SEND reform and inclusion – insights from 100+ local system leaders

SEND reform is one of the most significant system shifts facing local services today. The drive toward genuine inclusion has never been more central to the conversation.

At a time of major national change, last week IMPOWER and the Council for Disabled Children (CDC) brought together over 100 leaders from local government, education, and health at a shared learning event. They shared examples and practical steps towards a more inclusive system, as well as perspectives on the reform journey.

The event was chaired by former Executive Director of Children’s Services, Colin Pettigrew, with contributions from:

• Amanda Allard, Director of Practice and Programmes, Council for Disabled Children
• Dr Rob Hart, Delivery Director at IMPOWER & SEND Advisor
• Laurence Mackie-Jones, Strategic Director, Social Care & Education, Leicester City Council
• Charlotte Mitchell, Assistant Director, Schools and Inclusion, Rochdale Borough Council
• Tony Murphy, Assistant Director, Education and Inclusion, Darlington Council

Four clear themes emerged from the contributions of speakers, practitioners and system leaders.

1. Leaders support the ambition, but expect a challenging transition

There was strong support for the ambition behind SEND reform, including greater mainstream inclusion, clearer accountability and stronger integration across systems. Leaders welcomed the direction of travel, while being clear-eyed about the challenges ahead.

Particular concern was expressed about the “middle horizon”, with pressures including workforce capacity, funding constraints, rising demand and initiative overload. While there is commitment to making reform work, leaders recognise that the transition period will be complex and, at times, feel unstable.

Colin Pettigrew, captured this balance, noting:

“I don’t think I’ve been on a call that’s had more shared learning taking place in the chat… the future horizon is feeling very optimistic, and the middle horizon is feeling choppy.”

2. Inclusion must be built locally, not just designed nationally

Rochdale Borough Council and Darlington Borough Council shared practical examples, highlighting that meaningful inclusion is built through local culture, ownership and delivery, rather than national design alone.

In Rochdale, inclusion is framed around belonging rather than labels, with a co-produced SEND strategy focused on earlier intervention.

A key insight shared was the need to strengthen outcomes for children receiving SEN support compared with those with an Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP). While 88% of children with an EHCP report feeling valued and 90% feel that education prepared them well for life, just 70% report good wellbeing – and even fewer (51%) for those on SEN support. This has driven a stronger focus on early support and inclusive practice, with progress driven through strong governance, programme management and transformation capacity, alongside a clear focus on impact.

Over the next 12 months, Rochdale will develop a new Belonging Strategy and neighbourhood models of support to schools, alongside supporting schools to embed co-production in a meaningful way, with the ambition of “growing villages that hold children”.

In Darlington, long-term cultural change has been critical. An Inclusion Charter, co-produced and owned by schools, frames inclusion around engagement, achievement and belonging.

As part of this approach, Darlington has also used IMPOWER’s Valuing SEND methodology to better understand how children’s needs are met both at school and at home. As a result, 10% more children with an EHCP were supported in mainstream provision in 2026 compared to 2019.

This approach has enabled more constructive conversations between schools, health partners and the local authority, shaping the development of the Charter. The impact has included: fewer children educated outside the borough, more children supported within mainstream settings, and improved financial sustainability.

Across both areas, the emphasis was not on organisational structure, but on culture, leadership and delivery. Crucially, system change cannot sit with the local authority alone. As Tony Murphy reflected:

“Any system change can only happen with parents and families… we all have to encourage as many of our communities as possible to engage with the consultation meaningfully.”

3. Trust and parental confidence are critical to system sustainability

A central theme of the event was trust. Leaders were candid about the depth of mistrust, particularly among families of autistic children, and acknowledged that reform will not succeed without rebuilding parental confidence.

There was recognition that asking families to trust the system without meaningful cultural change is unrealistic. Laurence Mackie-Jones, Strategic Director – Social Care and Education at Leicester City Council, reflected:

“There’s a wider opportunity here around parental confidence. The world can feel like a scary place – and some parents naturally feel more able than others to take risks. Our job is to help rebalance that – to support families to give children room to grow into their potential, and to show a different way forward.”

Parental confidence was repeatedly described as a critical system issue that requires by focus by all SEND system leaders. Rising EHCP numbers, tribunal activity, and risk-averse decision making were seen as closely linked to trust in the system.

Amanda Allard, Director of Practice and Programmes at the Council for Disabled Children, reinforced this point, stating:

“We’re asking parents who have been traumatised and don’t have trust in the system to take a leap of faith – we need to do the cultural work across the system.”

4. Courageous system leadership will be essential

Leadership was consistently identified as the decisive factor in navigating SEND reform. Local authorities were described as the connectors in an increasingly fragmented system, working across schools, multi-academy trusts and Integrated Care Boards.

Leaders highlighted the importance of encouraging design and decision making closer to communities and schools, while maintaining overall system coherence. At the same time, there was realism about the pressures facing the system, including reform fatigue, limited transformation capacity, workforce challenges, and the financial constraints across the partnership. As Laurence Mackie-Jones shared:

“The local authority is the facilitator and glue that holds this together, and change requires bravery. We need to devolve more power down to neighbourhoods.”

The importance of meaningful partnership with parents was powerfully reinforced by Lesley Mellor, Dorset Parent Council Chair, who shared:

“Thank you as parent carer it’s been brilliant how you recognise us”

Across the discussion, a consistent message emerged: delivering SEND reform will depend less on structural change and more on culture, leadership and trust across the system.

Despite these challenges, many leaders described SEND reform is a generational opportunity to reset how the system works and to rebalance risk, resilience and independence for children and young people. Dr Rob Hart, Delivery Director at IMPOWER, reflected that: “Inclusion is the ambition, and it is the right one. But delivering the ambition will take focused and determined effort, resources, innovation and thinking beyond the usual horizons.”

IMPOWER and CDC are planning further shared learning events focused on inclusion and SEND reform in the coming months. To join an upcoming event, or to discuss how IMPOWER could support your local area, please get in touch.