Annex A: Local SEND Reform Plan
Developing a Local SEND Reform Plan is an important first step for local areas to set out how they will lay the foundation for reform, and design an approach tailored to their local context. A shared plan which focuses on co-designing the local approach as system partners and with children, young people and families will help foster collective responsibility for delivering the reforms.
It is critical that all system partners, including health, education and childcare settings, work together to design and deliver the Local SEND Reform Plan, under the local authority’s leadership. It is also crucial that representative family carers e.g. the local Parent Carer Forum, are involved in the development of the plan.
The expectation is that this plan is discussed, agreed, and signed off at the relevant SEND Governance Board. As a minimum, the plan must be formally signed off by the Local Authority Chief Executive (CEO), the Integrated Care Board (ICB) Chief Executive, the Local Authority Director of Children’s Service (DCS), the Integrated Care Board NHS Place Director, and the Local Authority Chief Financial Officer (CFO/Section 151 Officer). The DfE also encourages other colleagues and partners who have contributed to also review and sign-off the plan, particularly early years, school, college and trust leaders.
Name of Local Authority: Brighton & Hove City Council
Name of Integrated Care Board: NHS Surrey and Sussex
Local SEND Reform Plan SRO: Georgina Clarke-Green (Director of Education & Learning)
Signatories:
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Role |
Name |
Signature |
Email contact |
Date |
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Leader of BHCC
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Councillor Bella Sankey |
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16.06.2026 |
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BHCC Chief Executive |
Jess Gibbons |
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16.06.206 |
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Corporate Director - Families Children & Wellbeing |
Deb Austin |
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12/06/2026 |
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Local Authority Chief Financial Officer (Section 151 Officer) |
Elizabeth Griffiths |
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12/06/2026 |
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BHCC Director of Education & Learning (SRO) |
Georgina Clarke-Green |
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15/06/2026 |
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ICB CEO |
Karen McDowell |
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05/06/2026 |
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Chief Commissioning Officer, Neighbour Health & Partnerships (as ICB place director) |
Amy Galea |
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05/06/2026 |
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Chair of SEND & AP Partnership Board SEND & AP Partnership Board (which includes parent/carer reps, early years, school, college and other partners) |
Georgina Clarke-Green |
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15/06/2026 |
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Footnote: The ICB is currently restructuring, and Directors with a focus on place will be appointed once all posts are filled within the Chief Commissioning Officer – Neighbourhood Health and Partnerships Directorate senior structure. |
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This plan sets out Brighton & Hove’s locally tailored approach to delivering SEND reform over the next three years, drawing together the partnership’s vision, delivery priorities, success measures and governance arrangements.
Executive Summary
Brighton & Hove has high and rising demand for SEND support across a diverse 0–25 population. The partnership has strong foundations for reform, including clear governance, effective collaboration across education, well-developed co-production with parent carers, and strong platform for further system transformation.
Demand continues to grow and the system is adapting to respond more consistently and sustainably. Strong practice exists across settings and services, but the partnership recognises the need to improve consistency in early identification, access to support and outcomes so all children and young people benefit from the strongest elements of provision.
The partnership is currently assessed as Developing in maturity, with key structures, relationships and approaches in place and being strengthened. Children, families and settings are already seeing benefits from co-produced Ordinarily Available Inclusive Practice guidance and stronger partnership working. The next phase will focus on making impact more consistent, equitable and visible across the system.
Over the next three years, Brighton & Hove will deliver a transformational shift to a more inclusive, sustainable 0–25 system, structured around four core aims.
· Strengthen its role as an integrated 0–25 system, with education, health and social care working in closer alignment. Children and young people supported earlier and within mainstream settings, consistently establish team around setting approaches with alternative provision used strategically as part of an inclusive continuum of earlier intervention, reintegration, outreach and targeted SEMH support, reducing escalation into specialist placements over time.”
· Coordinated multiagency workforce strategy, including Experts at Hand, will build on existing expertise and networks to strengthen workforce confidence and capability. By Year 3, better equipped staff across all sectors to meet need through stronger inclusive practice, earlier intervention and timely access to specialist advice.
· Co-production will become more fully embedded across the system. Clear communication and a refreshed Local Offer will improve accessibility and transparency, building confidence, trust and engagement among children, young people, families and professionals.
· Strengthen the link between investment, outcomes and sufficiency planning, supporting more strategic use of resources, earlier intervention and improved value for money.
Baseline March 2026 to 2029 trajectory:
Baseline SEND attendance 88.5%, persistent absence 40.5% for pupils with EHCPs and 33.1% for those on SEN Support, SEND Support NEET for 16–17-year-olds 12.8 % and EHCPs 17.3%, 3,241 children and young people with an EHCP, 688 requests for EHC needs assessment year ending March 2026.
By 2029 increase SEND attendance to at least 93%, reduce persistent absence and SEND NEET towards national levels, stabilise EHCP and EHC needs assessment growth through earlier intervention and stronger SEN Support, increase the proportion of children with EHCPs of school age whose needs are met in their local mainstream school from 57% in 2026 to 65% in 2029, reduce reliance on independent and out-of-area placements and associated spend with no additional INMSS placements predicted from 2027.
This provides a clear line of sight between Brighton & Hove’s SEND reform ambitions and measurable implementation outcomes, with progress also reflected in stronger inclusion, reduced escalation, improved family experience, greater partner confidence and clearer evidence of impact and value for money.
These reforms will translate into measurable reductions in escalation, transport demand and reliance on specialist provision over time, with impact tracked against defined baseline positions and three-year trajectories across attendance, persistent absence, NEET, statutory demand and sufficiency indicators.
Section 1 – Vision and Goals
1. What the local area partnership is trying to achieve?
Brighton & Hove’s partnership will strengthen inclusion, early intervention, and joined-up support in a sustainable SEND system, so children and young people achieve and thrive.
Improved outcomes. More children and young people supported in mainstream. Earlier identification, stronger universal provision, Experts at Hand and expanded specialist and support bases.
23 Inclusion Intervention Spaces by 2029. Improved SEND attendance from 88.5%. Reduced persistent absence from 40.5% EHCP and 33.1% SEN Support. Fewer exclusions, part-time timetables, and statutory escalations.
Increased confidence. Embed co-production, joint Parent Carer Forum communication strategy, stronger children and young people engagement, and routine “you said / we did” reporting.
Measure progress through stakeholder feedback, complaints and mediation trends, children and young people participation evidence, and stronger reported confidence in the accessibility and responsiveness of the system.
System capability and consistency. Additional EAH capacity, clearer expectations through Ordinarily Available Inclusive Practice and timely access to specialist expertise.
Measure progress through 10 working days response, Team Around the Setting and Team Around the City Child coverage, improved SEN Support audits, more children supported without escalation to EHC needs assessment.
Improved financial sustainability. Earlier intervention, stronger local provision, and evidence-based commissioning will improve value for money.
Measure progress through stabilisation in EHC needs assessment requests (688 baseline), manage EHCP growth (3,241 baseline), increased local sufficiency, and reduced reliance on high-cost independent/ out-of-area placements from 2027.
SEND & AP Partnership Board will monitor these goals through reporting on attendance, persistent absence, NEET, EHC needs assessment requests, EHCP growth, local sufficiency, stakeholder confidence, and service performance.
Progress will be measured against baseline (March 2026) and tracked through defined trajectory indicators to 2029, aligned to the SEND Reform data template.
Each goal is supported by baseline data, quantified trajectory ranges and defined monitoring arrangements, providing a clear line of sight between strategic intent, implementation activity and measurable system impact.
