Dear colleagues

I wanted to take a moment to update schools and settings on the progress and requirements arising from the publication of the SEND Reforms White Paper in February 2026.

As part of the national reforms, every Local Area Partnership is required to develop a three‑year SEND Delivery Plan. This plan will set out how partners will work together to transform the local SEND system and meet the ambitions set out in the reforms. While this is a significant piece of work, it also provides an important opportunity to build on the momentum of our improvement journey in Birmingham.

Alongside the Delivery Plan, each Local Area is also required to submit a completed Partnership Maturity Assessment Matrix, which helps assess the strengths and gaps in how the Local Area Partnership works together, and a Data Template aligned to the SEN2 data set formats specified by the Department for Education. All of these documents are due to be submitted by 19 June 2026.

In Birmingham, we are fully embracing a co‑production approach. The Local Area SEND Delivery Plan is being developed with partners across education, health and care, including the Local Authority, schools and colleges, social care, the NHS, and crucially, Children and Young People and Parent Carers. This work is a continuation of the SEND and Alternative Provision Improvement Programme, which many schools have helped to shape and deliver. Your ongoing involvement has been vital in improving outcomes and the lived experience of children and young people with SEND across the city.

As national SEND reforms move forward, this bulletin will continue to provide updates on what is changing and what this means locally for schools and settings. From 2026/27, new funding and support arrangements will begin to take effect, with a strong focus on strengthening inclusive practice in mainstream settings, improving access to earlier support, and reducing the need for escalation to statutory processes wherever possible. Taken together, these changes represent a significant shift in how children and young people with SEND will be supported.

This bulletin brings together the key information that is available at this stage. As further national guidance is published and local arrangements are confirmed, future editions will build on this information, alongside other important updates for schools. Outputs from Birmingham’s Delivery Plan – including updates to Ordinarily Available Guidance (OAG) – will form a key part of the developing Expert at Hand offer, supporting inclusive practice in schools and settings.

For schools that have not yet responded, the Government’s SEND reform consultation: putting children and young people first, remains open until 18 May. Contributions from schools and settings will help inform the final shape of the reforms.

Thank you for the dedication and collaboration you bring to this work. We will continue to work closely with schools and settings and welcome any questions or opportunities to discuss this work further.

Best wishes

Helen

SEND and Inclusion Funding Updates 2026/27

Inclusive Mainstream Fund for Schools

The Inclusive Mainstream Fund is a new grant for mainstream schools supporting children and young people aged 5–16. 2026/27 is the first year of this funding, with future arrangements to be confirmed. National guidance suggests the funding may be rolled into the Schools National Funding Formula in later years.

School‑level allocations will be confirmed in May 2026, with an online calculator available to provide indicative figures. Funding will be paid to local authorities at the end of June 2026, with academies receiving payment directly in early July.

Allocations are based on:

• a lump sum per school
• per‑pupil funding
• additional funding linked to low prior attainment
• area cost adjustments

The purpose of the fund is to help schools strengthen their inclusive core offer, supporting earlier intervention and better outcomes for children with SEND. Importantly, this is not a personal budget for individual pupils. Schools are expected to consider the needs of their whole cohort when determining how the funding is used.

A key requirement is that all schools must develop and publish an Inclusion Strategy by 31 December 2026, setting out how the funding will be used to embed inclusive practice. Further national guidance will support schools in developing their strategies.

Further information: Inclusive mainstream fund for schools: methodology 2026 to 2027 - GOV.UK

Experts at Hand and Local Authority SEND Transformation Fund

This combined funding supports local authorities to improve inclusion in mainstream settings through expert advice, early support and system transformation.

Birmingham’s provisional allocation is £10.8 million for 2026/27, with funding confirmed for three years following the Spending Review. The grant will be paid in a single instalment in June 2026.

At least 80% of the funding must be spent on direct delivery of the Experts at Hand (EAH) offer, with smaller proportions permitted for administration and local authority SEND transformation activity.

