SEND strategy

1. Accessibility

Improving access to information, participation, and inclusive experiences.

The local area has continued to strengthen the Local Offer, making it easier for families to find clear and up-to-date information about SEND services. This includes more meaningful feedback loops, regular participation events, and greater involvement of children, young people, and parents in shaping what information is available and how it is presented.

Building on this progress, the Local Offer will continue to expand the range of formats available - including videos, BSL videos, one minute guides and Easy Read versions - to ensure information is accessible and inclusive for all.

Coproduction has become more consistent across the system, with young people actively influencing how services operate, how information is shared, and how support is organised. This embedding of CYP voice reflects a noticeable shift toward valuing lived experience as a core part of service improvement.

The partnership also invested in Therapeutic Thinking, a whole system approach designed to help schools understand and support behaviour in more relational, preventative ways. This work has contributed to schools becoming more confident in managing behaviour inclusively and reducing exclusions.

While these developments represent meaningful steps forward in communication and inclusion, the partnership recognises that accessibility remains an area requiring continued focus. Work is planned to further reduce barriers for children, young people, and families in West Northamptonshire.

2. Resources

Ensuring that high-quality specialist support and places are available where and when needed.

Significant progress has been made in expanding local provision, including the delivery of 500 new specialist school places, and the ongoing development of new SEND units in mainstream schools. This expansion helps more children receive the support they need closer to home and reduces reliance on out-of-area placements.

The partnership has developed SEND Support Maps, enabling practitioners across education, health, and care to share expertise and identify effective practices. These maps help build a more consistent offer across the area.

The introduction of Inclusion Funding has strengthened early intervention in mainstream settings, ensuring that children can receive targeted support without needing an Education, Health, and Care Plan (EHCP).

A major review of support services led to the creation of the Inclusion and Intervention Support Team (IIST). The team now provides specialist advice, targeted interventions, and coaching to schools and settings to build inclusive capacity.

The Best Start in Life Family Hubs are also supporting families through evidence-based programmes, particularly focusing on speech, language, and communication needs (SLCN). This early help approach ensures children receive support at the earliest stage, reducing escalation of need later.

3. Identification and Assessment

Earlier identification, improved timeliness, and better quality assessments.

The local area has increased capacity in both the EHC service and health partners, enabling more timely responses to requests for assessment. As a result, we have seen improvements in the timeliness of issuing EHC plans.

In February 2025, only 1.6% were completed within 20 weeks, rising to 26.7% by December 2025. This represents positive progress, while we recognise that further improvement is still required.  

Improved waiting times in CAMHS and Speech and Language Therapy have helped ensure that children with emerging needs are assessed and supported more quickly than before.

A new transitions dashboard supports earlier and more robust planning, as children move between stages of education or between services. This provides better visibility of who needs support, what support is required, and whether transitions are happening smoothly.

The introduction of a new Section 19 policy ensures children who are out of education for health or other reasons can transition back into school effectively, with a clearer structure and expectations.

There is also targeted prioritisation for ASD and ADHD assessments for children at critical points of transition, helping ensure their needs are fully understood and supported before they move on.

However, ADHD / ASD waiting lists remain long. The ICB has launched a strategic transformation of NDD services which will commence in 2026.

Guidance and resources for Preparation for Adulthood (PfA), including a coproduced transitions booklet, now help families better navigate what can be a complex process.

Overall, identification and assessment pathways have become more responsive, more transparent, and more focused on supporting children at the right time.  

4. Training

Building a skilled and confident multiagency SEND workforce.

A wide range of training opportunities has been made available to professionals across the local area, strengthening skills, confidence, and consistency of practice.

Key developments include:

• a travel training programme helping young people develop independence skills
• substantial investment in workforce development through SEND specific training for practitioners across education, health, and care
• the introduction of NCT SEND Champions, embedding SEND knowledge and leadership across the workforce
• speech and language training delivered widely across educational settings
• the Inclusion and Intervention Support Team (IIST) providing training and modelling best inclusive practice
• delivery of the Oliver McGowan Mandatory Training to clinical staff, improving understanding of learning disabilities and autism
• strengthening of the SENCO Network, providing regular updates, opportunities to share good practice, and training to develop SENCO skills
• expansion of training through programmes such as PINS and Voice of the Child, ensuring that participation is meaningful and embedded
• introduction of the Specialist Teaching Service, providing direct support and skills development to schools
• continued rollout of Therapeutic Thinking, supporting more relational approaches to behaviour
• a broad programme of multiagency and cross-setting training that has significantly increased access to specialist learning opportunities

This broad investment ensures that the people who support children every day have the knowledge, confidence, and tools to meet their needs effectively.

5. Alternative Provision

Developing high-quality, flexible pathways for children and young people.

The area has developed a new Alternative Provision Commissioning Approach, designed to ensure that children and young people access appropriate provision that meets their needs, whether short term or longer term.

This approach is more flexible, more transparent, and more closely aligned with the SEND Strategy’s ambitions for inclusion and better outcomes.

6. Preparation for Adulthood (PfA)

Supporting young people to move confidently into adult life.

A range of new tools and programmes now support young people as they prepare for adulthood:

• a co-produced PfA booklet helps families understand pathways, services, and expectations at this stage
• employer engagement events have strengthened links between education and local employers, improving work-related opportunities
• a new transitions protocol, coproduced with families, helps ensure smoother transitions into adult social care
• the ReStart programme supports young people who are not in education, employment, or training (NEET), providing structured opportunities to reengage
• new specialist post-16 provision has been commissioned, expanding the local offer and helping more young people access appropriate pathways close to home

These developments demonstrate a strong commitment to ensuring young people with SEND can develop independence, pursue their ambitions, and move into adulthood with confidence.