Section 2 – Strategy
2.
Where the local area partnership expects to be in the
next 3 years
Delivery, workforce deployment, financial assumptions and projected trajectories are fully triangulated across the narrative, SEND Reform data template and financial model. Implementation assumptions, sequencing and pace of impact are explicitly stated and reviewed through governance to ensure consistency and deliverability.
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Where we are |
Where we will be in the next 3 years |
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Building blocks Strengthening inclusion across education settings Access to specialist support and local placements System leadership, local partnership collaboration and co-production Encouraging inclusive culture and behaviours
Enablers E.g. Capital – investment strategy across EY, mainstream, FE Workforce Data/digital systems |
Strengths and current position Strengthening inclusion • This indicates that, while core expectations are in place, consistent delivery of early intervention and SEN Support is not yet embedded across all settings.
Access to specialist support (EAH)
Local placements • Our SEND sufficiency plan sets out a clear roadmap to increase local specialist provision. • Brighton & Hove currently has 13 Inclusion Intervention Spaces (IIS) (Tier 1 AP) in primary schools. • All secondary schools have funding for Tier 1 AP provision. There are a range of models which have been evaluated. • There are also 4 Adaptive Learning Provisions (Tier 2 AP) in secondary schools, alongside a range of more specialist bases on mainstream sites. • While this provides an important foundation, it does not yet meet current demand. The partnership will therefore continue to expand local provision over the next three years to improve sufficiency and reduce reliance on placements outside the city.
Alternative Provision (PRU) • Currently co-producing new model of PRU provision with school leaders. With a view to satellite SEMH provision in our mainstream schools for KS2 and a wider vocational pathway for KS4.
System leadership and co-production
Inclusive culture and behaviours • The Principles of Belonging is our inclusion charter for Brighton & Hove developed
through coproduction, consultation and collaboration.
Key challenges
Enablers – current position
Integrated assessment of core
minimum requirements
The next phase of delivery will focus on bridging this implementation gap by embedding the Experts at Hand model, strengthening quality assurance and SEN Support practice, and improving data integration and performance tracking to ensure consistent impact across all settings and services. |
3-year vision (future state by 2029) Brighton & Hove partnership • By Year 1, the partnership will co-develop and begin implementation of a refreshed partnership-wide Universal Offer agreement across early years, schools, trusts and post-16 providers, informed by needs-based data and agreed with the local authority, ICB, provider representatives and the Parent Carer Forum, with regular review as national inclusion standards develop.
(1) attendance for children and young people with SEND (2) persistent absence for SEND cohorts (3) proportion of young people with SEND who are not in education employment or training (NEET), (4) demand for statutory assessment and EHCP growth (5) reliance on independent and out-of-area placements and associated spend. • These headline measures are supported by a broader set of operational and quality indicators set out below and within supporting documentation, ensuring a balanced and comprehensive assessment of system performance.
A fully inclusive, partnership-led system by 2029 • Where needs are met earlier and closer to home, reflected in measurable improvements in attendance, reduced escalation and more equitable access to support.
Strengthening inclusion across settings • Consistent SEN Support practice
embedded across all settings, reducing variability in early identification
and response
Experts at Hand (EAH) underpinning the system • Investment in Experts at Hand at ‘Team around the Setting’ and ‘Team around the City Child’ will provide additional multidisciplinary capacity and earlier intervention across the system. • The Brighton & Hove model will operate as a jointly planned LA–ICB delivery model, overseen through shared governance and commissioning arrangements, with formal partnership mechanisms set out through agreed roles, financial oversight, service specifications and performance reporting. Where specialist input is secured through commissioned providers, performance will be assured through clear service standards, activity and outcome metrics, reporting cadence and escalation routes through the SEND & AP Partnership Board. Financial contributions to the EAH model are drawn from the EAH/Transformation grant for 2026–27, supplemented by existing LA and ICB commissioned capacity and workforce. The partnership will continue to refine joint commissioning and financial alignment with the ICB over time to ensure sustainable multidisciplinary delivery. • Complementing and not replacing existing commissioned and statutory services and enabling needs to be met earlier and more consistently within mainstream settings. •A fully implemented EAH model will deliver equitable access to multidisciplinary expertise across all settings. • EAH practitioners will be directly accessed via the school/setting through annual planning meetings and termly multidisciplinary ‘Team around the setting’ meetings. • Primary focus on capacity-building within early years, mainstream and post-16 settings through consultation, training, coaching and modelling which should produce a reduction in reliance on specialist referrals over time. • Allocation of resource will be decided through a formula based on the level of need in schools and the SEN2 data for each of the Best Start in Life Family hub areas. Access will be managed through a needs-led allocation model, locality planning and systematic school engagement so that support is distributed equitably and is not disproportionately accessed by the most proactive settings. This approach will include mainstream post-16 and further education providers attended by Brighton & Hove young people both within and beyond the local authority boundary •Clear service standards and response times for EP, SaLT, OT and specialist outreach services, with an initial expectation of response within 10 working days, refined over time through demand analysis and service evaluation. • As inclusion capability strengthens, referral pathways, service thresholds and delivery models will evolve to support a shift from reactive, referral-led approaches to preventative and capacity-building approaches within mainstream settings •Increased proportion of children and young people supported effectively at SEN Support without escalation, including those accessing provision across mainstream schools, early years providers and post-16 settings, enabling needs to be met earlier without the requirement for statutory assessment • This will include provision delivered through settings attended by Brighton & Hove children and young people outside the local authority area, including further education providers, ensuring consistency of approach across the full 0–25 pathway. • The model is informed by needs-based data at locality and system level, including SEN2, demand trends, and service utilisation, ensuring that workforce deployment and service access are aligned to identified need.
Local placements • We are planning an increase of another 10 IIS (Tier 1 AP) over the next academic year bringing the total to 23 across our primary schools. • We are proposing a further 108 specialist base places, and 40 additional AP places across the system by 2029, alongside a further 73 special school places through planned expansion and sufficiency developments. • This should meet demand on current projections and will support a more mature, inclusive and financially sustainable system.
Alternative Provision • The PRU will be remodelled with the new design having been co-produced with school leaders. • The new model will enhance the current AP delivery with satellite provisions for KS2 in mainstream schools and an outreach function to ensure the reintegration of pupils attending the PRU back into mainstream will be successful. • Additional SEMH practitioners will be provided through the EAH model directly to schools. • The partnership will align AP development with the emerging three-tier local model and learning from Alternative Provision Specialist Taskforce approaches, so that AP is used strategically as part of a continuum of inclusion, earlier intervention and reintegration. Where local AP capacity is constrained, the local authority will prioritise phased local expansion, targeted commissioned provision and shared deployment of specialist expertise while local capacity is strengthened
System leadership, partnership and co-production • A mature partnership model
demonstrating shared accountability for outcomes, underpinned by data-led
governance, including strengthened collaboration with post-16 providers and
further education settings to ensure continuity of inclusive practice across the
0–25 system • In Year 1, the partnership will adopt a minimum co-production benchmark informed by NHS England guidance and complete a self-assessment to identify strengths, gaps and priority improvement actions. Progress against this benchmark will be reviewed through governance and routine “You said / we did” reporting •SENDIASS will continue to provide
independent information, advice and support to children, young people and
parents/carers, including support to understand local processes, rights and
available pathways for resolution. The partnership will keep mediation and
dispute-resolution arrangements under review, including timeliness, resolution
rates and user feedback, and will work with partners to address any parental
concern about the perceived independence of advice and support within
mediation processes Inclusive culture and behaviours • A measurable shift towards earlier
intervention and prevention
System enablers
Data and digital
Commissioning and funding
Capital • Travel impact assessment will inform major capital and place-planning decisions, including expected effects on journey times, travel distance, out-of-area reliance and any mitigating actions required where travel pressures cannot be reduced immediately. • Site selection and phasing will be developed with schools, trusts and other providers, taking account of existing premises capacity, opportunities created by falling rolls where relevant, local demographic need and quality expectations for each type of provision. This will support a more strategic use of the estate and ensure inclusion bases and specialist provision are located where they will have the greatest impact.