The funding will support:

• access to education specialists such as educational psychologists and specialist teachers
• increased outreach from special schools, alternative provision and post‑16 settings
• additional health professionals, including speech and language therapists and occupational therapists

A new Experts at Hand offer will provide tailored advice and support to early years settings, schools and further education colleges, focusing on earlier intervention and reducing escalation to statutory processes. The programme also includes funding for advanced speech and language therapy practitioners in every ICB area.

The transformation element supports local authorities to review existing SEND support services and develop and implement local SEND reform plans. Further national guidance on delivery expectations will be published in Spring 2026.

Further information: Experts at Hand & Local Authority SEND Transformation Fund: funding for local authorities 2026 to 2027 - GOV.UK

Early Years Inclusive Fund

The Early Years Inclusive Fund is designed to help early years settings become more inclusive for children with SEND by supporting workforce development, planning and inclusive environments. While this funding is aimed at early years providers, it forms part of the wider SEND reform programme, supporting earlier identification of need and smoother transitions into school.

Birmingham’s provisional allocation for 2026/27 is £1.126 million, with funding also expected for 2027/28 and 2028/29. Final allocations will be confirmed in July 2026 and paid as a single payment to local authorities. The Department for Education has indicated that it is considering how to simplify early years SEND funding in future years.

Local authorities are required to communicate how the funding will be distributed by the end of May 2026, with allocations confirmed by the end of August 2026. The funding must be passed directly to providers and cannot be used for contingency, central local authority costs, or as a replacement for existing entitlement funding.

The fund can support activity such as:

• workforce development and training
• strategic planning for inclusion
• resources and adaptations to create inclusive environments

Further national guidance will be issued, including information on how this fund complements other early years SEND funding streams.

Further information: Inclusive early years fund for 2026 to 2027: methodology - GOV.UK

Launching the Online Ordinarily Available Guidance (OAG)

Birmingham’s Ordinarily Available Guidance (OAG) is now available online: localofferbirmingham.co.uk/online-ordinarily-available-guidance

The OAG sets out the support all mainstream schools and settings are expected to provide every day for children and young people, including those with SEND. It provides a shared, citywide framework to support consistent and inclusive practice.

The OAG is for everyone working with children and young people in Birmingham’s education settings, not only teachers, classroom support staff and SENCos, but all adults who contribute to inclusive environments every day.

It can also support parent carers, children and young people to understand what inclusive practice looks like in Birmingham and what support should be ordinarily available in mainstream settings.

We’d like your feedback

As a living framework, the guidance will continue to evolve. We welcome feedback from schools, settings and families on what is working well and where further development may be helpful.

We encourage SENCos to explore the site with staff, use it in practice, and share it across their setting and wider professional networks. Please send feedback to: SENCONoticeboard@birmingham.gov.uk

Share your practice

We are keen to continue building the OAG Digital Library. If your setting has examples of inclusive practice, resources or approaches that align with the guidance, we would love to hear from you.

These can be developed into showcases to support and inspire practice across the city.

To get involved, please contact: SENCONoticeboard@birmingham.gov.uk

The Inclusion House – Bringing Birmingham’s Inclusion Offer Together

Work has begun on developing The Inclusion House, a new digital platform for Birmingham’s Inclusion Charter Framework.

Designed to bring the city’s inclusion core offer together “under one roof”, it will provide a single, clear and accessible place for schools and settings to find support, guidance and resources.

The Inclusion House translates our shared principles of inclusion into practical, day-to-day guidance, helping professionals to:

• understand what support is available
• know how to access it
• apply inclusive practice consistently in their settings

Through a series of themed ‘windows’, the platform will enable quick access to:

• support and services
• inclusive practice guidance
• practical tools and resources
• examples of effective practice from Birmingham schools and settings

As a shared local partnership platform, it reflects our joined-up approach to inclusion in Birmingham, supporting schools and settings to experience the system as one connected offer, rather than separate services.

This is the start of an ongoing piece of development and we thank partners who have helped in the development so far. Over the coming months, we’ll be sharing updates and opportunities for schools and settings to get involved and help shape the platform.

