Improving Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) services for children, young people and families across Derbyshire
News update - June 2026
Derbyshire submits local SEND reform plan
We have now formally submitted our Local Area Special Educational Needs and Disabilities Reform Plan to the Department for Education (DfE).
This marks a significant milestone in our shared journey to improve outcomes for children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities.
It follows an extensive period of development, engagement, and refinement, culminating in final sign‑off by system leaders across education, health, and care. The plan was agreed through local governance arrangements, including the SEND Improvement and Assurance Board, before being submitted to Government in line with national deadlines.
The Local SEND Reform Plan represents a long-term, strategic commitment to transforming services across Derbyshire. It sets out how partners will work together to deliver a more inclusive, responsive, and sustainable system for children, young people, and families.
We now await formal feedback from Government, which is expected in the autumn. This will determine approval of the plan and support the next phase of implementation across the partnership.
A Collective Achievement
The development of the plan has been a truly collaborative effort. Colleagues from across the local authority, schools and settings, health partners, and the voluntary and community sector have contributed their time, expertise, and insight to ensure that the plan reflects both national expectations and the needs of Derbyshire’s children and families.
This strong partnership approach has been central to ensuring the plan is:
- ambitious in its vision for system-wide reform
- grounded in local evidence and need
- co-produced with partners and stakeholders across the system
Thank you
We would like to extend our sincere thanks to all colleagues and partners who have contributed to this work. Your commitment, professionalism, and collaboration have been critical in reaching this important milestone.
As we move forward, the same collective effort will be essential to deliver the ambitions set out in the plan and achieve lasting improvements for children and young people with SEND in Derbyshire.
Families First Partnership set to transform support for children and families across Derbyshire
A new programme, the Families First Partnership (FFP), is being introduced across Derbyshire to improve how children, young people and families are supported.
The programme aims to help families get the right support earlier, making it clearer where to go for help and reducing the need to repeat their story to different professionals. It brings together services including schools, health, children’s services, police and voluntary groups to provide more joined-up support.
FFP focuses on three key areas. Family Help will offer earlier support by bringing professionals together to plan help around families. Family Group Decision Making will support families and their networks to make plans together to keep children safe. Multi Agency Child Protection Teams will bring specialists together to make faster, clearer decisions where there are serious concerns.
Pilot activity is now beginning across several areas of Derbyshire to test new ways of working before they are introduced more widely. At the same time, new Best Start Family Hubs are being developed to provide local, accessible support for parenting, early years, health and SEND needs in one place.
The programme is designed to support all families who may need extra help, including those with children and young people with SEND.
Families and carers are also being invited to take part in engagement sessions to help shape how services are delivered in the future, ensuring support works well in practice and meets real needs.
To find out more about the sessions and to register to attend, please visit:
Eventbrite - Derbyshire County Council
To read more about the Families First Partnership, please visit:
Derbyshire County Council - Derbyshire's Families First Partnership
Free fun this summer
It’s About Me, Derbyshire’s Holiday Activity and Food (HAF) Programme is back again this summer.
The HAF programme is open to children in reception to year 11 who receive benefits-related free school meals.
There are also activities available for children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities.
To read more information, please visit: SEND Information - It's About Me.
For young people who cannot attend in person, the project also offers remote packs which have activities for all children.
Eligible families can get their code from their school and all details of how to book can be found by visiting: It's About Me Derbyshire.
Children and young people can also be referred to the scheme by professionals, such as a teacher, doctor or family worker, by filling in this Holiday Activity & Food (HAF) programme referral form. Please be aware that spaces are limited.
For more information please visit: It's About Me - FAQs & Contact Us.
If you have any queries please email: haf.enquiries@derbyshire.gov.uk.
New framework ensures schools support all learners to achieve
We’ve published the new Derbyshire Inclusion Framework to ensure that every child and young person feels they belong, can participate and achieve.
The framework developed by the county council aims to supports schools to develop consistent, high-quality inclusive mainstream practice for learners with special educational needs and disabilities.
And it’s already having an effect with permanent exclusion and suspensions reducing while more than 530 training sessions have been delivered in schools.
The framework looks at belonging, responsibility, opportunities, champion, flexibility, identification, provision and co‑production so that leaders, teachers and support staff know what inclusion looks like in their school.
Aimed at starting and developing their inclusion journey, it aims to create a culture of belonging and strong leadership, through inclusive teaching and equitable opportunities, to early identification of need, adaptive provision and meaningful partnership with pupils and families.
At its core, the framework promotes a simple principle: the school adapts to the child, ensuring every learner feels they belong, can participate and achieve.
Co-produced with schools, special educational needs and disabilities coordinators (SENDCOs), leaders and partners, it reflects real practice across Derbyshire and provides a shared approach to inclusion rooted in collaboration and lived experience.
It also aligns with the DfE Inclusive Mainstream Schools Grant and Ofsted Inclusion reporting, supporting schools to develop a clear school inclusion strategy, strengthen early identification, and ensure effective use of resources to meet the needs of all learners.
Schools develop an impact plan in which the Inclusion Support Advisory Teacher (ISAT) works with the school, linked to the School Improvement Plan on specific actions over 3, 6 & 12 months to develop and improve inclusive practice in schools.
It supports schools to:
- A clear overview of what inclusion looks like in their school.
- Embed a strong, whole-school inclusive culture and leadership.
- Deliver an effective graduated response (assess, plan, do, review).
- Plan and deliver evidence-based provision and interventions.
- Use data, pupil and parent voice to monitor impact and drive improvement.
What we've been doing:
All Derbyshire schools have now been allocated an Inclusion Support Advisory Teacher (ISAT) who works alongside them to develop an inclusion impact plan. This has then enabled ISATs to work on specific areas to develop inclusive capacity in their school.
