Category: Uncategorized

The government have announced a 10-year plan to revitalise schools and colleges for every child. Schools are to be inclusive by design, with dedicated ‘inclusion bases’ and new guidance on adaptations to improve inclusivity and accessibility. 

The NNPCF is encouraged by the recognition that the physical environment can have a significant positive impact on the wellbeing and engagement of pupils with SEND. We also support the commitment to dedicated objectives that ensure school buildings are safe, suitable, sustainable, and of sufficient size to improve outcomes. 

The NNPCF endorse the vision of a school system that is inclusive and meets the needs of all learners, including those with SEND and vulnerable children and agree that it is essential that there is sufficient space in schools, where needed, to support mainstream pupils, learners with SEND, and those in early years settings. 

This announcement is part of the drive to make schools more inclusive by design, the government expects that every secondary school will, in time, have an “inclusion base”.  An inclusion base is the term for a dedicated safe space away from busy classrooms where pupils can access targeted support that bridges the gap between mainstream and specialist provision. 

The NNPCF are part of the SEND Development Group, chaired by Minister Gould, and this week was also attended by Secretary of State Bridget Phillipson.  During these meetings, the NNPCF continue to raise, that buildings and space alone are not enough. New building and bespoke spaces, such as inclusion bases must be matched by sufficient numbers of skilled teachers and teaching assistants, as well as timely access to therapists and specialist support within mainstream settings. Without the right workforce and expertise, this investment will not deliver the meaningful improvements children and young people with SEND need. 

The NNPCF also would also like there to be clear, practical guidance for inclusion bases within mainstream schools ensuring that all inclusion bases have access to qualified and trained teachers, are prevented from using these specialist spaces from being behaviour management units, and children and young people are effectively supported to remain fully included in their school community. 

Link to DfE Press Release:https://www.gov.uk/government/news/10-year-plan-to-revitalise-schools-and-colleges-for-every-child 

What has been announced: 

The Government has set out how it intends to address councils accumulated SEND deficits, confirming it will cover 90% of these shortfalls. A grant will be provided in Autumn 2026 to enable councils to clear their deficits, subject to each local authority submitting a local SEND reform plan and securing approval from the Department for Education (DfE). 

What is the Dedicated Schools Grant (DSG)? 

The Dedicated Schools Grant (DSG) is the main government funding for schools and SEND support. It includes the High Needs Block, which funds provision for children and young people with higher levels of SEND, including specialist placements, therapies and other high-cost support. 

In many areas, the cost of supporting children and young people with SEND, particularly those with Education, Health and Care Plans (EHCPs), has exceeded the funding available. This has led to significant accumulated DSG deficits in council budgets. 

What will happen now 

As part of wider SEND reform: 

• Councils with a DSG deficit can apply for a High Needs Stability Grant to cover 90% of their eligible deficit. 

• The grant will be paid as a Section 31 grant in Autumn 2026, subject to DfE approval of a local SEND reform plan. 

• The reform plan must be developed in partnership with schools, health services, early years and post-16 providers. 

• The grant can only be used to reduce the deficit recorded in council accounts by 31 March 2026. It cannot be used for other purposes. 

• If conditions are not met, future funding may be reduced or withheld. 

The NNPCF suggests that this announcement recognises that previous funding arrangements have not been sufficient to meet the needs of children and young people with SEND. It is now essential that future funding settlements are sustainable and properly resourced, so local authorities can not only meet their statutory duties but also improve outcomes. Children and young people with SEND must have their needs properly met and be supported to thrive alongside their peers. 

What should Parent Carer Forums know? 

In December, the DfE and NHS wrote to Chief Executives of Integrated Care Boards (ICBs) and local authorities asking them to develop a local SEND reform plan. Many Parent Carer Forums (PCFs) are already working with their local area partnerships to support this process. 

The Partnership Maturity Assessment Tool and guidance ask local areas to assess their current practice against a maturity scale. Pillar One of this framework focuses on co-production with parents, carers, children and young people. Parent Carer Forums are referenced throughout this pillar, and co-production should be embedded throughout the development of the reform plan. 

Parent Carer Forums should be actively engaged with their local area partnerships in shaping and influencing these plans. 

Link to DfE Press Release: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/final-local-government-finance-settlement-england-2026-2027-to-2028-2029#support-for-local-authorities-for-dedicated-schools-grant-deficits 

Link to Explanatory note on the government’s approach Dedicated Schools Grant deficits https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/explanatory-note-on-the-governments-approach-to-dedicated-schools-grant-deficits/explanatory-note-on-the-governments-approach-dedicated-schools-grant-deficits 

What has been announced: 

The Department for Education (DfE) has launched a £200 million landmark training programme to help all nursery, school and college staff better support pupils with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND). It’s described as the most ambitious national SEND training offer ever in the English education system. 

