The “Every child achieving and thriving” whitepaper and accompanying consultation document released earlier this year have set out the Department for Education’s (DfE) plans for updating England’s Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) provision. Through specialist training and aligning all mainstream schools, the DfE aims to have more available support for pupils with SEND.
While the full roll out of the SEND reform is still a while away, it’s been recommended that schools start updating their provision to align it with the new requirements. This article will discuss what is expected from schools in the SEND reform and how you can start improving the specialist support your school offers.
There are currently over 1.7 million pupils in England with SEND and schools are struggling to keep up. The key change to the existing policy highlighted by the SEND reform is the shift in treatment of SEND provision as a parallel system to mainstream education, instead looking to embed inclusion within all school settings.
This change aims to tackle several growing concerns with the current SEND process, hoping to simplify the current stressful and length procedure that parents and pupils need to endure in order to get support. The new simplified plan should help to make the process less adversarial and rebuild trust between parents and schools.
Additionally, while the government has currently committed 4 billion pound to make mainstream schools more inclusive, the long-term changes aim to reduce cost for schools and local authorities.
To be able to better support pupils, the SEND reform documents highlighted the need for providing specialist support early. The DfE is set to introduce the Experts at Hand programme, a service is set to increase the support available in mainstream schools, colleges and nurseries by offering access to specialist expertise. This includes occupational therapy, educational psychology, and speech and language therapy support. While this service will be available for all schools, it is key for schools to work to enhance their internal specialist support by providing training to their staff.
A key part of the SEND reform messaging is ensuing that schools have available support for all pupils as part of their standard offer. A great way to get ahead of this requirement is by recruiting specialists or upskilling existing staff. Apprenticeships are one way in which schools can develop their SEND and specialist offer. These funded training programmes are a cost-effective way to provide training or recruit new staff and help schools to develop their workforce.
In 2024 a new apprenticeship standard was introduced: the Level 5 Specialist Teaching Assistant apprenticeship. This programme allowed existing teaching assistants to develop new skills and specialise in a specific subject area. Since the launch more specialist areas were added to help schools support pupils with complex needs. LMP Education recently launched two new programmes built on the Level 5 Specialist Teaching Assistant standard aimed at tackling specific SEND needs:
The Autism Support Practitioner Apprenticeship supports teaching assistants and support staff to become specialists in autism practice. You will learn how to understand and respond effectively to the needs of autistic pupils, remove barriers to learning and enable meaningful participation and inclusion.
Learn more about the Autism Support Practitioner Apprenticeship
Speech, language and communication needs are now the most common type of SEND in England, with over 1 in 4 pupils on SEN support identified with SLCN. That means schools need staff with the right knowledge and practical expertise to spot needs early, put effective support in place and help pupils access learning with confidence.
By investing in a Speech & Language Support Practitioner your school can further support pupils with complex needs with in-house expertise.
Learn more about the Speech & Language Support Practitioner Apprenticeship
LMP Education is an award-winning apprenticeship training provider that offers a range of funded training solutions for schools and Multi Academy Trusts. We support organisations in upskilling their staff through apprenticeship training programmes.
To learn more about how LMP Education can support your school in preparing for the SEND reform, book a discovery call with a member our team today!