Continually reviewed, developed and discussed, the framework is constantly evolving, supporting ongoing reflection, identifies next steps so it remains current, practical and responsive to the views and experiences of schools, professionals, parents and carers.
What different is it making?
Overall, 47% of schools in Derbyshire are showing strong progress in developing inclusive systems and approaches. 28% of schools in Derbyshire are indicating that schools are actively developing and strengthening their inclusive practice.
A quarter of schools in Derbyshire remain at early stages, providing a clear focus for targeted support and next steps.
76% of Derbyshire schools are working to develop whole school provision mapping aligned with the Inclusion Framework to further support clearer understanding of universal, targeted & specialist support.
What will it mean for my child?
Their needs will be identified early, with appropriate support put in place as soon as possible. Teaching will be adapted to meet their individual needs, within a consistent, whole-school approach to inclusion. You will be listened to and involved, with support regularly reviewed to ensure it remains effective.
Tailored development days for SENDCOs
New development days will be organised for primary and secondary SENDCOs from September so that training and support can be tailored to better reflect the different needs of each phase.
It follows seven SENDCO development days and four SENDCO networks organised by Derbyshire County Council’s Inclusion Support Service during 2025/26. These were attended by 854 SENDCOs, school leaders and teachers.
The feedback received from these identified the need for more phase-specific content, shorter and more interactive sessions, and earlier sharing of agendas and materials, alongside recognising ongoing capacity pressures in schools.
From September 2026, the council will introducing separate SENDCO Development Days for primary and secondary schools so that training and support can better reflect the different needs of each phase.
This will help ensure that:
- Primary schools can focus on getting things right early and building inclusive classrooms from the start.
- Secondary schools can focus on supporting young people with more complex needs, including transitions and curriculum access.
This means the support SENDCOs receive is more tailored and has a stronger impact for children and young people.
All future dates for the year are sent out to SENDCOs in the Summer term as an overview. They book onto these through S4S and the bookings are live 6 weeks prior to the event with a detailed agenda.
Development days and networks aim to support SENDCOs across Derbyshire to strengthen whole‑school inclusive practice by providing high‑quality professional development, practical guidance, and up‑to‑date information.
The sessions also create regular opportunities for networking, collaboration, and engagement with multi‑agency partners, ensuring SENDCOs are well equipped to meet the needs of all learners and drive sustained improvement in inclusion.
These provide regular and timely support and include professionals from the Inclusion Support Service, alongside colleagues from a range of partner services including Educational Psychology, SEND, Health,Derbyshire Information, Advice and Support Service (for SEND) DIASS, Post‑16 providers and wider local authority teams.
Sessions have focused on a range of key themes, including strengthening the graduated response through effective provision mapping and interventions, improving assessment and early identification, and developing high‑quality, inclusive practice.
They have also looked at Neurodiversity, Social, Emotional & Mental Health (SEMH) and Emotionally Based School Avoidance (EBSA), alongside transitions and preparation for adulthood, while emphasising the importance of pupil and parent voice and person‑centred approaches.
In addition, the programme has provided updates on SEND processes, funding, and systems, as well as key services, local offer developments, and national policy and Ofsted expectations, supporting SENDCOs to lead consistent, whole‑school inclusive practice.
And feedback from them shows that 95% of SENDCOs reported a positive impact on whole-school inclusion and 80% of SENDCOs expressed an intention to attend future SENDCO Development days and would recommend them to a colleague.
Making outdoor education accessible for all
Children of all abilities can enjoy the great outdoors with a trip to Derbyshire County Council’s outdoor education centre near Buxton.
Staff at White Hall have worked hard to make sure that children with special educational needs and disabilities can have fun safely with adapted equipment to help them enjoy an array of activities.
They have also created an environment where children and young people feel comfortable to have a go at activities, offering support ahead of a visit to make them feel less anxious.
Children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities can visit White Hall for residential trips, day visits and family SEND activity days during the holidays.
The centre has all‑terrain wheelchairs, accessible harnesses, a mobile hoist, accessible bikes, canoes and stand-up paddleboards, a mobile changing table and access to suitable vehicles.
All the staff have completed training around autism, trauma-informed practice and challenging behaviour.
Many have volunteered in specialist SEND placements to ensure they are skilled, confident and can understand individual needs, communications differences and the importance of patience, structure and emotional safety.
Displays and signage across the centre have also been updated with accessibility in mind.
To help young people with SEND prepare for a visit, a series of ‘social stories’ have been created to help ease their anxiety. These are available as booklets or videos by visiting: White Hall - Social Stories.
Parents can also take their child along for a pre-visit and the centre will loan pieces of clothing or equipment for them to take away.
Centre manager Robin Heath said: “It’s something we care deeply about and the progress we’ve made is already having a meaningful impact on the children and families who visit White Hall.
“These changes mean we can offer every activity to any young person, regardless of ability level, without compromising quality, safety, or enjoyment.
“I think the biggest thing is our ability to adapt and be flexible. We are determined to find a way to make sure we can provide activities for all. We treat everyone as an individual and do everything we can to meet need.
“And the impact has been powerful. Schools have consistently told us that pupils who struggle in mainstream settings thrive at White Hall - developing confidence, managing emotions and taking part in activities they never thought possible.”
One of the most meaningful pieces of feedback came from a parent after a recent SEND group visit:
“Today was brilliant. My boy did so well. It was so nice to be in an environment where people understand. I find ‘regular’ situations so awkward and anxiety‑inducing. I normally hold it all in and then get in the car and burst into tears. I didn’t do that today.”
Robin added: “For us, this sums up exactly why this work matters.”
For more information, please visit: Whitehall - SEND