with SEND and their families is actively listened to, discussed and acted upon, with transparent reporting of what has changed as a result.

Outcomes:

Families experience consistent and meaningful engagement and co-production across SEND Co-produced approach and associated tools are available for use at an individual, operational and strategic level.

Families are reached and engaged more widely, using approaches that work for them

Children, young people and families can clearly see what was heard, what was done, and what has changed as a result of engagement and co production

Impact of success on the experiences of our community: Children, young people and families experience engagement that is clear, joined up and meaningful.

• They know how to get involved and feel safe to share their views.
• They are not asked the same questions again and again.
• Services listen, work together and use lived experiences to shape and make improvements.
• Families can clearly see what has changed because they shared their views.

Leaders of this workstream: Rachel Trueman (Pcf) and Will Pritchard (LA)

Leaders driving delivery of activity: Will Pritchard (LA Education), School Cluster Leaders (SEN Clusters), Victoria Hilder (LA Participation), Laura Westaway (Icb), and Robbie Holland (Parent, Carer Forum)

Steering Group: Robbie Holland, Rachel Trueman, Will Pritchard, Victoria Hilder, Laura Westaway, Anthony Hill, Bev Mann, School Cluster Leaders.

1.3c. Share learning and impact through SEND governance so there is clear accountability.

All engagement and co-production.

2. Experience and Outcomes for Neurodivergent Children and Young People

Recommendation Leaders across the partnership should develop further the work they have started to ensure children and young people can access the support they need when waiting on the neurodevelopmental pathway. Children and young people told us:

• They are not always understood when they ask for help, particularly around behaviour, anxiety, and emotional regulation.
• Some feel that support reduces or stops after diagnosis, and that “nothing happens” afterwards.

Parents and carers told us:

• Waiting for assessment is stressful and can feel like a period where support is limited or out of reach.
• Children’s needs often escalate while waiting, particularly when support depends on diagnosis rather than need.

Aims

• To embed, across the local area, a consistent and needs-led system that identifies neurodivergent needs early and provides timely support
• To reduce current long waits for assessment and ensure the diagnostic part of the system is timely and transparent
• To improve family experience with clear information, shorter waits and coordinated support

Outcomes

• Needs are recognised early and children get the right support before issues escalate
• Assessments are timely and transparent, with clear communication throughout
• The workforce has the skills and confidence to identify and meet neurodivergent needs
• Families receive clear, consistent information and feel more confident in the system

Impact of success on the experiences of our community:

• Children and young people have their needs recognised earlier, with support that matches their needs and stops problems from getting worse
• Children and young people wait less time for neurodevelopmental assessments and get the right support sooner while they wait
• Children and young people can get emotional and mental health support sooner in school, helping them feel safer and more supported
• Families are informed, leading to increased confidence and reduced stress and uncertainty
• Families follow a clear and simple route into assessment, without needing to repeat their story
• Families can use an easy-to-navigate online hub to find clear information, practical help and guidance about neurodiversity
• Regular updates and co-production make the website better over time, ensuring it stays relevant and shaped by families’ experiences
• Schools and settings are more confident and skilled, so children get the right support at the right time

Leaders of this workstream: Laura Westaway, Head of Children’s Services, Bnssg Icb; Rachel Trueman, Chief Executive Officer, South Glos Parent Carers

Steering Group: Laura Westaway; Rachel Trueman; Dan Knight; Lorraine McMullen; Julia Chapman, Claire Phillips

Use of the website will be evident from an increase in user hits from the baseline.

3. Dynamic Support Register (Dsr)

Recommendation The local area partnership should establish a fully compliant dynamic support register, where all relevant children and young people up to the age of 25 are included and have a key worker when necessary. Children and young people told us

• They often mask their difficulties, especially in school, to try to cope.
• Things can become overwhelming before adults realise how much they are struggling.

Parents and carers told us

• Concerns are not always recognised early enough, and support often arrives once families are already in crisis.
• Earlier coordination between services could help prevent escalation.

Aims Our Dynamic Support Registers (DSRs) and Care (Education) and Treatment Reviews (C(E)TRs) are essential elements of the pathway providing people with a learning disability and autistic people with appropriate support and care at the right time – so that they can lead the lives they want to and meet their ambitions and aspirations; and can stay safely and healthily in the community or return to this as soon as possible.

Risk Identification Our Dsr will use risk stratification to identify children (0-18 years), young people (18-25 years) and adults (25 years +) who may be at risk of hospital admission due to their complex health and care needs.

Preventative Support The primary goal is to prevent unnecessary hospital admissions by mobilising appropriate community-based support and interventions.

Collaboration and Coordination The Dsr will foster collaboration among various agencies and services to ensure a coordinated and person-centred approach to support.

Improved Outcomes By proactively addressing needs and preventing crises, our Dsr aims to improve the overall well-being, quality of life, and community inclusion of individuals with learning disabilities and autism. Partners will be required to engage and shape the Dsr Delivery Plan including the phased implementation of referral and operational processes

There are currently two interim DSRs one for children and young people led by the Icb Keyworker team and the other for adults led by the Icb Funded team. Both interim DSRs will be incorporated into the digital Dsr platform once operational. The Dsr implementation plan and on-going operational delivery will be governed by the system led Learning Disability & Autism Operational Delivery and the Mental Health, Learning Disability and Autism Health & Care Improvement Groups.