We are currently refining what sits within each of the ‘windows’ and would really value input from schools and settings.

Please take a few minutes to complete a short survey and share your views on what would be most useful: https://forms.office.com/e/z4a2i1K9Ga

The Inclusion House supports our wider ambition of ensuring belonging, equity and positive outcomes for every child, in every setting, every day.

SENAR Supporting Parents and Carers Through Local Engagement

On 13 March, colleagues from the SEND Assessment and Review Service (SENAR) led a well‑attended information session for parents and carers at a GROW Family Services coffee morning and workshop held at St James Church, Sutton Coldfield.

SENAR colleagues delivered a focused and practical session on SEND assessments and reviews, offering clear explanations of local processes, addressing common myths, and helping families build confidence in navigating SEND pathways. The informal setting enabled parents and carers to ask questions, explore real‑life scenarios, and speak directly with SENAR representatives in a supportive and accessible environment.

Feedback from families highlighted how reassuring it was to receive clear, honest information directly from SENAR and to feel listened to. Many parents commented that opportunities like this helped them feel more informed, empowered, and better equipped to support their child, while developing a clearer understanding of SENAR’s role and how to engage effectively with SEND services.

Medical Needs Policy Final Version - please download! 

Following feedback from Head Teachers and SEND leads last term, we are pleased to share the final version of the Medical Needs Policy Template; this has been developed in partnership with a range of schools and health colleagues. The policy is accompanied by guidance on the administration of medication and the provision of personal care support, ensuring schools have access to consistent and up-to-date information. This is accessible on the Local Offer: Medical Needs In settings and schools - Local Offer Birmingham 

This policy has been closely aligned to the statutory guidance to schools. Schools are reminded that the oversight of the medical needs policy within schools should be held by a member of the SLT with ultimate responsibility being held by the Head. 

Work is currently taking place in developing the content of the Medical Needs window within the Inclusion House digital platform; please share your ideas of what you would find useful in this area as we prepare this ready to launch at the Inclusion Conference in June.  Send any ideas to SENCoNoticeboard@birmingham.gov.uk  

ICB Commissioning – Autism and ADHD Redesign Programme

Work is taking place to improve Autism and ADHD assessment pathways across Birmingham and Solihull.

Over the past month, partners across health and local authorities have continued collaborative work to make the Autism and ADHD pathway easier to understand and more consistent for families. This work forms part of the wider Autism and ADHD Redesign Programme.

A key focus at present is improving the Right to Choose process. Right to Choose allows families to select certain independent organisations for an autism or ADHD assessment. Feedback from parent carers has highlighted that this process can feel confusing, and work is underway to make options clearer, information more reliable, and the overall experience more supportive.

Improving the Right to Choose process through accreditation

A new accreditation process is being developed to ensure that any organisation offering assessments through Right to Choose meets an agreed set of quality standards.

Accreditation means that organisations will only be listed as a locally approved option if they meet these standards. This is designed to help ensure that:

• Assessments are safe and reliable
• Staff have the appropriate skills, training and experience
• Families receive clear and timely communication
• Assessment reports follow national guidance and expectations
• Assessments are recognised by local NHS services

What difference will families notice?

Once these changes are in place, families should experience:

• Clearer information – making it easier to see which organisations meet the agreed standards and what each offers
• More confidence in choices – reassurance that all accredited providers meet the same expectations for quality and safety
• Greater consistency – accredited assessments will follow a consistent approach, helping reduce uncertainty about whether reports will be accepted locally
• A fairer experience – with the aim that families receive a similar standard of support and assessment, whichever accredited provider is chosen

Ongoing involvement of parent carers

Parent carers will continue to play an important role through co-production. This includes developing:

• Simple, accessible information explaining how Right to Choose works
• Guidance to support families in making a choice that feels right for them
• Clear Frequently Asked Questions covering what to expect before, during and after referral

Information about the first accredited assessment providers is expected to be shared towards the end of the summer term.