Ministers finally published their today, three years after the SEND review was first launched. The government has pledged to go ahead with most major reforms. However a 拢70 million 鈥渃hange programme鈥 鈥 which will run for two to three years 鈥 will pilot proposed changes first, before they are finalised (full story here). Nine regional expert partnerships, made up of three to four local authorities, will take part in the trial, reaching around 30 areas at first. It could increase to 50 to 60 areas during the programme. The Department for Education will then decide on whether to go ahead with legislating proposed changes, and what they would look like. But it means finishing off many of the reforms has been punted beyond the next election. Here鈥檚 what you need to know *about the new policies* announced in the government鈥檚 improvement plan鈥 1. National standards (not until 2025 at earliest) Ministers had proposed legislating for new national SEND standards. But these standards are now going to be piloted through the change programme first, before legislation is decided on. So from spring, parents and 鈥渇rontline professionals鈥 will be among those ministers talk to on how the standards could look. By the end of this year, government will 鈥渟tart testing some elements鈥 of the standards with the regional expert partnerships. Then by the end of 2025, 鈥渁 significant proportion鈥 of the standards will be published, 鈥渨ith a focus on those that are most deliverable in the current system鈥. Government intends to 鈥渦nderpin the standards with legislation for education at the earliest opportunity to facilitate intervention in education settings if standards are not met鈥. 2. Accountability to ‘ensure expectations met’ Ministers will also look at designing accountability mechanisms 鈥渢o ensure the government expectations are met, including considering the role of Ofsted and the Care Quality Commission鈥. The standards could set out how schools must adapt physical and sensory environments to enable pupils with SEND to learn alongside peers, as well as the council鈥檚 role in supporting this. Clear standards for universal and SEN support provision (so those without an education, health and care plan) will enable 鈥渂etter accountability at this stage鈥. As committed, DfE will also consult on an amended version of the SEND Code of Practice. 3. EHCPs to go digital – but trialled first DfE is going ahead with plans to create a standardised EHCP template, but guidance won鈥檛 be in place from 2025. It will 鈥渃onsider the case for mandating its use through legislation鈥, but will “encourage” councils to adopt the template. On plans for a digital EHCP, this year DfE will work with councils, suppliers and families to test how 鈥渄igital solutions might best improve their experiences of the EHC process鈥. In 2024 they will design digital solutions and testing drafts, before beginning 鈥渞ollout of requirements鈥 across councils in 2025. 4. Inclusion plans in, but no council admission powers Government is going ahead with 鈥渓ocal inclusion plans鈥 (LIPs), created by local SEND and AP partnerships. Non-statutory guidance will be published this autumn on expectations for the partnerships, alongside a 鈥渟elf-assessment tool鈥. In 2024, the change programme鈥檚 regional taskforce teams will target support to areas most in need. The DfE鈥檚 regions groups will work with the local partnerships to develop and agree LIPs by the end of 2024. From 2025 onwards, government will introduce primary legislation at the 鈥渘ext available opportunity鈥 to put make partnerships statutory. Controversial 鈥渢ailored lists鈥 of settings for children will also first be tested in the change programme. DfE heard 鈥渟ignificant concerns鈥 from parents and young people that it could 鈥渞estrict choice鈥. DfE say these lists will only be introduced in an area once the LIP has been 鈥渜uality assured鈥 and signed off by the region groups as meeting the national standards. Previously proposals to give councils the teeth to enforce this with “backstop powers” to direct academies to admit children, though, were part of the now axed schools bill. 5. Mandatory mediation to be scoped out first Ministers had controversially proposed to make mediation between councils and families during the EHCP process mandatory. Currently thousands of appeals go to the first-tier tribunal with some parents waiting up to a year for help, as Schools Week revealed. The move will be tested through the change programme to ensure there are no 鈥渦nintended consequences for families鈥. It will look at options to 鈥渟trengthen mediation鈥 before deciding whether to bring forward legislation. This year it will work with organisations such as the Civil Mediation Council, the College of Mediators as well as families to review and build on professional standards for mediators. It will improve mediation advice for families and evaluate the outcomes and impacts of the process. Next year, it will 鈥渃learly set out鈥 what processes should be followed locally and say how the mediation process 鈥渨ill be monitored to give families confidence in it鈥. 6. New NPQ for SENCos gets green light Ministers will go ahead with plans to introduce a new leadership level SENCo National Professional Qualification. Further timings on procuring NPQ providers will be released 鈥渋n due course鈥. This year, the DfE will also 鈥渆xplore opportunities鈥 to build teacher expertise through a review of the initial teacher training core content framework and early career framework. By the end of 2025, the DfE will publish three of its new practice guides to “equip frontline professionals with the skills and expertise to make best use of provision and to identify needs early, accurately, and consistently”. The first three will focus on advice for mainstream schools. The guides will also meet the green paper commitment to set out clear guidance on the effective use and deployment of teaching assistants for pupils with SEND. A key aspect of this will be our SEND and alternative provision practice guides, whichwill equip frontline professionals with the skills and expertise to make best use ofprovision and to identify needs early, accurately, and consistently DfEs analysis of the problems with the SEND system The government is also commissioning a research project on using TAs to develop an 鈥渆vidence base鈥 of best practice. The Department of Health and Social Care and the DfE will work together to 鈥渢ake a joint approach to workforce planning鈥. A steering group will be created this year, and feed into the National SEND and AP Implementation Board. The work will be completed by 2025. The AP specialist taskforce pilot has been extended until March 2025. 