Bromley reached an important milestone in the national SEND reforms, with the successful development and submission of its Local SEND Reform Plan to the Department for Education (DfE).
With just two months to submit a full plan, a deadline set by DfE, this work has been shaped by the Strategic SEND Reform Group, a multi-partner group including parent/carers, education providers, early years settings, and health partners across the borough.
To maximise contributions and ideas from across the local area, Bromley committed to a range of co-production and engagement events, delivered at pace to capture the broadest possible view on what Bromley’s vision, goals and strategy for SEND reform should look and feel like.
The Plan was endorsed by the Strategic SEND Reform Group and approved ahead of submission to DfE on 19 June by Bromley leadership and SEL ICS. The Plan was endorsed by the SEND Governance Board on 24th June.
Our vision
At the heart of the plan is a shared vision that every child and young person with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND), from birth to age 25, can achieve, belong and thrive within an inclusive, high-quality education system and their local community. The reforms aim to strengthen a single, inclusive SEND system across Bromley that delivers the right support at the right time and builds on Bromley’s existing strengths and priorities.
Four key priorities
The first year of implementation (26/27) will focus on these four key workstreams:
1. Strengthening inclusion across education settings
Inclusion is everyone’s responsibility, with a shared vision for what ‘good’ inclusion means in practice and feels like for children and young people. High quality, inclusive practice in mainstream settings is the foundation of support, underpinned by clear expectations, confident leadership and a skilled workforce developed through additional capacity via Experts at Hand.
2. System leadership, local partnership collaboration and co-production
Children, young people and families are equal partners in decisions about support, with their voices shaping planning, delivery and evaluation through coproduction and engagement. We will work towards a mature partnership and robust system leadership across all agencies, to deliver a consistent offer with shared accountabilities embedded.
3. Access to specialist support and local placements
All children and young people have their needs identified early and met effectively and consistently in their local early years setting, school or college, without delay or unnecessary escalation ensuring value for money. Recognising the role of specialist schools as a vital and valued part of Bromley’s inclusive SEND system, providing high-quality education for children and young people with the most complex needs, while also contributing expertise, outreach and system leadership to strengthen inclusive practice across the wider education community. Quality and timeliness of support will be achieved through investing in workforce capacity, capability and confidence, as well as system improvement ensuring that lived experience shapes professional learning and partnership priorities.
4. Encouraging inclusive culture and behaviours to drive sustainability and shared accountabilities
A financially sustainable system where earlier intervention, strengthened mainstream provision and consistent application of the graduated approach reduce reliance on high-cost specialist placements, improve value for money and ensure resources are targeted to need. Outcomes are strong and parents, carers and young people have confidence in the local SEND system, reducing reliance on statutory processes to support needs through earlier support and thereby reducing costs.
Strong governance and clear measures of success
The SEND Governance Board will oversee delivery of the reforms, ensuring that children, young people and families remain engaged, outcomes are scrutinised, and partners work collectively to improve local provision. Performance measures and targets have been established to monitor progress through to 2029.
What happens next?
As implementation begins, regular updates will be shared through the SEND Partnership Newsletter and the Bromley SEND Local Offer. These channels will provide information on progress, opportunities for feedback and evidence of how the voices of children, young people and families continue to shape the reform programme.
Together, we are building a more inclusive, responsive and sustainable SEND system for all children and young people in Bromley.
