SEND Reform Plan for West Sussex
This plan explains how we will deliver the SEND reforms that the Department for Education (DfE) requires all councils in England to implement.
The DfE approved the West Sussex Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) Reform Plan on 2 October 2026. This approval recognises the commitment of the SEND partnership in West Sussex towards improved outcomes for children and young people with SEND.
The main priorities of the plan are:
- every child and young person with SEND should be included, supported, and able to thrive in their local community
- enhanced support so that more children with SEND can attend their local mainstream school, including access to specialist support
- building a SEND system which is sustainable and will continue to meet future need
- ensuring children and young people with SEND have positive experiences and achieve positive outcomes
An important part of the plan is the Experts at Hand model. This national model will ensure that local authorities can provide earlier and greater specialist expertise within mainstream education settings. West Sussex is developing Locality Inclusion Networks (LINs) to help deliver this vision.
LINs will bring together specialist professionals and existing services to provide coordinated advice and support for schools, settings and families.
The plan also focuses on:
- investment in capital programmes which support inclusion
- improved transitions including the monitoring and review processes in place for children with SEND
- the embedding of inclusive culture and behaviours across our educational settings and into our communities
As part of its approval, the DfE has confirmed that West Sussex is eligible for a grant of around £182.6 million. This will cover 90% of the Dedicated Schools Grant (DSG) deficit that had built up by the end of 2025 and 2026.
The DfE approval comes with further guidance associated with our plan and areas for improvement which will be embedded as we continue our reform work. These include strengthening our partnership working, ensuring we have suitable monitoring systems in place and ensuring we can evaluate the impact of our work on the lived experiences of children, young people and their families.
Our plan and DfE feedback
- West Sussex County Council SEND Reform Plan: Annex A (PDF, 635KB) - Our plan, coproduced with stakeholders and submitted to the DfE
- Local SEND Reform Plan - outcome letter from the DfE (PDF, 135KB) - A Letter explaining the decision to approve our plan
- Local SEND Reform Plan (Annex A feedback from the DfE) (PDF, 117KB) - Feedback on each part of our plan: strengths of the plan and what we can do to improve it
- Local SEND Reform Plan (Annex B) (PDF, 104KB) - This describes how the DfE will work with us to review progress, identify risk and provide support and challenge
If you require the SEND Reform Plan in an alternative format, email localoffer@westsussex.gov.uk or phone 01243 777807 and ask for the Local Offer team.