7. New special schools – but long process Thirty-three free schools have been promised in 30 councils, mainly those with large high needs deficits. New AP schools applications are currently being assessed and announced in autumn. But as a Schools Week investigation found, it can take years for these schools to open. In September, one of 37 schools had opened in a permanent home two years after they were promised. Schools Week also revealed the special school places crisis, and that DfE doesn鈥檛 collect the data on how full up these schools are. DfE commits again to collect this from councils this summer as well as forecasts of the number of specialist placements councils expect to make in SEN units, special schools and AP. 8. National SEND tariffs to come alongside standards The SEND review also proposed a national system of funding bands and tariffs for pupils with special needs to ensure more 鈥渃onsistent鈥 funding. This will go ahead, with bandings clustering “specific types of education provision” and tariffs setting the rules and prices that commissioners use to pay providers. No specific dates for implementation were provided, just a pledge it will be 鈥渁longside our broader changes to the national funding system and the development of national standards鈥. The new system will give providers 鈥渃larity on how much funding they should expect to receive in delivering support or a service and enable commissioners to determine the funding required鈥. 9. AP funding will also be reviewed The green paper proposed a new funding approach in alternative provision. Local partnerships would identify the budget needed to implement their plans over a minimum period of three years. Government said it will go ahead with the new funding approach 鈥渁ligned to their focus on preventative work with, and reintegration of pupils into, mainstream schools鈥. This will be done in consultation with the sector, but no dates were included. 10. Inclusion dashboard demo next month The SEND review pledged new 鈥渋nclusion dashboards鈥 for 0 to 25 provision to offer a 鈥渢imely, transparent picture鈥 of how the system is performing at local and national level for 鈥渟trengthened accountability and transparency to parents鈥. A prototype will be tested from this April 鈥渨ith a view to making a fully public version available in autumn 2023鈥. However, where new mandatory data collections are proposed, they will be assessed to check if they are 鈥済enuinely necessary, non-duplicative, comparable and coherent with all other data collections鈥. The DfE also said its ongoing academies regulation and commissioning review will set out detailed descriptors for academy trust strength, including measures of inclusion. 11. 鈥楢djusted鈥 intervention in failing areas A new 鈥渓adder of intervention鈥 will come into effect this year, with 鈥渞obust action for all where statutory duties for children and young people with SEND and in alternative provision are not met, to strengthen accountabilities across all parts of the system鈥. The DfE will 鈥渁djust鈥 its response to poor performance in line with the new Ofsted and Care Quality Commission area SEND inspection framework. This will allow it to 鈥渁ct proactively鈥 where areas fail, including by removing service control and imposing a trust or commissioner on councils. 12. New AP performance framework An expert group will support the development of a 鈥渂espoke national alternative provision performance framework鈥 based on five named metrics. This will set 鈥渞obust standards focused on aspects such as increased attendance, attainment, re-integration into mainstream education or progression to sustainable post-16 destinations鈥. 13. Fair access panels review Government will also review processes and develop options for ensuring 鈥渢ransparent and effective movement of pupils without EHCPs, such as those requiring alternative provision, to address behavioural needs鈥. This work will include arrangements for fair access panels, and will be in line with the new national standards 鈥渁round the role of specialist and mainstream schools in making arrangements for alternative provision鈥. Investigation: Fair access? Hundreds of pupils shut out Where a school place has not been secured through fair access, government will look at how it can make the process of applying for a direction to admit as 鈥渆ffective as possible鈥. 14. ‘Comparable’ expectations for independent schools Government will also 鈥渞e-examine the state鈥檚 relationship with independent special schools to ensure we set comparable expectations for all state-funded specialist providers鈥. Working with the sector, government will consider how these expectations should be aligned with the new national standards. This will mean that independent specialist providers 鈥渟hould be part of local authorities鈥 strategic planning and that decisions about changes to the supply of their provision should be made through local inclusion partnerships鈥. Schools Week has revealed how rising demand means councils now spending hundreds of millions of pounds sending pupils to costly private schools. 15. More 鈥榡oined-up鈥 work with NHS England Integrated care boards will be required to have a named executive board member lead accountable for SEND, and there will be more 鈥渏oined-up鈥 responses between the DfE and NHS England to improve outcomes and experiences. The government also said it would 鈥渟trengthen redress for individual disagreements by clarifying who is responsible for resolving complaints and undertaking further testing of effective mediation approaches鈥. 16. Implementation board will drive reforms The green paper proposed a new national SEND and alternative provision implementation board to 鈥渉old partners to account for the timely development and improvement of the system鈥. This will be established and comprise of parents, sector leaders across education including schools, early years and post-16, health and care and local and national government. Its joint chairs will be the children鈥檚 minister and mental health minister. The board will oversee the implementation of the improvement plan, receive 鈥渞egular input from a wide range of stakeholders鈥 and will publish 鈥渦pdates on progress鈥.