SEND improvement (1)

The West Sussex SEND Strategy 2026 to 2030

We launched the West Sussex SEND Strategy 2026 to 2030 on 25 March 2026. You can read it on the SEND Local Offer website.

Children, young people, parents, carers and professionals helped us create this strategy. We worked together for 18 months to develop it.

The strategy explains our shared goal. We want every child and young person with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) to get the support they need, feel included and achieve their best.

Families told us what matters most to them. They want:

clearer communication
support earlier
easier access to services
education, health and social care services to work better together

This strategy explains what we will do over the next 4 years to improve the experiences and outcomes of children and young people with SEND in West Sussex.

The SEND and Alternative Provision Partnership Board

The SEND and Alternative Provision Partnership Board brings together organisations that support children and young people with SEND in West Sussex.

The Board helps lead the work needed to achieve our shared vision and priorities.

Members of the Board include:

education providers
West Sussex County Council
healthcare providers
the Integrated Care Board
SEND commissioning services
the West Sussex Parent Carer Forum
Adult Social Care
children's representatives, when appropriate

The Board has 3 main jobs. These are to:

review information and track progress against the SEND Strategic Improvement Plan
oversee the delivery of the SEND Strategy 2026 to 2030
oversee the delivery of the SEND Reform Plan

Terms of reference

SEND and Alternative Provision Partnership Board terms of reference and membership (PDF, 168KB)

Board meeting notes

You can read notes from Board meetings held over the last 2 years.

Outcome of the Local Area SEND inspection

In November 2023, inspectors looked at how education, social care and health services support children and young people with SEND in West Sussex.

The inspection found that some children and young people had different experiences and outcomes depending on the support they received. Inspectors said that local partners must work together to make improvements.

The SEND inspection report identified 5 priority areas where we need to improve. We manage these actions through the SEND Strategic Improvement Plan. The SEND and Alternative Provision Partnership Board monitors progress.

Our 5 priority areas for improvement are:

improve support for children and young people who are waiting for services and to address gaps in support, including speech and language services, neurodevelopmental services and Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS). See the April 2026 update.
make sure children at high risk of aspiration receive the assessments they need, including video fluoroscopy when appropriate. See the April 2026 update.
improve the time it takes to complete Education, Health and Care Plans (EHCPs) and to make sure plans are consistently high quality. See the April 2026 update.
continue improving our planning and commissioning of specialist school places and alternative provision which will help ensure enough high-quality support is available to meet children's needs. See the April 2026 update.
strengthen support that helps young people prepare for adulthood and to get young people the right help at the right time so they can live successful and independent lives. See the April 2026 update.

Additional information

Special educational needs and disability (SEND) and high needs

Working together to improve life for children and young people with SEND.