The SEND Watch

Author: The SEND Watch

  • Young people with SEND to “benefit” from new inclusion guidance

    The government has said children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) will benefit from its new government guidance setting out how schools, colleges and early years settings should create more inclusive learning environments.

    The Department for Education said the guidance, published on 24 June 2026, is the first of its kind and aims to ensure children and young people with SEND can attend their local school, early years setting or college and “know they belong there”.

    The government said families have for years faced a “postcode lottery”, with many having to fight for appropriate support, travel long distances to access it, or wait months or years for help.

    Its press release said the new guidance sets out, for the first time, what families should expect from SEND provision.

    Adding that this builds on the government’s commitment that every secondary school will, over time, have an inclusion base – “a dedicated space providing targeted teaching and specialist support those who need it”.

    According to the guidance, inclusion bases will be run by a qualified teacher, will never be used as a sanction, and will provide access to an adapted curriculum designed to meet pupils’ needs.

    The government said the bases are intended to help children “spend more time in mainstream classes alongside their peers”.

    The guidance also covers the design of school, early years and post-16 education buildings. It recommends adapting physical spaces to better meet the needs of children and young people with SEND, including improvements to acoustics and lighting, creating quiet or sensory spaces, and installing features such as ramps and handrails.

    It also suggests schools use approaches such as structured walkthroughs or “Day in the Life” exercises to understand how children with SEND experience their environment and identify barriers to navigating school buildings.

    Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson said: “Every child and young person deserves to feel included, without fighting for the support they need to succeed.

    “We are giving schools a clear, practical blueprint to become truly inclusive, from calmer classrooms and sensory-friendly spaces, to specialist support embedded right in the heart of the school, so children can learn alongside their peers rather than miles from home.

    “Every child deserves to attend a school where they belong, where the environment works for them, and where the right support is simply part of the school day. That’s what we’re building.”

    The government said existing inclusion bases have delivered positive results, with 80% of parents who want their child to attend a base reporting a positive experience.

    Examples cited by the Department for Education include autistic pupils in Sheffield accessing up to 100% of mainstream lessons with tailored support, all pupils leaving a base in the city moving into education, employment or training, 80% of pupils using a base in Nottinghamshire achieving strong GCSE passes in English and maths, and pupils in Oxfordshire who had previously struggled to attend school averaging 93% attendance.

  • SEND provision expands in Essex but pressures on places and transport remain

    Southend Council has spent £1.175 million on private transport for children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND).

    The figure, reported by the Southend Echo, highlights the cost of transporting pupils to schools outside their local area.

    In Basildon, the council’s leader has backed proposals for a new special needs school, aimed at increasing the number of places in the area.

    Education provision in the area is the responsibility of Essex County Council.

    But despite that, pressure on capacity remains.

    At Lancaster School in Westcliff, which has recently opened a new hall, it has been reported that some children are still unable to secure places.

    Councils can be left trying to create more local provision while continuing to fund transport for pupils who cannot yet be placed nearby.

    Demand for Education, Health and Care Plans (EHCPs) has been rising in recent years, adding further pressure to both budgets and school capacity.

  • The council documents most likely to reveal a SEND story

    If you want to understand what’s really happening in SEND in your area, don’t start with press releases.

    Start with council documents.

    Many early warning signs can be found in committee papers, financial reports and complaint findings — often before they are widely reported.

    This guide sets out the documents most likely to reveal SEND problems — and the stories behind them.

    1. Scrutiny committee reports

    Scrutiny committee reports (often from Overview and Scrutiny Committees) are where problems become visible in public.

    These reports tend to reflect:

    • concerns raised by councillors
    • performance issues
    • requests for further investigation

    What to look for:

    • Mentions of EHCP delays (especially “20 weeks”)
    • References to backlogs or “capacity issues”
    • Requests for follow-up reports
    • Phrases like “members raised concerns”

    Example:

    In several councils, scrutiny papers have highlighted concerns about EHCP timeliness months before improvement plans were formally introduced.

    2. Budget monitoring reports

    If you want to find pressure in SEND, follow the money.

    SEND issues frequently show up as financial strain — particularly in the High Needs Block of the Dedicated Schools Grant.

    What to look for:

    • Overspends in SEND or children’s services
    • References to DSG deficits
    • Mentions of independent placements
    • Language like “demand-led pressure”

    Example:

    Budget reports in a number of authorities have linked rising overspends directly to increased use of out-of-area placements, often due to a shortage of local specialist provision.

