Education select committee chair, Helen Hayes MP has described SEND as ‘the single biggest challenge at all points of the education system’. She is right, and the committee’s continuing inquiry into how best to address the challenges of SEND provision ensures the issue remains at the forefront of national education policy.
As a local authority and an education group, we see first-hand the escalating needs of children and young people with SEND. The demand for education, health and care plans (EHCPs) continues to rise, yet budgets and resources are shrinking, forcing many schools, trusts and councils to navigate an increasingly fraught landscape.
There is also concern that the schools bill may reduce autonomy for trusts, limiting their ability to make locally-informed decisions and implement innovative solutions.
In this context, cross-agency collaboration is more important than ever, and the partnership between our organisations over the past two years demonstrates why.
In 2022, Lambeth faced a SEND provision crisis. The Michael Tippett School and the independent Michael Tippett College, both special provisions for learners with complex needs included PMLD, SLD and ASD, had both been rated inadequate by Ofsted.
This meant that many vulnerable learners in the borough from the ages of 11 to 25 were without access to the high-quality education and care they are entitled to.
London South East Academies Trust was named by the Department for Education’s preferred sponsor for the school, and Lambeth agreed, owing to our expertise in both SEND provision and school improvement – and the capacity we had to undertake this.
An opportunity then arose to take a more holistic approach when London South East Colleges, the sponsor of LSEAT and part of the same education group, was asked by the DfE to take the failing Michael Tippett College into its network.
Renaming it Nido Volans Lambeth, we both made commitments to its improvement, including the procurement by the LA of a new, fit-for-purpose building. Learners are now located there and their numbers set to expand.
We have established seamless progression for SEND learners
The rate of improvement in both these provisions has been rapid, thanks to our shared vision and our pooling of resources. Through our partnership, we have established a seamless progression pathway for SEND learners, supporting them through to the age of 25 within their local community.
And it is this ‘place-based’ focus that is so fundamental when looking at ways to ‘solve’ the SEND crisis.
Many local authorities are struggling with high-needs budget pressures, exacerbated by a reliance on expensive independent placements. Without sufficient local options, councils are often left with no choice but to fund out-of-area provision. This drives up costs and forces young people to travel away from their families and communities.
The DfE’s 2023 SEND and AP improvement plan highlighted the importance of local, place-based solutions, yet achieving this requires structural change. As we discovered in Lambeth, the challenge is not just about curriculum reform or specialist teaching; it is about building a truly integrated system that encompasses education, health and social care.
However, not every local authority will have a SEND-specialist trust it can rely on, and even when they do, there might not always be the willingness to work together. Establishing genuine collaboration is complex and requires overcoming systemic barriers, including differing priorities, accountability structures and funding mechanisms.
The work we have undertaken together has required trust, negotiation and a willingness to listen and flex. Crucially, it has also needed a shared commitment to long-term improvement rather than short-term fixes.
To encourage such partnerships, more incentives are needed for local authorities and trusts to collaborate. For example, there are opportunities to reduce bureaucracy and ensure that national SEND policy actively supports, rather than hinders, joint working.
With no extra money in the pot, the future of SEND provision will require collaboration across every part of the system, and learners must be at the centre of every decision.
Our partnership has shown that, by working together rather than retreating into silos, we can ensure every child regardless of their needs receives the education, care and opportunities they deserve in the communities where they belong.
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