New contract announced to support SEND improvement in local areas

On 20th May, the Department for Education announced £12 million funding to directly support schools and colleges to work with pupils with SEND, through the new Universal Services contract.

We are delighted to announce that the Research & Improvement for SEND Excellence partnership (RISE), led by the Council for Disabled Children and including the National Development Team for Inclusion (NDTi), the University of Warwick and Isos Partnership will deliver a three year, £4.8m contract to support SEND improvement in local areas.

The contract includes two programmes of work:

• The first will enable targeted performance improvement for local areas with weaknesses in their multi-agency SEND system via the provision of bespoke support. This work adds to our growing suite of regional, local and targeted support for local areas.
• The second programme will design and develop a What Works in SEND programme; as a learning system, comprising research, development, and dissemination of resources and models of effective practice; and as an evidence base for exemplary practice within the sector.

Julie Pointer, NDTi Programme Lead for Children and Young People said: “We are really pleased to be able to continue to work with the Department for Education to ensure Local Areas have everything in place to support young people with SEND to prepare them for a positive adult life. We look forward to working with our partners to improve outcomes for families and to share what works through the “What Works in SEND” programme”.

Supporting local areas, delivery partners and providers to meet the needs of children and young people with SEND needs to continue to be a high priority for government, with a clear line of sight to key government commitments on the levelling up agenda, economic growth and employment for all, and to consider what needs to happen beyond the SEND Green Paper to ensure ordinary lives for children and young people with SEND and their families.

Paul Marshall, NDTi Chief Executive said: “We are hugely excited by this work and this great partnership that has come together to deliver it. The work aligns so closely with our drive and desire for young people with SEND and their families to be able to access the best possible support to achieve positive outcomes, and we all look forward to helping achieve that."