Prime Highlights-
- Shropshire Council wins Department for Education approval for SEND Reform Plan to deliver earlier, joined-up support for children with SEND.
- Government funding will pay off 90 percent of Shropshire’s historic SEND debts, while the Experts at Hand grant powers improved services.
Key Facts-
- Experts at Hand gives schools earlier access to speech therapy, occupational therapy, educational psychology and specialist teachers.
- Shropshire Council will work with partners SENDIASS and PaCC to track the reforms’ impact on families.
Background-
The Department for Education has signed off Shropshire Council’s SEND Reform Plan, opening the door to quicker, better coordinated help for children with special educational needs and disabilities.
Services are already improving through the Transformation and Experts at Hand grant. The government will also pay off 90 percent of the historic debts the council built up while backing young people with SEND.
Shropshire drew up the plan in answer to the Government’s Schools White Paper, and it matches the goals in the council’s own Corporate Plan. Officials will adjust it as feedback arrives and as results show what works.
The reforms put early identification and early action first, and push education, health and care teams to work as one. Wherever possible, children will thrive in mainstream classrooms, with specialist help ready when they need it.
The council expects stronger attendance, faster support, better preparation for adult life and a steadier local system. It will team up with SENDIASS and PaCC to measure progress.
Experts at Hand leads the rollout. Schools will reach specialists sooner for advice, coaching and support, including speech and language therapy, occupational therapy, educational psychology and specialist teaching.
Councillor Andy Hall, Cabinet member for children and education, said the approved plan will build the inclusive system local children deserve and give them the same chances as their peers.
Vanessa Whatley, Chief Nursing Officer at NHS Shropshire, Telford and Wrekin, said early support changes lives for families, and her board will work with partners to connect services.