Why this matters: 

• The aim is to improve teachers’ confidence and skill in adapting teaching so pupils with different needs can succeed.  

• Training will cover things like supporting visual impairments, speech and language needs and using assistive technology (e.g., speech-to-text tools). 

• The government says this responds directly to parent and educator feedback that existing SEND training has been inconsistent 

Who will get the training 

• Every teacher and education staff member in England in nurseries, schools and colleges is expected to have access to these courses.  
   

• The SEND Code of Practice will be updated so that all settings are expected to provide SEND and inclusion training to their staff 

This training is part of wider SEND reforms and investments (including more specialist places and staffing).  

Whilst the NNPCF welcomes this investment in SEND training, we believe training on its own is not enough. High-quality professional development must sit alongside access to specialist support, such as speech and language therapists, educational psychologists and other experts, so that SENCOs, teachers and teaching assistants can access timely advice and guidance to deliver effective support in the classroom. 

NNPCF remains concerned about the number of teachers leaving the profession. To make a meaningful difference for children and young people with SEND, we need a workforce that feels valued, supported and equipped to meet the needs of their school community. Sustainable improvement will require not only training, but the right staffing, specialist input and a positive culture change in some schools, to ensure that every child and young person can fully access inclusive practice. 

Link to DfE Press Release: https://www.gov.uk/government/news/200-million-landmark-send-teacher-training-programme 

What has been announced: 

The Department for Education (DfE) has announced plans for formal inspections of multi-academy trusts (MATs), groups that run multiple state schools, for the first time. These plans have been added to a new law called the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill currently progressing through Parliament. 

Why this matters: 

Right now, individual schools are inspected (for example by Ofsted), but there hasn’t been a formal process to inspect the MATS as a whole. Such as how a MAT leads, manages and supports all its schools together. The new inspections aim to give parents and communities a clearer picture of how effectively MATs are running their schools overall. 

Mult-academy trust inspections will focus on leadership, governance and impact 

• how effectively MATs improve schools 

• provide high quality education 

• support staff 

• resources  

• promote pupil wellbeing 

After inspection, a written report will be published so parents can see what’s working well and what needs improvement.  

The inspection will provide a route of recognition and celebration of those who are transforming outcomes for pupils. However, if a MAT is found not to be meeting acceptable standards, there will be new powers to intervene, for example, by moving schools to stronger trusts where needed 

Is this starting now? 

It’s not yet in law. The Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill still needs to complete its journey through Parliament before these inspections can begin. Once the law is in place, further rules and timelines (such as how often inspections happen) will be set out. 

NNPCF hopes that a stronger focus on MAT level decision making will mean that the processes and practices, such as the ones families raise with local Parent Carer Forums are looked at more closely. 

Parents regularly report to PCFs about issues that can significantly affect children and young people with SEND, such as off-rolling, high rates of exclusion, concerns about admissions, the use of part-time timetables, curriculum approaches that may not meet individual needs, and MAT wide behaviour or attendance policies. 

Greater scrutiny at MAT level should help ensure these policies and practices are fair, inclusive and centred on the needs of children and young people with SEND.  

Furthermore, the NNPCF believe that the formal inspections of multi-academy trusts (MATs) must ensure that the views of children young people and parent carers are consulted and remain at the heart of the inspection.    

Link to DfE Press Release: https://www.gov.uk/government/news/government-to-introduce-academy-trust-inspections 

What has been announced: 

The Department for Education (DfE) has pledged at least £3 billion to expand SEND provision across England. The aim is to end the “postcode lottery” for children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities, so families have good local options no matter where they live 

Why this matters: 

For many SEND families, the available places and support vary widely from area to area. This can mean children travel long distances or are unable to access the right provision locally. The new investment is intended to tackle these problems by: 

• Creating around 50,000 new specialist places in mainstream schools, which include calm and tailored learning spaces designed for pupils with SEND.  

• Allow children to learn closer to home, reducing lengthy travel to distant specialist provision.  

• Support the delivery of all 10,000 planned special free school places, either by building the free schools or by giving local authorities the funding to create equivalent specialist places more quickly.  

• Help mainstream schools develop tailored facilities and environments that meet a range of needs (e.g., sensory and calm spaces).  

The DfE says this investment forms part of wider reforms to create a more inclusive SEND system where children and young people can access local provision that meets their needs. 

The NNPCF welcomes investment that strengthens inclusion and improves access to high-quality local provision. However, buildings alone are not enough. New places must be matched with sufficient numbers of skilled teachers and teaching assistants, as well as timely access to therapists and specialist support within mainstream settings. Without the right workforce and expertise, this investment will not deliver the meaningful improvements children and young people with SEND need. 