This approach aligns directly with the Schools White Paper ambition to ensure all children and young people receive the right support at the right time within an inclusive mainstream education system.
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Success measures |
Baseline • Attendance for children and young people with SEND is below national and local averages, with more pronounced gaps for those with EHCPs. Overall attendance in Brighton & Hove is 92.5% compared to 93.37% nationally, with SEND attendance lower at approximately 88.5%, demonstrating a clear inclusion gap. • Absence data highlights the scale of challenge, with significantly higher absence rates for SEND cohorts: 16.3% for pupils with EHCPs and 11.9% for SEN Support. • Persistent absence is disproportionately high, particularly for pupils with SEND. Overall persistent absence is 21.3% (national 18.1%), rising to 40.5% for pupils with EHCPs and 33.1% for those on SEN Support, indicating systemic barriers to sustained participation. • Preparation for adulthood outcomes show significant pressure, with NEET rates of 12.8% for young people on SEND Support and 17.3% for those with EHCPs, compared to a national benchmark of approximately 9.6% overall, alongside 2.4% Not Known, indicating gaps in transitions and engagement in post‑16 pathways. Demand on statutory services remains high and increasing, with 3,241 children and young people with an EHCP and 688 requests for EHC needs assessment in the year ending March 2026, contributing to system pressure and highlighting the need for earlier intervention. • There is continued reliance on independent and out-of-area specialist provision, with increasing associated spend, reflecting sufficiency pressures and limited local capacity (baseline volumes and spend to be further refined through commissioning data). • Access to multidisciplinary support (EP, SaLT, OT and specialist outreach) remains variable across settings, reflecting workforce constraints and contributing to inconsistent early intervention and escalation. • SEN Support practice is inconsistent across the system, leading to variability in early identification and response, and contributing to higher rates of escalation to statutory processes. • Data systems are developing but are not yet fully integrated to provide consistent real-time visibility across demand, delivery and outcomes, limiting proactive system planning. • Co-production is established but not yet consistently embedded or evidenced through measurable impact, and the voice of children and young people is not yet systematically captured at a strategic level. |
Target metrics (by 2029) • Each measure is presented with a defined baseline position (March 2026), intended trajectory over the three-year reform period and expected future-state outcomes. The partnership intends to narrow the attendance gap between SEND and non –SEND pupils through earlier intervention, strengthened ordinarily available provision and locality-based multi-disciplinary support over the three-year reform period. Increase overall attendance for children and young people with SEND, including:
Reduce absence and persistent absence for pupils with SEND, including:
The partnership intends to reduce NEET rates for young people with SEND through earlier preparation for adulthood, strengthened post-16 pathways, improved transition planning, and locality-based multi-agency support over the three-year reform period.
Reduce NEET rates for young people with SEND (including those on SEND Support and with EHCPs) including:
Over the three-year reform period, the partnership will create more capacity to meet need closer to home by intervening earlier, strengthening mainstream inclusion, expanding local specialist and targeted provision, and using commissioning and sufficiency planning more strategically.
Reduce reliance on independent and out-of-area placements, including:
Through Experts at Hand, settings will have more consistent access to timely multidisciplinary advice and support, helping build confidence in mainstream and post-16 provision and enabling needs to be identified and met earlier, without unnecessary escalation to statutory processes, over the three-year reform period.
Ensure equitable and timely access to multidisciplinary support (EP, SaLT, OT and specialist outreach), including:
Achieve consistent, high-quality SEN Support across all settings, including:
Strengthen early identification and intervention, resulting in:
Children and young people with SEND will be better supported to achieve and thrive through a more responsive and inclusive local system, with earlier identification, more consistent support and stronger pathways into adulthood over the three-year reform period.
Improve outcomes for children and young people with SEND across the system, including:
Demonstrate measurable impact of co-production and system improvement, including:
Strengthen system intelligence and data integration, including:
These outcomes will be achieved through delivery of the reform programme, including Experts at Hand, strengthened ordinarily available inclusive practice (Universal Offer), sufficiency expansion and workforce development, with Year 1 implementation outputs expected to drive measurable system improvement over time. |
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3. What is the local area partnership’s strategy for delivering on the above?
Brighton & Hove’s SEND reform strategy sets out a clear theory of change describing how the partnership will move from a developing and variable system to a more mature, inclusive 0–25 model over three years.
Year 1 creates the conditions for change. Strengthened inclusion across early years, mainstream and post-16 settings through clearer expectations, stronger SEN Support, and earlier identification. Improved access to specialist support of EAH and Team Around the Setting. These changes reshape how the whole system works together, building shared ownership, earlier response, and more confident inclusive practice across settings.
Year 2 scales delivery. Embedded and extended reforms. More consistent EAH, easier access to multidisciplinary support, and governance will move towards outcome-focused accountability. Deepen co-production with children, young people, and families more visibly shaping delivery, helping to shift culture as well as practice.
Year 3 secures more consistent impact and sustainability. Embedded within a mature, integrated 0–25 system. Data and digital systems will provide a stronger shared evidence base. Workforce development within a multi-agency approach. Commissioning and funding aligned more closely to outcomes.
This sequencing recognises that impact will build over time to secure the fuller benefits of a more preventative, inclusive, and sustainable system.
By year 3, the system should then demonstrate earlier intervention, stronger local capacity, and reduced reliance on high-cost provision, reflecting a sustained shift in culture, confidence, and collective responsibility.
This sequencing reflects a phased trajectory, whereby Year 1 mobilisation and workforce alignment enable measurable improvements from Year 2 onwards, with sustained system impact on demand, placement trends and financial sustainability realised by Year 3.
4. Please upload a completed copy of the Local Partnership Maturity Assessment Tool.
· Annex B, Appendix 09
5. What is the local area partnership roadmap for the next 3 years?
Local roadmap for the next 3 years
The roadmap distinguishes between mobilisation (Year 1), implementation (Year 2) and embedding/optimisation (Year 3), with each phase aligned to delivery maturity and expected impact on forecast trajectories.
Year 1 delivery includes defined mobilisation KPIs, including workforce recruitment milestones, service coverage thresholds, implementation readiness measures and early indicators of system impact.
Workforce assumptions are aligned to the projected EAH delivery model and are reflected consistently across the financial plan, workforce projections and SEND Reform data return. This investment profile is designed to directly support the expected trajectory of increased SEN Support capacity, reduced escalation to statutory assessment, and improved access to multidisciplinary advice within defined response times, with workforce deployment and spend monitored against these outcomes through the inclusion dashboard and quarterly reporting.
Building blocks & Enablers
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2026/27 |
2027/28 |
2028/29 |
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Building blocks & Enablers |
Strengthening inclusion across education settings • Implement consistent Universal & Targeted SEN Support expectations supported by a new audit tool and QA framework to address variability and improve outcomes.