Outcome

• All relevant children and young people up to the age of 25 are included on a fully compliant dynamic support register operating across the local area and the children and young people included will have a key worker when necessary.

Impact of success on the experiences of our community:

• There will be a reduction in hospital admissions of Children & Young People and Adults.
• Patients on the Dsr and admitted to hospital will only stay for the time necessary to improve their mental health, supported by a timely and effective discharge process, with access to appropriate support post discharge.
• Patients will benefit from timely Care (education) Treatment Reviews (CeTRs).

Overall Lead: Senior Performance Manager (Ld&A), Bnssg Icb Sg Dsr Steering Group: Mark Hemmings, Pcf representative, Michelle Blackler, Louisa Jennings, Jane Whitworth, Beverley Mann, Mike Wheeler.

• Sufficiency Plans: Provisions and Services for children and young people with SEND, particularly Social Emotional

and Mental Health Needs. Recommendation Leaders across the partnership should address the specialist sufficiency challenges, particularly in the breadth of Social Emotional Mental Health (Semh) provision, appropriate available Alternative Provision (AP), and range of post-16 opportunities, so that children and young people with Semh needs secure improved outcomes. Children and young people told us

• Transitions between settings can feel sudden, confusing, and stressful.
• Support does not always feel matched to their needs, particularly where anxiety or attendance is a challenge.

Parents and carers told us

• Mainstream placements often break down before effective help is put in place.
• Families are not always clear what provision or alternative provision is available, or how placement decisions are made or communicated.

Aims

There is a clear offer of support for mainstream schools in identifying and meeting need.

Children and Young People’s needs are accurately identified, and needs are met at the earliest opportunity.

There are clear eligibility criteria for accessing outreach and support services through established local arrangements, including the Clusters, the High-Risk Group, and via school-to-school support.

Transition arrangements ensure continuity of effective support between phases.

There is appropriate level of alternative provision and specialist provision available to children and young people with special educational needs in the mainstream and special school sectors across all ages including Post 16 to meet the needs of the local community.

Effective coproduction, engagement and communication with parents and carers about the type and level of provision we are planning and developing across the local area ensures that each provision is designed to meet the needs of our SEND community.

Leaders driving delivery: Hilary Smith (LA Service Director Education, Learning and Skills), Will Pritchard (LA Strategic Lead Inclusion and SEND) Steering Group: Hilary Smith, Will Pritchard, Jane Whitworth, Ross Chick, Jess Donne, Helen Hollick, Julia Chapman, Rachel Trueman, Andrew Mearns, Anna Clarke.

• Quality of Education, Health, and Care Plans

Recommendation Leaders across the partnership should continue to improve the quality and consistency of EHC plans to ensure that they consistently provide specific reference to appropriate health and social care provision that reflects children’s needs and outcomes. Children and young people told us

• They want to be listened to and involved in decisions about their support.
• What matters most to them day-to-day is not always reflected in discussions or plans.

Parents and carers told us

• EHCP processes can feel slow, complex, and difficult to navigate.
• Plans do not always reflect lived experience, and health and social care outcomes are not always clear or responsive.

Aims

• Working collaboratively across education, health, and social care to continue to improve the quality and consistency of EHC plans to ensure they consistently provide specific reference to appropriate health and social care provision alongside the inclusion of person-centred, holistic outcomes.
• To improve the quality and consistency of EHC plans to ensure that they consistently provide specific reference to appropriate health provision that reflects children’s needs and outcomes.

Outcomes:

• EHC plans consistently provide high-quality, specific health provision aligned to children’s needs and outcomes and health advice is received in line with statutory timeframes.
• EHC plans consistently provide high-quality, specific social care provision aligned to children’s needs and outcomes and health advice is received in line with statutory timeframes.
• EHC plans are regularly amended and Cyp’s EHC plans reflect their current needs and provision.
• Children and young people have holistic person-centred outcomes in their EHCPs and are meeting these.

Impact of success on the experiences of our community:

• EHCPs consistently contain clear, specific and needs aligned health provision, supported by timely, high quality health advice across the 0–25

pathway.

• Social care needs and provision are clearly described, appropriate and proportionate in EHCPs, with timely advice and strong multi agency

collaboration underpinning consistent plan quality.

• EHCPs are updated promptly and accurately at every key transition, ensuring plans always reflect current needs, provision and family experience.
• Children and young people have meaningful, person centred, holistic outcomes that form a strong Golden Thread through their EHCPs, with clear

evidence of progress and lived experience shaping ongoing improvement

Leaders of this workstream: Andrew Mearns (Principal Educational Psychologist) and Jennie Mackenzie (EHC Coordination Team Manager). Steering Group: Kirstie Harper, Julia Chapman, Helen Hollick, representative of: Parent Carer Forum, Sendias, Lead SENCOs/schools.