SEND & Alternative Provision Strategy (2023-2028)
Our SEND & Alternative Provision Strategy remains in place until 2028 and is being delivered through the Telford & Wrekin SEND and AP Reform Programme, including the development of the Experts at Hand model and other initiatives to improve outcomes for children and young people.
"We believe that every child and young person deserves, and should receive, an excellent education and the chance to fulfil their potential. This includes having a clear focus on providing the right support, in the right place, at the right time."
The SEND and Alternative Provision (AP) Strategy sets out Telford & Wrekin's shared vision for improving outcomes for children and young people aged 0-25 with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND), and for those who access Alternative Provision. The strategy is a partnership commitment between education, health, social care and the voluntary sector.
The strategy remains in place until 2028 and continues to provide the framework for how partners across Telford & Wrekin will work together to deliver the right support, in the right place, at the right time.
Supporting SEND Reform
Since the strategy was launched, Telford & Wrekin has developed a comprehensive programme of SEND and AP reform. This work builds upon the ambitions set out in the strategy and focuses on improving inclusion, strengthening partnership working, ensuring earlier intervention and developing local provision to meet the needs of children and young people closer to home.
Through our SEND and AP Reform Programme we are working across education, health and care services to:
Improve outcomes for children and young people with SEND.
Strengthen co-production with children, young people and families.
Increase access to support at the earliest opportunity.
Develop inclusive practice across mainstream settings.
Improve sufficiency of local SEND and Alternative Provision services.
Reduce reliance on out-of-area placements by expanding support and provision available within Telford & Wrekin.
Experts at Hand and Early Intervention
A key element of our reform programme is the development of the Experts at Hand (EAH) model. EAH aims to ensure that children, young people, families and educational settings can access specialist advice, guidance and support earlier, helping needs to be identified and addressed before they escalate.
The model supports our ambition to create a more inclusive local system where schools, settings and professionals work together to provide timely support, reduce barriers to learning and improve outcomes for children and young people.
Working Together
Our strategy continues to be underpinned by the principles of co-production, inclusion and partnership. Children, young people and families remain central to the planning, design and evaluation of services.
Together we are committed to creating a system where every child and young person feels valued, included and supported to achieve their aspirations and prepare successfully for adulthood.
The SEND and AP Change Programme was a Department for Education improvement plan, aiming to test proposed changes to the UK's system for supporting children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND).
The local authorities making up the West Midlands region were Herefordshire, Shropshire, Telford & Wrekin and Worcestershire.
Over the past two years, Telford and Wrekin have led the SEND and AP Change Programme for the West Midlands, testing and embedding key elements of reform through a combination of national initiatives, including:
Early Language Support for Every Child (ELSEC)
Partnerships for Inclusion of Neurodiversity in Schools project (PINS)
Alternative provision specialist taskforces (APST)
PCF Working Together Charter
assistive technology
and locally co‑produced developments such as:
the transition support pilot
wellbeing charter mark
advisory teacher core offer
enhanced provision model
specialist language support
targeted mainstream inclusion work.
Delivered collaboratively across education and health, this has strengthened workforce confidence, improved understanding of neurodiversity and communication needs, and driven more consistent inclusive practice, enabling more children and young people to access education successfully within mainstream settings, with clear evidence of impact from early intervention programmes.
Building on this learning, the SEND Reform Plan sets out the next phase: scaling and embedding what works through a strengthened partnership model with the ICB, providers, MATs and STSA, refreshed governance and delivery structures, and a system‑wide shift towards earlier intervention, improved inclusion and better alignment of provision, capacity and resources to deliver a sustainable 0–25 system over the next three years.
Coming soon
The Area SEND and Alternative Provision Action Plan outlines the key areas of development and workstreams across the local area partnership, including Health, Education and Social Care.
Action Plan currently under review while SEND Reform planning continues
The Joint Strategic Needs Assessment (JSNA) refresh, published in February 2023 enables us to bring to the new Integrated Care System (ICS) evidence of our need and improvements required locally, enabling multi-agency joint commissioning to ensure best use of our collective resources and services covering all levels, with an aim of preventing escalation in need. Within this document is a collection of a wide range of data, information and lived experience from which to identify and implement the improvements needed within our collective ambition to achieve.
The Belonging Strategy is an overarching strategy that describes the priorities for all partners across Telford and Wrekin in addressing some of the key issues described through an increased sense of belonging. This is underpinned by a Belonging Action Plan where progress towards delivering the objectives described will be tracked. It is also underpinned by the Fair Access Protocol which describes the operation of the Fair Access Panel and the support available to young people and schools. The Hard to Place Protocol which sits under the Fair Access Protocol describes the process to ensure that the most vulnerable young people are placed in a fair and equitable way.
Last updated : 23 September 2026