• Targeted improvement in settings where attendance, persistent absence and attainment outcomes are weakest. |
Strengthening inclusion across settings • Consistent SEN Support practice embedded, and quality assured across all settings. • Improved outcomes for SEND pupils, particularly in attendance and attainment. |
Strengthening inclusion across settings • Inclusion fully embedded across all phases with high-quality SEN Support consistently delivered resulting in a reduction of EHC applications of 5% by 2029. |
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Access to specialist support and local placements • Mobilise Experts at Hand (EAH) model with anticipated response times within 10 working days.
• Baseline sufficiency established through SEND Sufficiency plan which includes independent/out-of-area placements and spend (currently rising).
• Build upon the current Tier 1 and Tier 2 AP model within schools and our PRU.
• Begin Best Start in Life Family hub pilots to increase local capacity.
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Access to specialist support and local placements • EAH embedded with refined service capacity and response times based on demand. • Expansion of local provision including Tier 1 and Tier 2 AP reduces reliance on independent/out-of-area placements. • Improved sufficiency planning using refined data modelling. |
Access to specialist support and local placements • Fully mature EAH model operating across 0–25. • Local provision sufficient to meet the majority of needs, this will include Tier 1 and Tier 2 AP as well as specialist bases. With 65+% of school age pupils being supported within their local mainstream school. • Reduced reliance on high-cost placements and improved value for money. With no additional out of city placements made from September 2027. |
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System leadership and co-production • Strengthen governance and performance grip using expanded data (attendance, NEET, exclusions, attainment).
• Embed CYP voice and consistent co-production approaches.
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System leadership and co-production • Stronger partnership maturity with clear performance oversight and impact tracking. • Co-production demonstrably shaping service design. |
System leadership and co-production • Mature partnership with shared accountability and embedded CYP voice. |
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Enablers • Workforce development aligned to increased demand and complexity. • Data systems strengthened to track attendance, NEET, EHCP growth and outcomes. • Year 1 activity is front-loaded to establish the delivery conditions, baselines and early leading indicators on which forecast trajectories and investment assumptions depend. |
Enablers • Workforce strategy implemented to address capacity pressures. • Data used proactively to target risk (attendance, exclusions, NEET). • Year 2 delivery is expected to translate Year 1 mobilisation and investment into measurable improvement against forecast trajectories, informing commissioning and resource decisions. |
Enablers • Predictive data systems drive planning and commissioning resulting in better value for money. • Sustainable workforce model in place. • By Year 3, delivery milestones, outcome trajectories and financial assumptions should align more clearly, giving stronger evidence of affordability, sustainability and value for money. |
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Success measures
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2026/27 |
2027/28 |
2028/29 |
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Success measures |
Attendance and inclusion
• Baseline established and targeted improvement activity underway (overall absence 8.0% above national 6.8%; EHCP absence 16.3%). • Persistent absence baseline confirmed (21.3% overall; 40.5% EHCP). |
Attendance and inclusion • Reduction in absence and persistent absence, particularly for SEND and EHCP cohorts • Narrowing gap with national and statistical neighbours. |
Attendance and inclusion • SEND attendance improves toward 93%+, with sustained reduction in persistent absence. • EHCP attendance gap significantly narrowed. |
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NEET and preparation for adulthood
• Baseline established: 17.3% SEND NEET vs 9.6% national, with total NEET + NK 8.4% vs 5.5% national. |
NEET and preparation for adulthood • Reduction in SEND NEET from 17.3% baseline. • Improved participation in education, employment and training. |
NEET and preparation for adulthood • Significant reduction in SEND NEET (from 17.3% to national average) and improved long-term participation outcomes. |
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Demand and statutory pressures
• EHCP population baseline: 3,241 plans, with continued annual growth. • EHCNA requests baseline: 688 requests annually. |
Demand and statutory pressures • Stabilisation in EHCNA request growth and improved timeliness. • Improved EHCP process performance (currently approx. 52–55% within 20 weeks to improve by 10% in 27/28). |
Demand and statutory pressures • Growth in EHCPs stabilised through earlier intervention and stronger SEN Support with a reduction of 5% in EHC applications by 2029. • Improved timeliness and reduced tribunal escalation as EHCAs stabilise and we begin to see a reduction in applications. |
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Provision and sufficiency
• Independent/out-of-area spend baseline established (rising trend). |
Provision and sufficiency • Reduction in out-of-area placements as local capacity increases stabilisation of out of city placements. |
Provision and sufficiency • Sustained reduction in out-of-area placements and associated spend with no increase in out of city placement from 27/28. |
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Education outcomes
• Strong early years baseline (70% GLD overall; 30% SEND GLD above national). KS2 SEND outcomes for Reading, Writing and Maths continue to be at nat. Ave currently at 28% and EHCP at 9%. % CYP achieving grades 5-9 in English & Maths GCSEs at the end of KS4 for CYP with an EHCP to be above national average to move from 6% to 8%. |
Education outcomes • To achieve target set by DfE of 78.6% overall and FSM 58.6% for end of academic year 27/28 Further improved attainment for SEND and EHCP learners working towards the expected standard in Reading, Writing and Maths moving from 28% and 9% respectively currently in line with national average to above national average. % CYP achieving grades 5-9 in English & Maths GCSEs at the end of KS4 for CYP with SEND or an EHCP to be above national average. |
Education outcomes • Consistently achieving target set by DfE of 78.6% overall and FSM 58.6%. Continued attainment for SEND learners and EHCP learners being consistently above national average for Reading, Writing and Maths moving from 28% to above national average and SNN. % CYP achieving grades 5-9 in English & Maths GCSEs at the end of KS4 for CYP with SEND or an EHCP to be consistently above national average. |
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QA and system development
• SEN Support audit framework introduced • EAH implemented and monitored • These baseline measures will be used to test Year 1 delivery assumptions and refine the forecast and financial model. |
System quality • Increasingly consistent SEN Support evidenced through SEN tool audit results • Year 2 measures test whether delivery and investment assumptions are translating into the forecast improvement trajectory. |
Overall system effect • Delivery milestones, forecast trajectories and financial assumptions are aligned more clearly, providing stronger evidence of affordability, sustainability and value for money. |
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6. What will the local area partnership deliver in the first year?
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2026-27 Local delivery plan |
Q2 |
Q3 |
Q4 |
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Workstream outline – mapped to building block
Outcome – what you want to achieve with this workstream
Success measures – how you measure progress drawing on metrics from the accompanying data template
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Responsible lead per workstream – accountable for the delivery of the workstream and the identified outcome. |
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? |
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Existing Workstream 1 Strengthening inclusion across
education settings (Universal Offer / OAIP) Outcome: Consistent, high-quality SEN Support embedded across all settings, improving early identification, inclusion and outcomes. Year 1 delivery will include agreement
of the Universal Offer framework, aligned to Ordinarily Available Inclusive
Practice, strengthened SEN Support and early intervention expectations across
all sectors
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SEND Reform Service Lead / Education Improvement
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•OAIP (Universal Offer) guidance implementation begins; SEN Support audit tool developed by SEND Reform Service Lead and Virtual Head of SEND
•SEN Support QA framework disseminated across settings led by SEND Service Reform Lead
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•30% settings actively using OAIP evidenced by returns from settings through the SEN Support Audit tool
•Workforce Confidence Baseline established through the SEN Support Audit tool |
•SEN Support QA framework implemented across settings through SENCo |
•50% settings using OAIP consistently Evidenced through SEN Audit tool
•Workforce confidence +10% from baseline
•Reduction in persistent absence (early improvement trend of 1-2% |
•OAIP embedded across majority of settings evidenced by returns from settings through the SEN Support Audit tool |
•≥80% settings using OAIP
•Workforce confidence +20% from baseline
•Measurable reduction in persistent absence improvement 2%+ |
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New Workstream 2 Access to specialist support (Experts at Hand model)
Outcome: Equitable access to multidisciplinary expertise, enabling earlier intervention and reduced escalation. Year 1 delivery assumes phased workforce mobilisation rather than full establishment from the outset, with a combination of existing substantive capacity, targeted recruitment, limited backfill and flexible deployment of EP, SaLT, OT, specialist teacher outreach and SEMH practitioners. Analytical capacity, interoperability
and shared data infrastructure will be strengthened to support real-time
monitoring of demand, delivery, quality and outcomes, ensuring data-informed
decision-making across the programme. · EAH operational with defined response times and phased locality coverage · Increased proportion of CYP supported at SEN Support through consultation, coaching and modelling · Deployment aligned to need across settings, Best Start in Family Hub localities and targeted cohorts · Reduction in EHCNA request growth trajectory over time
|
EAH Programme Lead (LA/ICB joint lead)
|
•EAH ‘Team around the Setting’ meetings scheduled for all schools. Through SEND Reform Service Lead. Allocation of Ed Psych, SaLT, OT, Specialist Teachers and practitioners identified for each setting through analysis of need using SEN2 data.
