SEND News and Reforms
- Written by: Lindsey Rousseau
Contracts for £18 million supported internships investment announced
The Department for Education (DfE) has announced the Internships Work consortium and the British Association of Supported Employment (BASE) as the chosen delivery partners for an £18 million investment in the Supported Internships programme.
The new Internships Work programme will deliver on a commitment set out in the SEND and AP green paper, offering more young people who have additional needs (an Education, Health and Care Plan) the skills to secure and sustain paid employment.
The Internships Work programme includes the National Development Team for Inclusion (NDTi), BASE, and DFN Project SEARCH. It will work closely with local authorities to double the number of supported internships by 2025, engaging with employers and young people to level up the quality of Supported Internships across the programme.
In addition to their involvement in Internships Work, BASE will offer personalised support to young people in acquiring skills and independence by training over 700 new job coaches by 2025.
You can read more about Internships Work and BASE by visiting their websites.
Call for Evidence into the use of Unregistered Alternative Provision closes 30 September
As part of the SEND and AP green paper, the DfE committed to review and improve oversight and accountability for unregistered alternative provision settings. To inform and support a national vision and delivery model for alternative provision, the department launched a call for evidence. It is predominantly aimed at commissioners, including schools and local authorities, as well as unregistered providers who deliver the education. It asks those with a practical understanding of how these provisions are arranged and operate to share their views.
The call for evidence closes Friday 30 September. Further information is available on GOV.UK.
- Written by: Lindsey Rousseau
The Standards and Testing Agency are very grateful to SEND schools for their engagement with the statutory implementation of the Reception Baseline Assessment during the 2021-2022 academic year.
The RBA has been designed so that almost all children, including children with SEND, can access the assessment, and modified materials are available. There are, however, a small proportion of SEND pupils for whom the assessment is not appropriate.
Our experience this year has shown that SEND schools aren't always aware that where the school decides that it is not appropriate for a pupil to take the assessment, the headteacher must record this decision on the Baseline ePortal (BeP), including where this applies to an entire cohort. Failure to do so may mean your school is marked as not engaging with the RBA and will result in chase activity. As such, we would like to remind SEND schools of this requirement ahead of the Reception Baseline Assessment due to take place in September 2022-2023 academic year.
For more information on the RBA please visit GOV.UK. If you have any questions, please contact the reception baseline assessment helpline on 0330 088 4171 or email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
- Written by: Lindsey Rousseau
Consultation on reviews of Education, Health and Care plans: proposed timescales
The department is seeking views on the deadline for a local authority issuing proposals to amend an Education, Health and Care plan following a review meeting. For further details and to respond before 23:45 on Friday 12 August, visit GOV.UK.
Reviews of Education, Health and Care plans: proposed timescales
Recent DfE publications on behaviour and music
We recently published the documents listed below that will be of particular interest to those with an interest in SEND.
Updated Behaviour in Schools guidance, Suspension and Permanent Exclusion guidance and Searching, Screening and Confiscation guidance
We recently published the updated behaviour in schools guidance, updated suspension and permanent exclusion guidance, updated searching, screening and confiscation at school guidance and our response to the public consultation on behaviour and exclusions.
These legislative changes will come into force in September 2022.
The Power of Music to Change Live: National Plan for Music Education
We recently published The Power of Music to Change Lives: A National Plan for Music Education. The plan sets out the government’s vision to enable all children and young people in England to:
- learn to sing, play an instrument and create music together
- have the opportunity to progress their musical interests and talents, including professionally
The plan sets out available support for schools e.g. through their local music hub, and is clear about the importance of music for all pupils, including those with SEND. You can find examples of good practice in the case studies document which includes specialist settings. You may also be interested to read this blog from panellist David Stanley: A National Plan for Music Education to help children and young people with SEND thrive (themusicmanblog.com).
The Government also announced new investment of £25 million capital funding from Autumn 2023, to enable the purchase of musical instruments and technology, including adaptive instruments where needed for pupils with SEND. Further information will be provided in due course.
- Written by: Lindsey Rousseau
DfE ministerial appointments and portfolios
Yesterday (13 July), the Department for Education confirmed new ministerial portfolios. Will Quince MP is Minister of State for School Standards. Alongside responsibility for school standards, qualifications, and curriculum, he retains responsibility for the SEND Review reforms, including the AP proposals set out in the green paper. Brendan Clarke-Smith MP is Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Children and Families and will have formal responsibility for AP, children’s social care, early years and more. Ministers will be working together to ensure the department delivers on the commitments set out in green paper. For a full breakdown of ministerial portfolios, please see the ‘Our Ministers’ section of the DfE page at: https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/department-for-education.
Share your views on SEND and Alternative Provision reforms
With less than 2 weeks until the SEND and AP green paper consultation closes (deadline is 22 July), now is the time to reflect on the proposals and share your response before it’s too late. Resources are available to help you understand the proposals, these can be found at: https://sendreview.campaign.gov.uk/. These resources include question and answer sessions that cover mandatory mediation, behaviour, accountability, school SEND budgets and teacher training. You can respond to the consultation by visiting: https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/send-review-right-support-right-place-right-time.
