Local & Regional Government

Four strategic themes and three practical improvements emerging from the feedback local authorities are receiving on the data modelling in their draft plans.  As part of our work supporting 20 local authorities with their SEND local reform plans, we have been reviewing DfE feedback and helping authorities respond. While every area has a local flavour, several common themes are emerging. The feedback is less about changing strategic direction and more about strengthening the evidence, assumptions and analysis that supports the delivery plan.  The plans submitted across the country represent a significant amount of work. They have been developed against a backdrop of rising need, financial pressure, evolving policy expectations and tight timeframes. The themes emerging from feedback provide a useful indication of where authorities may want…

This week, we hosted SEND Reform Starts Here: Crafting a Strong Local Plan Reform Plan in partnership with 31ten Consulting, with insights from Peter Nathan, Director of Education at Enfield Council. Over 50 local authority leaders and SEND professionals joined us for a conversation that was honest, urgent and, at times, refreshingly candid about how hard this all is. Local areas are facing significant pressure around data, demand, provision, finance and parent confidence. The session focused on what strong local SEND reform planning looks like in practice: how to use data well, build useful forecasts, connect plans to provision and…

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…