‘Team around the City Child’ based at Best Start in Life Family hubs – pilots initiated- LISO in place and pathway established. Allocation of EAH to each of the 4 BSIL Family Hubs using SEN2 data aligned to the geographical footprint.
|
•EAH mobilisation planning complete Data matrices agreed with the partnership. These will measure activity, timescales for delivery and impact across the Team around the Setting and Team around the City Child. (pilot phase)
|
•EAH operational across schools and pilot BSIL family hub localities. The first TAS meetings will have taken place with planned interventions/ support agreed with each setting and termly meetings scheduled.
>50% of the EAH workforce in place.
Data being recorded against agreed matrices.
Response times agreed.
|
Evidence of: activity in settings through interventions provided by EP, SaLT, OT and Specialist teachers.
Timely response to requests for support in settings.
Initial positive feedback from settings. |
•EAH scaled with refined capacity and service standards. >70% workforce in place and operational. All settings will have additional EAH capacity.
Increased proportion of CYP supported at SEN Support through consultation, coaching and modelling through EAH input.
Data dashboard in place with Q3 data inputted for initial analysis.
|
Expect to see incremental improvements in: setting workforce confidence through additional consultation, coaching and modelling provided by EAH. Evidence gathered through SEN Audit tool.
A small reduction in referrals for EP and SaLT formal assessment of approx. 5%
Stabilisation of EHCNA request growth We’d like to achieve this, but given exponential rise seen in EHCNA this may not be seen until 2028.
|
|
Existing Workstream 3 Sufficiency and local provision (including capital alignment)
Outcome: Increased local capacity through inclusive provision, reducing reliance on out-of-area placements.
|
Head of SEND Sufficiency / Commissioning
|
•Sufficiency baseline established: proposed placements, provision and spend as set out in the SEND Sufficiency plan approved by Cabinet (July)
•Initial expansion of local provision and remodelling of the PRU to create additional capacity. Head of SEND to invite Expressions of Interest from our primary schools to have an Inclusion Intervention Space on site with decisions on location made by end of Q2. Appointment of new Headteacher for the KS2 to 4 PRU with the remit of transforming the current model into SEMH provision and outreach delivered within mainstream schools aligned with SEND Reforms.
|
Inclusion Intervention Spaces 10 Primary Schools identified for Phase 3 of the Inclusion Intervention Space roll out.
Continue to see positive outcomes from the 13 IIS already in place. Increased attendance, attainment, reduction in suspensions and lower levels of applications for EHCPs.
|
•Initial expansion of local provision and inclusion capacity.
A further 10 IIS provisions are established with £30k revenue funding and Capital funding allocated to ensure the learning environment is appropriate; all IIS must have a sensory room attached and where possible outdoor space.
Primary schools will be invited to submit an Expression of Interest (EOI) to host 3 ASC 16 place Specialist bases.
Further preparation work will begin on our 2 secondary school 20 place ASC specialist bases. |
Settings 80-100 new IIS places in our primary schools, which should reduce the number of EHC applications from those schools and increased attendance as children receive earlier intervention. Where IIS are already in place we have seen either reduced requests or no increase in EHNAs. |
•Increased local provision capacity
Identification of nurseries to deliver Early Years inclusion bases.
A further 10 IIS operational.
3 Primary School will be identified to host the ASC Specialist bases.
The new PRU model will be agreed, with KS2 provision likely to be delivered as satellite SEMH provision within mainstream schools. KS3 and 4 will focus on Tier 3 AP provision as Tier 2 is increasingly being managed within our Tier 2 ALP provision within 4 of our secondary schools.
|
•Reduction in out-of-area placement Stabilisation of out of city placements with only 9 OOC placements at INMS compared to 12 the previous year.
Increased attendance of SEN pupils where IIS and specialist bases are in place.
|
|
New Workstream 4 Data
Outcome: Data informed commissioning Success measures: · Enhanced provision for EYFS and complex needs to relieve pressure on special school placements · Joint Commissioning Strategy in place. · Ensure children’s needs can be met in mainstream. |
SEND Reform Service Lead / Head of Family Help/Head of Commissioning for FCW |
•Strengthened governance and performance reporting in place. Data Analyst for SEND/EAH in place and reports to SEND Reform Service Lead and prepares reports for SEND and AP Partnership board and Head of Commissioning to inform joint commissioning strategy with the ICB. |
•Baseline metrics established across all success measures and agreed through the SEND and AP Partnership Board. |
•Strengthened governance and performance reporting implemented. Dashboard presented at SEND and AP Partnership Board. Data includes all matrices that will measure EAH impact in addition to city wide Inclusion data.
Joint commissioning strategy drafted with ICB to ensure SaLT and OT workforce is in place to deliver EAH and other support required for SEND provision development. |
•Draft dashboard Agreed by the board and any additional matrices agreed to measure impact over time.
|
•Integrated dashboard live with Q3 data on the following: attendance, attainment, EAH, EHCP, NEET, exclusions.
This information will inform any future planning for allocation of EAH resource and other workforce design.
|
•Dashboard Becomes embedded as a reporting tool.
Joint commissioning strategy is signed off by ICB and LA with data supporting all commissioning decisions. |
|
Projected Investment Spend per quarter See Table below |
|||||||
|
Category |
Q2 |
Q3 |
Q4 |
|
Programme oversight & leadership (max 10%) |
£26k (Transformation grant) |
£77k |
£77k |
|
Programme administration (max 10%) |
£11k (Transformation grant) |
£37k |
£37k |
|
EAH Workforce – core delivery capacity (Educational Psychologists, Speech and Language Therapists, Occupational Therapists, specialist teacher outreach, SEMH practitioners and inclusion practitioners, including agency/backfill where required) |
£159k (EAH grant) |
£346k |
£346k |
|
Recruitment & mobilisation (agency, backfill, onboarding, initial capacity cover) |
£25k (EAH grant) |
£25k |
£25k |
|
Workforce development & practice (EAH delivery model, OAIP, SEN Support, CPD) |
£15k (EAH grant) |
£40k |
£40k |
|
Total per quarter |
£236k |
£525k |
£525k |
|
Triangulation Note: As set out in the Assumption page within our Data
return - Planned spend on SaLT and OT for 26/27 is based on a July 2026 start
date however, this may change due to any recruitment challenge. In terms of
additional Educational Psychologist capacity, we are anticipating spending on
3 EPs to start in September 2026. |
|||
7. How will the local area partnership deliver the first-year plan?
The local area partnership will deliver the first-year plan through a programme aligned to reform priorities, clear governance and targeted investment in capacity and capability. The wider trajectory is Year 1 establishes core delivery capacity, Year 2 refines deployment, and Year 3 secure sustainable model.