Call for Evidence into the use of Unregistered Alternative Provision
As part of the SEND and AP green paper, the DfE committed to review and improve oversight and accountability for unregistered alternative provision settings. To inform and support a national vision and delivery model for alternative provision, the department has now launched a call for evidence. It is predominantly aimed at commissioners, including schools and local authorities, as well as unregistered providers who deliver the education. It asks those with a practical understanding of how these provisions are arranged and operate to share their views. The call for evidence closes Friday 30 September. Further information is available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/understanding-the-use-of-unregistered-alternative-provision.
- Written by: Lindsey Rousseau
I am writing to inform you that the government announced The Power of Music to Change Lives: A National Plan for Music Education yesterday morning. This is a joint Department for Education and Department for Digital Culture Media and Sport strategy, which builds on the work of the previous Plan published in 2011.
The Plan was developed with the expert guidance of the expert advisory panel. Our panel included David Stanley BEM, the government’s Arts and Culture Disability and Access Ambassador, plus leaders across the music education sector and wider music industry. We have also built on the contributions of thousands of young people, parents, and others in our Call for Evidence consultation in 2020. Our Call for Evidence report highlight the need for music to be more inclusive, in particular for pupils with SEND and pupils from disadvantaged backgrounds, and the power of new technology to improve access.
Our vision is to enable all children and young people to learn to sing, play an instrument and create music together, and progress their musical interests and talents, including professionally. The plan is also clear that music education should be fully inclusive, so that all music educators:
- commit to achieving greater access and more opportunity, and identifying and removing barriers
- take action to support increasing access, opportunity, participation, and progression of groups that are currently under-represented in music
- support understanding of inclusive music education and skills development among music teachers and others.
As part of the Plan, the Government is announcing new investment of £25 million capital funding from Autumn 2023, to purchase of musical instruments and technology, including adaptive instruments and equipment that helps children and young people with disabilities make music. We also want to establish a new centre for excellence focussed on inclusion in 2024, with additional funding to be announced later. We also expect every Music Hub in the country to have an Inclusion Strategy and appoint an Inclusion lead by 2024. I provide a more detailed summary at the end of this email.
You may also be interested the case studies and resources published with the plan (this includes posters promoting music education for young people).
If you think the plan is of interest to your members or networks, do feel free to publicise via your social media and other channels.
In the meantime, if you have any immediate questions about the plan, do let us know.
With best wishes,
Stefano
Stefano Pozzi
Assistant Director, EBacc and Arts Unit – humanities and arts lead
Curriculum and General Qualifications Directorate, DfE
- Written by: Lindsey Rousseau
In March 2022, we announced that we would be working with councils to secure effective and sustainable management of local high needs systems - including through a new delivering better value (DBV) programme, backed by £85 million over 3 years, which will provide dedicated support and funding to 55 local authorities facing significant challenges to reform their high needs systems, with the aim of improving delivery of SEND services for children and young people while securing the sustainability of local services. The first phase of the DBV programme is to be delivered through a contract.
We are now delighted to announce that Newton Europe, in collaboration with the Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy (CIPFA), will deliver this contract from 2022-23.Newton works as a transformation and improvement partner to local authorities and CIPFA is the local government accounting standard setter in the UK. Between them, they have worked with hundreds of public sector organisations, particularly local authorities, have a comprehensive understanding of children’s services and the SEND agenda, and have set out an approach that is:
- Outcomes-focussed. Both organisations have worked extensively alongside local authorities to transform how services are delivered. Their focus is always on improving resident outcomes and ways of working, and consequently sustainably improving financial performance.
- Evidence-based, data-driven and delivery-focussed. Newton and CIPFA take a partnership approach to working with local authorities to create robust plans which will have a measurable and sustainable difference, and as delivery partners understand the challenges associated with implementing change.
- Rooted in co-production: The organisations believe any programme of work needs to be co-produced, bespoke, and based on detailed evidence of each local area – balancing visibility and assurance with local autonomy to genuinely add value to existing work.
- Written by: Lindsey Rousseau
The consultation on our new area SEND inspection framework is now live and can be accessed from this link: Area SEND consultation. On the consultation site you will also find our draft framework and handbook. You may also be interested in this strategic commentary from Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector about the new area SEND framework.
Our consultation sets out the key proposals for our new area SEND framework. Through this you have the opportunity to provide feedback on our proposals and we really encourage you to share your views with us. A separate consultation designed to gather the views of children and young people with SEND and easy-read versions are also available.
We would like to hear from as many people as possible and would be grateful if you could share the consultation link with your colleagues, contacts or anyone you know in the SEND sector including practitioners, parents/carers or children and young people you may work with.
If you have any questions please email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
- Written by: Lindsey Rousseau
The Department for Education has today (15 June) launched a consultation on the actions that a local authority should have to take if it proposes to amend an Education, Health and Care (EHC) plan following a review meeting. We are writing to alert you to the consultation and to ask for your help to raise awareness of the consultation by alerting your networks etc.
We believe that the principal audiences for the consultation paper will be:
- children and young people with EHC plans and their families
- organisations representing children and young people with SEND and their families
- LA SEND officers
- any early years setting, school, college or other setting attended by children or young people with an EHC plan
- educational psychologists, health professionals, social care professionals and others involved in the review of EHC plans
Some of the key points relating to the consultation are set out below.
We will be very interested in your views, please do consider responding: the consultation closes on 12 August.
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