As well as the comings and goings at the DfE, the year has seen the dawn of the SEND and AP Improvement Plan (SENDAP IP) and the start of its implementation. This summary sets out some of the details that are starting to happen, followed by a glimpse of what might be to come in 2024 – and beyond!
CREDIT: This is an edited version of an article that originally appeared on NAHT
The SEND and Alternative Provision roadmap
Published alongside the Implementation Plan was a Roadmap, which lists the main changes together with an indication of how much time it may take to introduce them. A sample of these changes is given below.
Already underway is the development of:
National standards for SEND provision that underpin many of the reforms
Local Area Inclusion Plans (LAIPs) that plan the provision and support that should be available in each area in line with the national standards
A national template for EHC plans, complete with a digitised version.
Although a start has been made on piloting these changes, they are not expected to be fully in place until 2025.
Also in the pipeline are:
Local and National Inclusion Dashboards to support the development of LAIPs and help to inform decision-making
A system of funding Bands and Tariffs to support the National Standards and create a more consistent approach
Tailored Lists of appropriate settings to help parents of CYP with an EHC plan to make informed choices.
The latter has come in for some criticism, as parent organisations are concerned that it may mean a narrowing of the list from which parents can choose.
In this day and age, it is impossible to predict what may happen next, apart from the fact that change itself is likely to go on accelerating. So we’ll end with a list of what we know is due to happen; what is likely to happen; and leave out the unknowns as there’s not much you can say about them!
2024
January: Sir Martyn Oliver takes over from Amanda Spielman as HMCI, at a time when serious questions are being asked about whether Ofsted is a force for good
Delayed publication of Ofsted’s Area SEND Thematic Review of Alternative Provision (AP) due in the New Year
Spring: a general election could happen
Autumn: a general election is likely to happen
Ofsted’s Area SEND Thematic Review of Preparation for Adulthood (PfA) is due to be published
January: although the general election is said to be pencilled in for 2024, it doesn’t have to take place until 28 January 2025.
While uncertainties persist, these knowns and likely scenarios serve as a few guideposts for SBLs in navigating the ever-changing currents of UK education.
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