    3. Ombudsman decisions

    Decisions from the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman are often some of the clearest, evidence-based SEND cases available.

    The Ombudsman investigates complaints where councils may have:

    • delayed EHCPs
    • failed to deliver provision
    • not followed statutory processes

    What to look for:

    • Findings of fault
    • Missed legal deadlines
    • Remedies (payments, apologies, service changes)

    Example:

    Ombudsman decisions regularly include cases where councils have missed the 20-week EHCP deadline, resulting in compensation and required service improvements.

    4. SEND inspection reports

    Joint SEND inspections by Ofsted and the Care Quality Commission assess how effectively councils and health services work together.

    They can highlight serious systemic weaknesses.

    What to look for:

    • “Widespread and/or systemic failings”
    • Weaknesses in EHCP timeliness
    • Issues with joint commissioning

    Example:

    Some inspection reports have identified systemic delays in assessments and planning, leading to formal improvement action by councils and partners.

    5. Performance dashboards

    These are often overlooked — but they contain the raw data behind the narrative.

    What to look for:

    • % of EHCPs completed within 20 weeks
    • Tribunal rates (appeals by parents)
    • Waiting times for assessments

    Example:

    In some councils, dashboard data has shown declining EHCP timeliness over consecutive quarters before this was explicitly acknowledged in narrative reports.

    6. Cabinet / executive decision reports

    Cabinet reports set out decisions — and the reasoning behind them.

    What to look for:

    • Funding approvals for SEND services
    • New specialist provision
    • Contracts (transport, placements)

    Example:

    Cabinet reports have approved investment in new specialist school places following sustained pressure on existing provision.

    7. Complaints and audit reports

    Complaints data and internal audit reports can provide valuable insight into how systems are working.

    What to look for:

    • Rising complaints related to SEND
    • Findings of weak processes
    • Audit opinions such as “limited assurance”

    Example:

    Internal audit reports in some councils have identified weaknesses in EHCP processes, including delays and inconsistent record-keeping.

    HOW THESE FIT TOGETHER

    The strongest stories usually come from combining documents:

    • Budget report → identifies pressure
    • Scrutiny report → confirms concern
    • Ombudsman case → shows real-world impact

    That’s your story.

    FINAL THOUGHT

    If you rely on headlines, you’ll always be behind.

    If you read the documents, you’ll spot the story early.

    📩 Get in touch

    Seen something in your area?
    Email to share tips or documents.

  • The SEND Watch: Where the system actually shows itself

    Most coverage of SEND happens at a distance.

    Announcements. Policy changes. Big national numbers.

    But if you want to understand what’s really going on, you have to look somewhere else.

    You have to look at councils.

    Why this publication exists

    I’ve spent the past few years reporting on local authorities.

    Again and again, the same pattern comes up:The most important stories aren’t hidden, they’re just buried in plain sight.

    SEND is a good example of that.

    Behind every delayed EHCP, every appeal, every complaint, there’s usually a paper trail: reports, minutes, spreadsheets, decisions.

    Those documents tell you what’s happening long before it becomes a headline — if you take the time to follow them.

    This publication exists to do exactly that.

    Not campaigning. Not commentary.

    Just careful reporting, based on what’s actually in the public record.

    Why councils are the place to look

    Councils are where SEND either works — or doesn’t.

    They’re responsible for:

    • Assessing children for EHCPs
    • Funding and commissioning provision
    • Managing transport
    • Balancing high needs budgets that are increasingly under pressure

    All of that shows up in council papers.

    You’ll see missed deadlines discussed in one report.

    Budget pressure in another.

    Inspection findings somewhere else.

    On their own, they don’t always look like a story.

    Put them together, and a much clearer picture starts to form.

    That’s the level this publication is interested in.

    What readers will get each week

    This won’t be high volume.

    Each week, I’ll publish a small number of stories that are worth your time — based on documents, data, and direct reporting.

    That will include:

    • What councils are actually saying
      Key lines and decisions pulled from reports and meetings
    • Where the pressure points are
      Delays, deficits, shortages, and where they’re building
    • Patterns across the country
      When the same issue appears in multiple places
    • Follow-ups
      Going back to check whether anything has changed

    The aim isn’t to overwhelm you.

    It’s to make the system easier to see.

    If you work in SEND, you’ll recognise a lot of this.

    If you don’t, you’ll still be able to follow it.

    Either way, you’ll have a clearer view of what’s actually happening, not just what’s being announced.

    If you’ve got something I should look at, get in touch.

    I’ll follow it up properly.

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