The SEND & AP Partnership Board will oversee delivery. Year 1 assumptions phased and aligned to the projected Experts at Hand (EAH) model, using existing capacity, targeted recruitment, limited backfill and flexible deployment across education, health and care.
A SEND Reforms Lead will coordinate delivery across workstreams, with clear roles, milestones, risk management, and reporting. Workforce planning reviewed against EAH activity, response times, locality coverage and future-year forecasts. Recruitment, deployment, and service standards adjusted if demand exceeds assumptions.
Corporate services will support delivery through aligned financial planning, value-for-money reporting, and a joint LA–ICB workforce strategy, reconciling workforce assumptions with the EAH model and future-year forecasts, including staffing, mobilisation, backfill, workforce development and supervision.
Strengthened data and analytical capability will be achieved through a shared 0–25 dataset, integrated dashboards and a dedicated SEND Data Analyst post. This will support performance reporting, timely intervention and joint commissioning with Surrey and Sussex ICB, particularly therapy support across EAH model and wider SEND pathways.
Transformation grant funding will support programme management, dashboard development, and delivery of core minimum requirements, alongside the joint LA–ICB workforce strategy focused on therapy support, workforce supply, commissioning, and sustainable deployment.
Together, this approach ensures sufficient capacity, capability and system discipline to deliver Year 1 priorities.
8. Other funding Local Authorities.
For Brighton & Hove, no funding transfer has been made from the Schools Block to the High Needs Block.
Brighton & Hove will use high needs capital investment to deliver an inclusive, sustainable 0–25 SEND sufficiency strategy aligned to the SEND Reform Plan. Capital investment will prioritise mainstream inclusion first, alongside targeted specialist expansion where this is supported by demand data. Over the next three years, the city is proposing 10 additional support bases in primary schools, 6 specialist bases across 4 primary and 2 secondary settings, a further early years specialist base, 17 specialist post-16 places and 40 additional AP places through PRU remodelling and related provision. DfE capital funding will support these developments, including around £600k for the 10 additional support bases and approximately £8.8m over three years for specialist base development, including early years and post-16 supported internship adaptations.
This programme is designed as one connected sufficiency response rather than a set of separate capital projects. Inclusion base planning is being shaped by analysis of current and forecast demand, patterns of need, school place pressures and where children are currently travelling to access support. Transport trends are an important indicator within this analysis: where children are travelling long distances, across the city or out of area, this signals gaps in local provision and helps identify where additional inclusion and specialist capacity is most needed. Support bases and specialist bases will therefore be strategically located across the city to reduce unnecessary travel. This is both an inclusion objective and a sufficiency objective, because children and young people are more likely to attend, participate and remain connected to their communities when support is available closer to home.
AP pressures are also integral to the wider sufficiency strategy. Rising complexity of need, attendance challenges and pressure on mainstream placements can increase demand for AP and specialist provision if early intervention and local inclusion capacity are not strong enough. Our approach is therefore to use capital investment to strengthen the continuum of provision: expanding inclusion and support bases in mainstream schools, remodelling PRU provision, and creating clearer pathways for reintegration and targeted SEMH support. This means AP is planned as part of a wider local offer that helps prevent escalation, supports children earlier and reduces avoidable movement into higher-cost or more distant placements.
Capital funding will also be used to improve the suitability of mainstream provision through accessibility adaptations, sensory environments, specialist facilities and, where appropriate, assistive technology. These improvements will help providers meet a wider range of needs and support inclusive practice across early years, primary, secondary and post-16 phases. Priority cohorts for development, including autism, SEMH and speech and language needs, have been identified through sufficiency analysis, stakeholder engagement and co-production with parents and carers, providers and trusts. Delivery will be phased and supported through robust commissioning to ensure developments are sustainable and aligned to workforce and revenue planning.
Where needs cannot be met effectively through mainstream or inclusion bases alone, targeted specialist expansion will remain part of the plan, informed by robust evidence and kept proportionate within the overall strategy. Taken together, this approach links capital investment, AP planning, transport analysis and inclusion base development into a single sufficiency strategy focused on increasing local capacity, reducing reliance on independent and out-of-area placements, improving attendance and participation, and securing better value for money. It will also help reduce home to school transport costs as more provision is delivered closer to home. Delivery will be monitored through governance, aligned performance metrics and regular review to ensure investment remains responsive to changing demand and system pressures.
Overall, this approach will deliver a progressive shift towards a more inclusive system where local provision is sufficient, accessible and high quality, improving outcomes and ensuring all children and young people can access appropriate education and preparation for adulthood within their local community. Delivery will be monitored through governance, aligned performance metrics and regular review, ensuring accountability and effective use of capital resources.
System partner and stakeholder engagement, and co-production.
The local area partnership will engage system partners and stakeholders through a structured, inclusive and co‑produced approach to both development and implementation of the plan. This builds on existing workstream and governance arrangements while strengthening consistency, reach and demonstrable impact in line with core minimum expectations.
Engagement with education providers will be delivered through established governance and network structures, including the SEND & AP Partnership Board, school cluster partnerships, Behaviour and Attendance Partnerships, SENCO networks and leadership forums. Early years providers and post-16/FE settings will be fully represented within these structures to ensure a consistent 0–25 perspective. Alternative Provision (AP) will continue to be engaged through the Behaviour & Attendance Partnership and provider networks, with clear expectations on participation in planning, quality assurance and reintegration outcomes. Engagement will extend to FE providers attended by Brighton & Hove learners through engagement in workstreams, inclusion in consultation activity, and use of commissioning relationships to ensure alignment with local priorities.
Co-production with parents and carers will be strengthened through a refreshed partnership agreement with PaCC and Amaze, with clear resourcing and financial investment, roles and expectations aligned to SEND Reform requirements. Engagement mechanisms will include facilitated workshops, surveys, focus groups and workstream and strategic meetings. A formal approach to evidencing impact will be implemented through quarterly “You said / we did” reporting. For children and young people (CYP), a dedicated SEND participation mechanism will be established, with clear routes into strategic governance and defined support to enable meaningful and representative engagement.
The partnership will meet core minimum requirements by embedding co-production from design through to evaluation across all four workstreams, ensuring participation is representative, influential and systematically recorded. All of the workstreams will be responsible and accountable for the design and implementation of provision and services and therefore will need to ensure that measurable outcome on progress is reported to the Governance structure in place. Annual Partnership Maturity Assessment updates and consistent reporting tools will be used to monitor progress and ensure accountability.
In the context of the Schools White Paper and evolving system roles, the partnership will work collaboratively with education leaders to strengthen shared accountability for inclusion. A new SEND Reform Lead post will be employed within the Council to ensure the delivery of the reforms, Schools, trusts and providers will be supported to take an increasingly active role in shaping provision, commissioning and delivery, with clear expectations aligned to inclusive practice and local pathways. Transition to these arrangements will be supported through ongoing engagement, clear communication of expectations and phased implementation.
This approach ensures engagement is systematic, inclusive and outcome-focused, underpinning effective delivery of the reform plan.