The NNPCF also believes that clear, practical guidance for specialist provision within mainstream schools. This is to ensure access to qualified and trained teachers, preventing specialist spaces from being used simply to manage behaviour. These spaces must be used effectively to support children and young people to remain fully included in their school community. 

Further detail on how the funding will be allocated and how specialist places will operate in practice is expected in the forthcoming Schools White Paper and associated guidance. 

Link to DfE Press Release: https://www.gov.uk/government/news/3bn-investment-to-end-postcode-lottery-for-children-with-send 

The NNPCF is aware that many Parent Carer Forums (PCFs) are engaging with Local Area SEND Improvement Boards that are chaired independently. We wanted to provide some context about why Independent Chairs have been introduced, how they are intended to function, and to share emerging feedback from PCF areas where Independent Chairs are already in place. 

Why Independent Chairs? 

The Independent Chair role was established primarily to support local areas that received an ‘inconsistent’ outcome in their Local Area SEND Inspection (under the new inspection framework) to support and drive the delivery of the Priority Action Plan.  However, some areas that have not received an inconsistent outcome have also chosen to employ an independent chair to support local SEND Boards. 

Funding for the independent Chairs is generally provided by the Local Authority, with many roles also supported through joint commissioning arrangements for the role in place in place with the Integrated Care Board (ICB). 

Independent Chairs typically: 

• Have extensive senior leader experience and have an understanding of SEND Practice and legislation as well as the Ofsted and CQC Local Area SEND Inspection Framework.  

• Work independently of both the Local Authority and Integrated Care Board (ICB). 

• Chair Improvement Board meetings 

• Meet with a wide range of local stakeholders, including PCFs 

• Offer both challenge and support 

• Work alongside the Department for Education (DfE) and NHS England (NHSE) 

The intention behind the role is to provide credible, independent leadership that can strengthen accountability, maintain focus on impact, and support sustained system improvement. 

The Job Descriptions for the role of the independent chair, can be found within the Improvement Board Tool Kit. 

The Local Government Association is supporting the Role of independent chairs with Dame Christine Lenehan and Deborah Glassbrook chairing regular meetings bring together all independent chairs who are supporting areas to deliver Priority Action Plans to share the learning 

The Improvement Board Toolkit 

As part of the Department for Education’s Research and Improvement for SEND Excellence (RISE) programme, a new SEND Improvement Board Toolkit has been developed. This toolkit was funded by the Department for Education and created by Dame Christine Lenehan and Deborah Glassbrook, drawing on significant consultation and co-development with multi-agency stakeholders who have been involved in some of the first statutorily required SEND Improvement Boards. 

The toolkit consists of 10 exemplar documents, designed to be used flexibly and adapted by Local Area Partnerships. It was developed in response to a clear need to capture learning from early Improvement Boards and to test what has worked well, and what has not, in practice. The toolkit is not intended to provide all the answers; rather, it offers practical scaffolding to support Improvement Boards to function effectively and consistently. 

The toolkit is available here: Improvement Board Toolkit 

Feedback from PCF Areas with Independent Chairs 

(NNPCF feedback summary from some of the PCF areas who have independent chairs  – December 2025) 

The NNPCF has gathered feedback from PCFs in some of the areas where Independent Chairs are in place. While experiences vary, several common themes have emerged. 

Credible, independent leadership and challenge 

Where the role works well, Independent Chairs bring strong sector credibility that secures senior engagement, enables robust challenge, and supports effective decision-making. 

Outcome-focused leadership 
Strong, independent leadership helps shift systems away from compliance and towards meaningful, sustained improvements for children, young people and families. 

Parent carer voice and system alignment 
Effective Independent Chairs champion PCFs, embedding lived experience into decision-making and strengthening joint working across education, health and care through constructive challenge. 

Sustainability and consistency of impact 
Some PCFs raised concerns about reliance on individuals and effective succession planning to ensure that the system does not return to data-led compliance once the role ends. 

Independence, culture and local context 
Perceived independence can potentially be undermined where Chairs are LA-funded. In a few areas, cultural resistance and limited local knowledge further constrain the effectiveness of the role. 

NNPCF reflections 

Independent Chairs have the potential to play a vital and valuable role in supporting SEND system improvement, particularly where they are genuinely independent, skilled in relational leadership, and committed to co-production with parent carers.  

The NNPCF will continue to listen to PCF experiences, raise themes at a national level, and advocate for approaches that strengthen authentic co-production and deliver meaningful improvements for children, young people and families.  Along with our continued work with Dame Christine Lenehan and Deborah Glassbrook and the Independent Chair Group. 

