Local authorities across the country are developing Local SEND Reform Plans ahead of the June deadline. This is a major task, particularly given it comes alongside managing rising levels of SEND need, financial pressure, workforce constraints, and evolving national policy.
For many areas, the challenge is no longer whether there is enough data available. It is how to use that information to make decisions that improve outcomes for children and young people, while remaining practical and deliverable across local systems.
Many local authority leaders are now asking the same question: how do we create a Local SEND Reform Plan that remains useful once reforms move into implementation?
A reform plan may look credible on paper, but the real test comes later. Can it adapt as reforms evolve? Can it support decisions about provision, spending, commissioning, and impact? And can it still help local leaders make informed choices when circumstances change?
These are some of the issues we will explore in a webinar hosted by Mime and 31ten Consulting on Wednesday 20 May at 11am. You can register here.
The ‘SEND reform starts here: crafting a strong Local SEND Reform Plan’ webinar is for:
- Local authority leaders,
- SEND teams,
- Education and health partners, and
- Others involved in developing and delivering Local SEND Reform Plans.
How to plan for reform in a changing environment
Across the sector, local authorities are focused on producing plans that meet current requirements. At the same time, local authorities recognise that SEND reform is likely to continue evolving over the coming years.
Planning approaches need to be flexible enough to respond to changing patterns of need, updated policy expectations, and new intelligence as reforms are implemented.
At Mime, we’ve supported more than 50 local authorities with SEND analysis and forecasting. Our focus is on making complex information clear, usable, and trustworthy so local leaders can act on it with confidence.
This includes forecasting future levels of need, understanding provision pressures, testing scenarios, and evaluating how interventions may affect outcomes over time. The aim is to help local authority leaders and partners turn complex information about the SEND cohort and available provision into clear, trustworthy evidence that can be used to take action with confidence.
The webinar will explore how local authorities can:
- bring together data from across education, health, and care
- develop modelling that supports long-term planning
- monitor implementation and evaluate impact
- use evidence to support decision-making as reforms evolve
How to turn reform plans into practical delivery
Planning is only part of the picture. Local systems also need to deliver change in practice.
31ten Consulting will share lessons from transformation programmes including Families First, focusing on how local systems can draw on expertise across local services, and sustain improvement over time.
The discussion will explore practical challenges including:
- translating strategy into day-to-day delivery
- aligning partners around shared outcomes
- embedding sustainable change across services
- maintaining oversight of progress and impact
The webinar will also provide an opportunity for discussion with colleagues from across the sector. Many local authorities are working through similar challenges around inclusion, provision sufficiency, implementation, and financial sustainability.
How to join our SEND Reform Plan webinar
Our ‘SEND reform starts here: crafting a strong Local SEND Reform Plan’ webinar is at 11.00am on Wednesday 20 May.
You can register here.
Presenters include:
- Steve Preston, founder and Managing Director of Mime
- Peter Nathan, Director of Education at Enfield Council
- Joe Miller, Associate Director and SEND lead at Mime
- Will Mehew, Senior Analyst at Mime
- Joseph Dunton, Director at 31ten
- Laura Power-Wharton, Director at 31ten
You can also read more about the partnership between Mime and 31ten here:
Mime and 31ten partnership announcement
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