9. Risks and Mitigations (Annex C scoring scale aligned)
What are the key risks that could affect the successful implementation of your Local SEND Reform Plan, and what mitigation strategies are in place to manage these risks?
|
Risk |
Impact (1–5) |
Likelihood (1–5) |
RAG |
Mitigation |
Residual Impact (1–5) |
Residual Likelihood (1–5) |
Residual RAG |
|
Workforce capacity constraints across education, health and care |
5 (Major) |
4 (Likely) |
Red |
We will implement a multi-agency workforce strategy; strengthen recruitment and retention; deploy alternative delivery models and phased EAH rollout prioritising highest need. Escalation threshold: if we do not recruit to at least 50% of the requisite workforce. |
4 |
3 |
Amber |
|
Financial pressures and high-needs demand limit system shift |
5 (Major) |
4 (Likely) |
Red |
Strengthen value-for-money framework; further align commissioning to outcomes; prioritise early intervention; use benchmarking to inform resource decisions. Escalation threshold: Demand rises outside of expected trajectory. |
4 |
3 |
Amber |
|
Inconsistent inclusion practice across settings |
4 (Significant) |
4 (Likely) |
Red |
Define and quality assure high-quality SEN Support; embed OAIP expectations; use benchmarking and targeted support to drive consistency. Escalation threshold: Through provision SEN Support Audit tool it is apparent that inclusive practice is not evident in at least 30% of settings. |
3 |
3 |
Amber |
|
Fragmented data and limited analytical capacity |
5 (Major) |
3 (Possible) |
Red |
Implement a shared 0–25 dataset; develop integrated dashboards; secure analytical capacity; embed routine reporting and joint interpretation. Escalation threshold: Unable to establish and agree data operational data-sharing and dashboard. |
3 |
3 |
Amber |
|
Co-production not consistently embedded across workstreams |
3 (Moderate) |
3 (Possible) |
Amber |
Refresh co-production agreement with PaCC/Amaze with clear resourcing and financial investment; establish CYP participation mechanisms; implement “You said / we did” reporting. Escalation threshold: Parents and carers feedback that their voice is not having an impact upon the design and delivery of the reform plan. This is also the case for children and young people. |
2 |
2 |
Green |
10. Dependencies
Delivery of the local SEND Reform Plan is dependent on national and local reforms that shape the operating context, resource availability, workforce capacity and system expectations. The partnership will manage these dependencies through proactive alignment, joint planning and adaptive implementation, ensuring delivery remains coherent and responsive to change.
Changes within the Integrated Care Board (ICB), including organisational restructuring and financial pressures, may affect partner engagement, decision-making capacity and service delivery models. The partnership will mitigate this through strengthened joint commissioning, clearly defined expectations for health representation at strategic and operational levels, and alignment of priorities to focus limited resource on high-impact areas such as therapies, mental health and transitions. Governance arrangements will ensure health partners remain fully engaged in delivery and accountability. Delivery of the Experts at Hand (EAH) model is also dependent on evolving national guidance and local agreement on pathways, thresholds and service standards. The partnership will manage this through phased implementation, clear local operating guidance and regular review so that EAH remains aligned to national expectations while responsive to local need.
Local Government Reorganisation (LGR) may alter governance structures, decision-making pathways and organisational capacity. While the direction and timing remain uncertain, the partnership will maintain delivery through clearly defined governance via the SEND & AP Partnership Board, robust programme management and continuity planning. This will ensure structural changes do not disrupt delivery, with clear escalation routes and decision-making arrangements maintained.
Reforms to Children’s Social Care, including Family Help, will influence thresholds, early intervention approaches and multi-agency working. The partnership will align SEND and social care reforms through shared pathways and the opportunities afforded through co-location at our Best Start in Life Family Hubs. This will enable strengthened social care representation, particularly for safeguarding and transitions to adulthood, supporting earlier intervention and coordinated support for families.
Best Start in Life and Family Hubs reforms are critical enablers for early identification and intervention. These programmes strengthen the universal and targeted offer, improve access to support and integrate SEND pathways. The implementation of the ‘Team around the City Child’ based at our Best Start in Life Family Hubs will further support settings in providing on demand multi-disciplinary support.
The partnership will align delivery through joint planning, shared data and coordinated workforce development across early years, health and family services. The Best Start in Life strategic plan 2026 to 2029 reinforces early support and reduction of inequalities, aligned through improved transitions into education and clearer support pathways for families. Delivery is also dependent on workforce recruitment and retention pipelines across education, health and care, particularly in specialist roles such as Educational Psychology, SaLT, OT, SEMH and specialist teaching. The partnership will manage this through joint workforce planning, phased recruitment, targeted grow-our-own and training routes, and flexible deployment aligned to demand.
The Curriculum and Assessment Review may impact expectations of mainstream inclusion and how needs are identified and supported within educational settings. Changes may affect accountability, curriculum flexibility and inclusion expectations. The partnership will work with education providers to ensure local guidance, including Ordinarily Available Inclusive Practice, remains aligned and supports consistent delivery.
Across these dependencies, the partnership will maintain flexibility, regularly review risks through governance structures, and engage national and regional partners where further clarity or support is required, ensuring risks are identified early and mitigated through timely system response. Progress is also dependent on interoperability between education, health and local authority data systems so that demand, delivery, quality and outcomes can be tracked consistently. The partnership will manage this through shared data definitions, phased dashboard development, information-sharing agreements and practical improvements to digital connectivity and reporting.
In addition, local factors may influence delivery, including inspection cycles (Ofsted and CQC), political and governance cycles, and workforce market pressures, particularly in specialist roles such as Educational Psychology and therapies. These dependencies will be managed through proactive risk monitoring, scenario planning and early escalation through governance, ensuring delivery remains on track and responsive.
Dependencies will be actively monitored through governance, with defined escalation thresholds, risk tracking and mitigation actions reviewed regularly by the SEND & AP Partnership Board.
Section 3 – Monitoring and Evaluation
11. How will the local area partnership know delivery is on track?
Brighton & Hove will maintain robust oversight of delivery through a clear, multi-level performance framework that integrates real-time data monitoring, regular governance review, and continuous feedback from stakeholders.
Monitoring will be underpinned by a centralised inclusion dashboard, with the aim of bringing together data from education, health and social care systems. This dashboard will be used operationally on a regular basis by delivery teams to track demand, service activity, and emerging pressures. Key demand measures will include EHCP applications for assessment, levels of Targeted plus Support, referral volumes into the gateway, and patterns of need across Family Hub localities. Service delivery will be tracked through metrics such as deployment of Speech and Language Therapy, Educational Psychology and outreach teams, alongside volume and reach of interventions and provision capacity. Service quality will be monitored through parental satisfaction data, child and young person feedback where appropriate, SENDIASS feedback, complaints, mediation timeliness, resolution rates and user experience. Outcome measures will cover the 0-25 age range and include attainment, attendance, exclusion rates, NEET data and the proportion of needs met without escalation through a reduction in EHCA, enabling a clear line of sight from activity to impact.
This includes explicit assumptions regarding data interoperability, provider data availability and operational data-sharing arrangements across partners.
This operational intelligence will be complemented by a structured governance cycle. A defined set of Key Performance Indicators (KPIs), aligned to the Year 1 delivery plan, will be reviewed quarterly by the SEND & AP Partnership Board. This will include quantitative metrics (e.g. timeliness, coverage, workforce deployment) and qualitative indicators (e.g. parental confidence, stakeholder feedback). The Board will use this intelligence to make informed decisions about prioritisation, resource allocation and system adjustments. Quarterly reporting will provide a deeper evaluation of progress against trajectory, risks and impact, ensuring alignment with the three-year reform programme. The impact of Experts at Hand will be measured through service activity, response times, reduction in escalation, increased effectiveness of SEN Support and improved outcomes over time.