The NNPCF welcomes Ofsted’s reformed approach to inspections, particularly the introduction of a dedicated section on inclusion that highlights the experiences of pupils with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) and disadvantaged learners. We are also pleased to see the move to accessible report cards, which will give families clearer, more useful information about their school. 

These changes represent an important step forward in raising the profile of SEND and improving the educational experience of children and young people with additional needs. The new toolkits provide greater transparency by setting out what inspectors will be looking for, supporting schools, families, and inspectors to work from a shared understanding. 

The NNPCF remains committed to working closely with Parent Carer Forums to understand families’ perspectives on these Ofsted reforms as the new inspection programme is introduced. We will continue to share the lived experiences of families with both the Department for Education and Ofsted to help ensure that the reforms lead to meaningful and positive outcomes for children and young people with SEND and their families. 

Improving the way Ofsted inspects education: report on the responses to the consultation – GOV.UK 

The NNPCF welcomes the Children’s Commissioner’s School Census report, which provides important insights from schools and echoes many of the same concerns consistently raised by families through local Parent Carer Forums. Many of these findings align with what the NNPCF and other stakeholder organisations have highlighted for many years: persistent challenges in securing timely assessments, accessing appropriate and effective interventions, obtaining specialist provision, and ensuring a consistent offer of support across the country. 

The Children’s Commissioner’s School Census highlights rising demand for SEND support, with over 1.7 million pupils now identified and more than 630,000 EHC plans in place. Yet fewer than half of new plans are issued within the 20-week statutory limit, reflecting growing pressure on local services. Schools’ delivery is often impacted by overstretched health and care systems, while children from deprived backgrounds remain disproportionately affected. 

The NNPCF remains committed to working with partners across the system to ensure that the upcoming schools white paper translates into tangible improvements for children and families. Embedding co-production, securing equitable provision, and driving measurable outcomes will be essential to delivering an inclusive education system that enables every child and young person with SEND to thrive. 

Click here to read the full report: https://assets.childrenscommissioner.gov.uk/wpuploads/2025/09/cc-the-childrens-plan-the-childrens-commissioners-school-census.pdf 

As we reach the end of another challenging term, the National Network of Parent Carer Forums (NNPCF) would like to express heartfelt thanks to the thousands of dedicated parent carers that run their local Parent Carer Forum (PCF)s across England. With over 156,000 parent carers part of our network nationally, all of us bringing our own powerful stories of navigating the SEND system.  This work continues to give voice to families, challenge systemic failings, and drive forward the case for urgent and meaningful reform. 

The NNPCF acknowledge the deep and growing anxiety from families about the future of Education, Health and Care Plans (EHCPs), and the wider direction of SEND reform. We want families to know: we hear your concerns and share your concerns, and we are continuing to raise them at the highest levels and at every opportunity. Reform is needed but it must be sequenced with care, and co-produced with those it affects most. True and lasting change will only come when children, young people, and their families are supported by a system built on accountability, inclusion, and trust. 

As a national network, the NNPCF holds no decision-making powers or formal authority. While we are not responsible for approving policy, we continue to reflect the lived experiences and views of parent carers and engage in solution-focused dialogue at every opportunity. We choose to work in a solution focus way because we believe that leads to positive and lasting change.   

The Department for Education has confirmed that the White Paper is still under development, and that they remain open to listening, adapting, and shaping proposals based on the feedback and experiences of families.  The NNPCF represents these voices at the national level, working with key stakeholders to influence policy and system design. 

The NNPCF, welcomed recent engagement with families and children and young people from ministers, we would now like to see these introductory meetings evolve into a structured programme of co-production; one that recognises and validates the voices of families and works alongside them to develop concrete, accountable proposals. 

The NNPCF would like to call on everyone involved in the SEND system, to recognise the importance of collective voice and shared purpose. We may differ in our approaches, but each voice matters. Now more than ever, we must stand together and build each other up.  

The NNPCF reaffirms our unwavering commitment to representing the lived experience of families with SEND working with all partners to improve the outcomes for SEND. We remain ready to work with all partners to put children, young people, and families at the heart of meaningful change. We will continue to relentlessly challenge where families voice is not at the heart of decision making.  

Together, we will continue to advocate and challenge for a SEND system that works for everyone. 

The SEND inclusion in education expert group was established in December 2024, by the Department of Education, to advise ministers on how to improve mainstream education outcomes and experiences for children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND).

Following a national call for evidence to find examples of effective inclusive practice in mainstream schools, Inclusion in Practice and ImpactEd Group have published an emerging insights report laying out five principles of promising practice.

Whilst this report was not co-produced with the NNPCF, its recommendations aim to inform government policy and drive the key system reforms needed to better meet the needs of neurodivergent learners in mainstream education.

Report – Inclusion in Practice

You can read more about the taskforce here: SEND inclusion in education expert group – GOV.UK