Introduction
Welcome to the Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) and Inclusion Strategy 2024-2029 for Warwickshire.
This strategy has been coproduced by partners from across health, education and social care including Warwickshire County Council, Coventry and Warwickshire Integrated Care Board, the parent carer forum - Warwickshire Parent Carer Voice (WPCV), IMPACT (the young people’s forum for SEND) and schools.
It sets out our collective ambition for the next five years to improve life opportunities and outcomes for children and young people with SEND, by supporting a strong early start, quality education and a positive transition into adulthood.
Aiming to meet the requirements of the Children and Families Act 2014, the strategy is ambitious, inclusive, and realistic in the challenging financial context seen nationally amongst local authorities and the NHS.
The financial challenges of maintaining sustainable SEND provision are well-recognised, as highlighted in recent reports from the National Audit Office, the Local Government Association, and the County Council Network. These challenges extend beyond education to include related expenses, such as home-to-school transportation. We remain committed to operating within its available resources while advocating for additional government funding to address growing demands.
The key priorities have been informed by our coproduction and engagement activity, and we have listened to the views and experience of parents, carers and children and young people to understand their needs. Our previous Local Area Inspection and Self-Evaluation have also guided the priorities that will inform our Delivery and Improvement Plan.
The coordination and delivery of the strategy’s priorities will require ongoing collaborative working with children and young people, parents and carers, schools and partner agencies. This will be guided by Warwickshire’s Working Together Charter and the Schools’ Inclusion Charter.
Oversight, accountability, and progress tracking of the strategy’s priorities will be managed by the SEND and Inclusion Partnership Board, which includes representatives from all partners. This will ensure a coordinated, system-wide effort to improve outcomes for children, young people, and families so they can be the best they can be, in a county where they are skilled, safe, heard, healthy and happy.