In addition, locality-level performance conversations will take place, using disaggregated data to identify variation between schools and communities. This enables targeted support and ensures equitable access to services, preventing disproportionate uptake by more proactive settings.
Feedback and adaptation mechanisms are embedded throughout the delivery model. Regular engagement with schools, including headteacher forums, SENCO networks and locality clusters, will provide qualitative insight into the effectiveness and accessibility of support. Parent and carer voice will be captured through the Parent Carer Council, SENDIASS, surveys, and structured engagement activity, ensuring lived experience informs ongoing development. Children and young people’s views will also be incorporated through existing participation frameworks.
These feedback loops will directly inform iterative improvement. Insights from data and stakeholder feedback will be triangulated and fed into regular operational reviews and Partnership Board discussions, enabling responsive adjustments to workforce deployment, access routes and commissioning priorities. The system is designed to move beyond static reporting to dynamic, intelligence-led improvement.
Together, these monitoring tools, governance processes and feedback mechanisms will ensure that the local area partnership can track delivery with precision, respond rapidly to emerging issues, and maintain a clear focus on improving outcomes for children and young people with SEND.
12. Reporting to DfE
(Data Return)
Section 4 – Governance
13. How will the local area partnership ensure delivery of plans remain on track?
|
Governance Mechanism |
Purpose / Responsibilities |
Membership |
Cadence |
Decision Rights |
Escalation Route |
|
SEND & AP Partnership Board (Local Area Partnership Board) |
Strategic oversight of SEND Reform Plan delivery across all workstreams; monitors performance, risk and impact; reviews KPIs and dashboard data; ensures joint accountability across education, health and care; approves key programme decisions and corrective actions where delivery is off track. Receives consolidated reporting from all Task & Finish Groups and programme leads. |
Chaired by the SRO (Director of Education & Learning). Membership includes senior local authority leaders, NHS Sussex/Place leadership, PaCC/Amaze, headteachers (all phases), MAT representation, early years representatives, post-16 / FE representation, SENDIASS input where appropriate, finance leads and links to Schools Forum to support coherent engagement across settings |
Quarterly (with additional extraordinary meetings if required) |
Approves delivery priorities, resource allocation, service redesign and corrective actions; signs off Reform Plan and major programme changes; holds partners to account for delivery. |
Escalates to Corporate Leadership Team (CLT), Health & Wellbeing Board, ICB governance and Cabinet where strategic or system-level decisions are required. |
|
Senior Responsible Officer (SRO) |
Provides overall accountability for SEND Reform delivery; ensures programme coherence across all workstreams; drives pace, challenge and system alignment; oversees governance effectiveness and risk management; holds partners to account for delivery against agreed milestones and outcomes. |
Individual: Georgina Clarke-Green, Director of Education & Learning (LA SRO). Embedded within partnership leadership. |
Continuous oversight with formal reporting through Partnership Board |
Makes decisions on programme direction, prioritisation and escalation; commissions corrective action; ensures alignment across partners and workstreams. |
Escalates to Chief Executive, ICB Chief Executive, Directorate Leadership Team and Cabinet for system-critical risks or decisions. |
|
SEND Reform Programme / Task & Finish Groups (Workstreams 1–8) |
Responsible for delivery of specific reform workstreams (e.g. Experts at Hand, Sufficiency, Universal Offer, Data, Co-production); manage implementation, track milestones, monitor risks and provide regular performance updates; ensure delivery aligns to overall programme trajectory and outcomes. |
Multi-agency membership including LA officers, NHS partners, schools, early years, post-16 providers and Parent/Carer representatives; each group led by a designated senior responsible lead. |
Half Termly (or more frequently during key delivery phases) |
Operational decision-making within agreed scope; delivery planning, sequencing and implementation; identification and mitigation of risks. |
Escalates delivery risks, resource constraints and performance concerns to SEND & AP Partnership Board and SRO. |
|
Programme Management / Delivery Infrastructure (including dashboards, action trackers and decision logs) |
Provides operational grip on delivery through monitoring tools including a central inclusion dashboard, programme tracker, risk log and decision log; tracks demand (e.g. EHCP requests, referrals), service delivery (e.g. workforce deployment), service quality (e.g. parental feedback) and outcomes (e.g. attendance, exclusion); supports performance conversations and informs decision-making. |
Programme leads, data analysts, LA and ICB officers supporting delivery and governance processes. |
Weekly operational review; quarterly reporting to Partnership Board |
No formal decision-making authority; provides analysis, assurance and recommendations to inform governance decisions. |
Escalates risks and performance issues to Task & Finish Groups and Partnership Board via programme reporting cycle. |
|
Corporate and System Governance (CLT, Health & Wellbeing Board, ICB, Cabinet, Pan-Sussex Children’s Board) |
Provides wider system assurance, statutory oversight and alignment with corporate and health priorities; ensures SEND Reform is integrated with wider strategies (e.g. Best Start, Families First); receives high-level performance reporting and approves major strategic decisions, funding and policy direction. |
Senior leaders across LA, NHS, and wider system partners including elected members (Cabinet) and statutory boards. |
Quarterly (or aligned to existing governance cycles) |
Strategic decision-making, policy approval, financial oversight and system-wide prioritisation. |
Escalation point for the SEND & AP Partnership Board and SRO where issues require system-level intervention or formal approval. |
This Local SEND Reform Plan has been developed, reviewed and agreed through the Brighton & Hove SEND & AP Partnership Board and associated governance structures. The plan reflects collective ownership across the local area partnership and has been formally endorsed through this governance route prior to submission, in line with national expectations.
Governance arrangements include defined escalation thresholds, structured challenge processes and mechanisms for adapting delivery where implementation or trajectory diverges from expectations. Governance also ensures systematic oversight of value for money, linking investment decisions to measurable outcomes, demand management and financial sustainability.
Diagram to show the relationship between these governance mechanisms
· Annex B, Appendix 10
Section 5 – Central Government Support
14. How can the DfE help?
The local area partnership requires targeted national support to enable effective and sustainable delivery of the SEND Reform Plan, particularly to address system capacity constraints and ensure consistent implementation across agencies.
Access to specialist expertise will be critical in priority areas, including development of the Experts at Hand (EAH) model, embedding high-quality SEN Support, and strengthening co-production and governance maturity. Continued engagement with DfE advisers and regional teams will support appropriate challenge, alignment with national expectations, and the sharing of effective practice.
Workforce capacity remains a significant constraint. National support is needed to address recruitment and retention challenges in key specialist roles, notably Educational Psychologists and therapists, alongside the development of training pathways and a coordinated multi-agency workforce strategy. Clarity on long-term funding arrangements will be essential to support recruitment and provide system-wide workforce stability.
Improved access to national data tools, templates and benchmarking datasets will support development of a consistent 0–25 dataset, reduce duplication, and strengthen comparative analysis. Greater clarity on national metrics and reporting expectations will further support consistency and assurance.
Facilitated peer learning and regional collaboration will enable shared solutions to common challenges, particularly in inclusive practice, Alternative Provision and commissioning.
Support for system-level coordination across education, health and care is also required, including alignment with NHS policy changes. Clear, practical guidance on navigating policy interfaces and removing implementation barriers will support confident local delivery.
The partnership specifically requests:
- Clear national operational guidance for Experts at Hand, including delivery models, service expectations and workforce assumptions
- National workforce pipeline support for Educational Psychology and therapy services
- Access to standardised national datasets, benchmarking tools and dashboard templates
- Facilitated regional collaboration to support commissioning, inclusive practice and AP development
- Clarity on long-term funding arrangements and accountability frameworks to ensure system sustainability