Kingston upon Thames is set to unify its approach to supporting children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) by integrating its SEND Reform Plan and SEND Futures Plan into a single strategic transformation document. This move aims to streamline services and enhance outcomes for young people with SEND, consolidating national reform requirements with local priorities.
The updated SEND Futures Plan, which incorporates the SEND reforms, was scheduled to launch at a conference on October 15th, 2026. The draft SEND Reform Plan was submitted to the Department for Education (DfE) on June 19th, 2026. The unified plan seeks to incorporate national reform requirements with local priorities to enhance outcomes for children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities.
During a Schools Forum meeting on September 28th, 2026, members received an update on the progress of these plans. Charis Penfold, who presented the SEND Futures Plan update, explained that the SEND Reform Plan and its expectations would be incorporated into the existing SEND Futures Plan to create a unified strategic document. The Schools Forum noted the progress with the SEND Reform Plan and the refresh of the SEND Futures Plan, along with the upcoming launch of the updated SEND Futures Plan. The meeting details can be found in the Public reports pack.
A key initiative within the unified plan is the Specialist Expertise at Hand
model. This model aims to provide early intervention, advice, and support to schools, providers, and early years settings without the need for a formal Education, Health and Care (EHC) needs assessment. This is a priority for the current year and will be delivered through a cluster model. The pilot phase of the cluster model has concluded successfully, demonstrating the value of proactive networking and partnership work between Special Educational Needs Coordinators (SENCOs). The plan is to expand the cluster model across Kingston and Richmond by September 2027.
However, challenges remain in implementing the Specialist Expertise at Hand
model. Recruitment of educational psychologists (EPs) and occupational therapists (OTs) is a national challenge impacting the implementation of the model. The meeting noted that Recruitment to the specialist therapy roles required to support the Specialist Expertise at Hand (SEAH) pilot remains a key risk. Nationally, the recruitment of therapists and educational psychologists remains a challenge.
Efforts are being made to work closely with Integrated Care Board colleagues and health providers to agree workforce arrangements for Speech and Language Therapy (SaLT) and OT and progress recruitment.
Furthermore, the ongoing consultation and potential cuts within the Integrated Care Board (ICB) are impacting their capacity to engage with SEND reforms. The South West London ICB is undergoing a formal staff consultation on proposed structures as a result of recent funding cuts, which is due to conclude by March 2027. This restructure will result in reduced ICB capacity and loss of key personnel for integrated SEND services.
The number of EHC plans in Kingston has seen a 7% increase over the past 12 months, resulting in 2,215 EHC plans. This contrasts with Richmond, which experienced a 7% decrease in requests for EHC needs assessments. Charis Penfold explained that the SEND service and systems are consistent across both boroughs, meaning the difference is not due to the application of processes. She stated, The threshold is the same. So the document we use to make the decision about whether to assess or not is consistent and has been for many years, and we are confident in that process. So it will be linked to a higher prevalence of need in Kingston than there is in Richmond.