TO BE PUBLISHED March 2026
Starting from:
£99 + VAT
Format: DOWNLOADABLE PDF
The conference will examine next steps for SEND provision in England.
We expect a focus on reform to the SEND system, following the recently published Every Child Achieving and Thriving Schools White Paper, which included the announcement of a £4bn package of investment and full redesign of the SEND system.
It will bring stakeholders and policymakers together to consider practicalities for implementation of commitments to offer tailored support in all mainstream schools and recruitment of an additional 60,000 special needs school places, alongside proposals to introduce a two-tier approach to support for children with SEND. Discussion will consider how this would operate in practice across mainstream provision, with specialist provision reserved for children with the most complex needs. Delegates will also consider proposals for reassessment of children’s EHCP plans at transition points in their education and government’s aim for EHCP plans to be reserved for the most complex cases by 2035.
Improving service provision and building capacity
Delegates will look at options for expansion of both mainstream and specialist capacity, and strengthening cooperation with health and social care, with discussion on how funding is distributed, expectations around pace, sequencing and accountability for delivery, and implications of the proposed three-year funding horizon for longer-term planning and sustainability.
Discussion will consider shifts in responsibilities to mainstream settings announced in the Schools White Paper, through the introduction of universal Individual Support Plans, with EHCPs intended to be increasingly focused on students with the most complex needs. Delegates will assess associated training requirements, workforce capacity, and implications for school accountability under a revised statutory framework.
Practical implications of the newly announced funding package will be assessed, including £1.6bn for an Inclusive Mainstream Fund for early years settings, schools and colleges to support earlier and more targeted interventions, and £1.8bn for a local commissioning service for SEND teachers and speech and language therapists to support learners with and without EHCPs.
Discussion will address challenges in training staff and increasing the availability of specialist services, including speech and language therapy, occupational therapy and mental health support.
Delegates will examine anticipated reassessment of children’s EHCP plans at transition points, such as from primary to secondary school, including impacts for families and local authorities in managing parental confidence, tribunal demand and continuity of provision.
Implementing reform following the Curriculum and Assessment Review, and select committee recommendations
Discussion will look at implementation priorities following the Government accepting key recommendations in the CAR’s final report. These include developing evidence-led resources to support curriculum adaptation for all children, including those with SEND, as well as the commitment to explore alternative assessment arrangements for children with SEND that are not able to undertake phonics screening and multiplication tables checks.
Sessions in the agenda also consider the way forward in light of the Government’s guiding principles for SEND reform, outlined in response to the Education Select Committee’s Solving the SEND Crisis inquiry and the basis of the National Conversation. Delegates will discuss strategies for prioritising the voice of young people, parents and teachers, and for taking forward co-design, early intervention, local support and inclusion, and collaboration beyond schools.
The way that earlier intervention and inclusion in mainstream models might work in practice will be considered, with an emphasis on strong partnerships between schools and parents when shaping and advocating for support plans. Discussion will consider priorities for better identifying children with SEND who are at risk of missing school, and strategies to improve early identification of risks, engage SEND learners, and develop access to additional support - drawing on Ofsted’s Annual Report 2024/2025 which highlighted how children with SEND are often identified too late, missing school, and on part-time or flexi timetables due to a lack of timely support. The Government’s commitment to £200m investment in SEND teacher training, and its potential impact on early interventions, access to assistive technology, and learner outcomes will also be explored.
Discussion will also examine what is needed from reform to support equitable provision across regions, particularly where provision is underfunded or underdeveloped, and the indicators that can best track progress. Progress towards delivering new special school places and developing specialist units in mainstream settings will be examined - including development of inclusion bases within all mainstream secondary schools, as set out in the recently published Education estates strategy.
Accountability and oversight
With proposals for increased Ofsted powers in the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill to protect vulnerable children, including those with SEND, there will be discussion on next steps for developing accountability mechanisms for schools and local authorities.
Inspection frameworks will be assessed, looking at how Ofsted inspects SEND provision and how greater consistency and transparency might be achieved. In the context of potential system redesign, delegates will consider how accountability mechanisms might operate when support is delivered primarily through school-led plans, and how legal rights attached to different tiers of provision can be safeguarded.
Funding and improving outcomes
Further discussion will look at progression routes for learners with SEND, the balance between mainstream and specialist provision, and evolving legal and financial responsibilities. In the context of the 2025 Spending Review and Fair Funding Review 2.0, sessions will consider sustainability of local budgets, management of rising deficits, and implications for investment and local provision planning. With SEND spending proposed to move fully into central government after 2028, and the Office for Budget Responsibility highlighting concerns around a potential spending gap, sessions will examine how structural redesign - including revised eligibility criteria and tiered provision - might impact long-term sustainability and strategies for maintaining equitable access to support.
Delegates will consider the Government’s plans for managing SEND funding, with the Statutory Override due to end in 2027-28, and expectations for funding support in the upcoming Local Government Finance Settlement. With analysis suggesting a £6bn shortfall once the override is lifted, alongside forecasts that cumulative local SEND deficits could exceed £14bn, and the Office for Budget Responsibility raising concerns over the scale of additional resources needed to stabilise the system, delegates will consider priorities for long-term financial sustainability of the sector, including potential impact of the deficit on mainstream school funding.
There will also be a focus on longer-term priorities for improving outcomes, including strengthening progression into further and higher education and supporting sustainable transitions into employment, and considering access to supported work experience and accessible qualification pathways.
Fair access, system coordination, and use of technology
Further sessions will examine what is needed to meet the collaborative requirements in the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill, focusing on improving local management of fair access protocols and advancing integrated support across education, health, and care services. Attendees will assess the impact of interagency cooperation on outcomes for children with SEND, particularly in early intervention and holistic support models.
Discussion will also consider priorities for digital tools and technology to support inclusion and attainment and improve accessibility, including use for monitoring progress and outcomes, access to on-screen assessment, and delivery of adaptive and personalised learning.
All delegates will be able to contribute to the output of the conference, which will be shared with parliamentary, ministerial, departmental and regulatory offices, and more widely. This includes the full proceedings and additional articles submitted by delegates. As well as key stakeholders, those already due to attend include parliamentary pass-holders from the House of Commons and officials from the Department for Education; Department of Health and Social Care; Department for Energy Security and Net Zero; HM Courts and Tribunals Service; House of Commons Library; National Audit Office; Ofsted; Government Legal Department; and Skills England.
