Somerset Council has today set out the next steps in its plans to strengthen support for children and young people with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND).
The Council’s Executive Committee discussed the Somerset SEND Reform Plan (Wednesday 3 June), ahead of the deadline for local areas to submit their proposals in response to the Government’s national SEND reform programme.
The plan shows how the local SEND system will enable early years providers, mainstream schools and local colleges to become more inclusive, and better able to provide help at the earliest possible stage.
It also explains how education settings, health services, care services, and the Council will work together with families to deliver that long-term improvement for children and young people.
The plan has been developed through Somerset’s wider SEND Partnership, bringing together education, partner services and parent-carer and children’s participation representatives to shape a shared approach.
It is central to improving the quality, consistency, and timeliness of SEND services in Somerset. If approved by the Department for Education (DfE), up to 90% of Somerset’s historic Dedicated Schools Grant (DSG) deficit would be written off, helping to put local SEND services on a more sustainable footing for the future.
Somerset Council’s Lead Member for Children, Families and Education, Cllr Heather Shearer, said:
We are committed to improving support for children and young people with SEND in Somerset and to building a system that works better for families.
This plan sets out how we will work with families and our system partners to provide earlier help, improve services, and make sure children and young people get the right support, in the right place, at the right time.
It is an important step towards creating a stronger, more inclusive and more sustainable SEND system for Somerset.
Somerset’s draft SEND Reform Plan will be submitted to the DfE by 19 June 2026, in line with the national timetable for all local areas.
For more information, see the Council’s Decision Report: Implications of the Schools White Paper and SEND Reform Plan for Somerset.
Information about how partners are working together to develop local SEND services is also available on the Somerset SEND Working together on our local offer page.
