Children and young people with Special Educational Needs and/or Disabilities (SEND) in York could benefit from earlier intervention and more inclusive mainstream education under a new draft reform plan due to be considered by City of York Council’s Executive next month.
At its meeting on 2 June, the Executive will review York’s draft Local SEND Reform Plan, which sets out how the council intends to respond to the government’s national SEND reforms and deliver improved outcomes for children, young people and families across the city.
The reforms build on the ambitions set out in the government’s Schools White Paper, which outlines a national vision for inclusive education that enables every child to achieve and thrive. York’s proposals align closely with the council’s One City for All plan (2023–2027) and its Inclusion and Belonging Strategy (2025–2030).
Together with the rollout of the Best Start in Life Plan and the Families First reforms, the SEND changes represent the most significant transformation of children’s services and education in more than a decade. Nationally, the reforms will be delivered through a 10‑year programme, designed to ensure disadvantaged children feel that school is designed for them and that their needs can be met alongside their peers in mainstream classrooms.
£3.6 million investment to support delivery in York
To support implementation locally, City of York Council will receive £2.3 million in SEND capital funding and £1.3 million in revenue funding from central government in the 2026/27 financial year.
The first year of York’s SEND Reform Plan focuses on building local capacity and improving early support by:
- Using capital funding to help mainstream schools become more inclusive, working alongside high‑quality specialist provision
- Expanding access to early support in mainstream settings through a new £1.3 million ‘Experts at Hand’ service, providing speech and language therapists, educational psychologists and other professionals
- Encouraging stronger collaboration between schools and local partners
- Supporting staff across early years, schools and post‑16 education to complete a new national training programme focused on inclusive learning environments and early identification of need
The council believes these measures will help reduce delays in support, improve consistency across the system and ensure children receive the right help at the right time.
“School should be a place where all children feel that they belong”
Cllr Bob Webb, the council’s Executive Member for Children, Young People and Education, said:
“School should be a place where all children and young people feel that they belong and this is something that we want to make happen.
“Together with our Inclusion and Belonging Strategy for children and young people with SEND and their families, this draft Local Reform Plan sets out how we, along with schools, can ensure that they are valued, included, and supported to achieve their full potential.”
If approved by Executive, York’s SEND Reform Plan must be submitted to the government by 18 June. The final version will be confirmed following feedback from the Department for Education.
Image credit: iStock
