A local area plan to overhaul support for children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities in Medway, jointly approved by the council and NHS Kent and Medway Integrated Care Board, was presented to scrutiny on 1 October 2026, with targets including reducing independent special school placements to 230 or below by 2029.

Medway Council’s Children and Young People Overview and Scrutiny Committee received the Medway Local SEND Reform Plan at its meeting on 1 October 2026. The plan has been jointly approved by Medway Council, NHS Kent and Medway Integrated Care Board and the wider Local Area Partnership, and was submitted to the Department for Education in June 2026.

Rising demand and financial pressure

Officers reported that EHCP prevalence has increased to approximately 5.3% of the pupil population, with 4,448 children and young people currently holding plans. Requests for statutory assessment have more than doubled and continue to exceed previously forecast levels. The papers state that, despite resolving an in-year deficit on the high needs block, the new surge in demand is placing increasing financial pressure and is likely to reverse that position.

The plan adopts what officers described as an invest-to-save approach, shifting resources towards prevention and mainstream inclusion to reduce reliance on expensive independent placements and improve long-term financial sustainability. Funding is expected to be supported through the High Needs Stability Grant programme, though the papers noted that approval and confirmation of associated funding arrangements were expected in September 2026.

Six reform priorities

The plan is organised around six strategic reform priorities: outcomes-driven leadership and accountability; inclusion and the new Experts at Hand model; co-production with children, young people and families; commissioning, sufficiency and financial sustainability; workforce development; and alignment with wider children’s services reform.

The centrepiece of the programme is described as the Experts at Hand model, which will provide place-based multi-disciplinary support to schools, early years settings and post-16 providers, aiming to improve access to specialist advice and support early intervention without requiring statutory assessment.

Targets for 2029

By 2029, the partnership aims to reduce annual EHCP requests to 660 or below; increase the proportion of children with EHCPs educated in mainstream settings to 65%; reduce independent special school placements to 230 or below; and raise attendance for children receiving SEND support to above 94%. The plan also targets at least 85% of educational settings accessing the Experts at Hand model.

Risks identified

Officers identified several significant risks. Workforce shortages across Educational Psychology, Speech and Language Therapy and Occupational Therapy were rated as very likely with a critical impact. Demand continuing to exceed projections was rated as likely with a critical impact. The papers also noted ongoing challenges including inconsistent inclusive practice across settings, late identification and intervention, rising levels of elective home education associated with SEND needs, and increasing tribunals and family dissatisfaction.

The committee was asked to note the plan and support delivery of the six strategic reform priorities. The council had not published the minutes of the meeting at the time of writing, so the committee’s decision is not yet on the public record.

Sources

Top image: illustrative, computer-generated. Illustrative AI-generated image. This is not a photograph of any real school or setting in Medway.