Plan to transform special educational needs

Devon County Council wants to transform its services for children with special educational needs and disabilities (Send).

The council said it wanted to focus on early intervention, getting children into local schools and making schools more inclusive to tackle the increasing demand for services.

The council - which has built up more than £160m of debt in Send services - has asked the government for more funding to deliver the transformation.

The government had said it would publish its plans for reforms of Send services and funding in the autumn but those plans have been postponed until 2026.

The council said its plans were in line with what the government has said about the sort of reform it is looking to achieve.

The council said it wanted to reduce a reliance on costly independent specialist placements.

To meet an increasing demand for services the council said it had already expanded specialist provision, adding nearly 700 special school places since 2018 and opening new schools in Newton Abbot, Okehampton, and Tiverton.

Julian Brazil, Liberal Democrat leader of Devon County Council, said: "We want to work in partnership with the government to try to deliver these transformational changes so that families and children - who have suffered quite enough - will get the services they deserve."

The council said without the necessary funding "financial pressures could hinder progress".

The Department for Education has not responded to a request for comment.

In her letter announcing the delay in publishing its plans, external, Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson set out the government's principles on reform of Send services.

She said there should be early support, services in schools close to the child's home, fairness in provision across schools with "excellent long-term outcomes" and all parties working together.

Local authorities currently receive a ring-fenced grant from the Department for Education to pay for special needs support.

The government has said it would take all Send spending away from local authorities by 2028.

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