SEND Consultation

The Government wants to shape the future of the Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) system, as it launches the biggest national conversation on SEND in a generation.

The public engagement campaign, will cover every region of the country, aiming to put families at the heart of its plans to create a reformed SEND system.

Minister for School Standards, Georgia Gould is hosting nine face-to-face events, run in partnership with the Council for Disabled Children and five online events covering the department’s five principles of reform. This will provide tens of thousands spaces for parents, families and the sector to share their views, opening up a direct line to the people who know the system best.

The themes of engagement include:

• Early intervention, earlier in children’s lives when this can have most impact
• Local provision, so young people can learn at a school close to their home
• Fairness, so every school has the resources and capability to meet changing needs
• Effective practice, grounded in evidence to ensure excellent long-term outcomes
• Shared working that means education, health and care services working in partnership with local government, families, teachers, experts and representative bodies.

Attendees can share their views on a range of proposals from experts, such as children having written records of support, giving families access to independent advocacy and providing a national framework for support available to children with SEN across all settings.

A development group of key stakeholders, including SEND parent groups, will meet regularly with ministers between now and the end of January to drive reform forward. A toolkit will be shared with schools and settings to encourage them to share information about engagement on SEND reform with their communities.

There are several ways to get involved:

• Sign up to attend a regional engagement event here.
• Sign up to attend an online event here.