13 March 2026 weekly update

Dear Colleagues,

Since the publishing of the White Paper ‘every child achieving and thriving’  there has been much debate regarding its contents, and of course it’s implications for children and their families, schools and settings, local authorities and other partners.

Many of you will be considering how these changes will affect your own individual settings and cohorts. This week Local Authorities received a joint letter from the Secretary of State for Education, Bridget Phillipson and the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, Wes Streeting, formally commissioning the development and implementation of Local SEND Reform Plans. These plans will set out the actions we will take to drive system reform locally. The local area will work together, using the frameworks and assessment tools provided, to present the Kent Reform Plan. It is very early days and you will hear much more about this as we move forward.

Alongside ‘Every child achieving and thriving’ we have been provided with an accompanying series of documents which are also very helpful in understanding the proposed reforms. These cover information about the SEND reforms for key stakeholders, such as parents with children in different types of settings, as well as information for those working in a wide range of settings.

I was particularly interested to read the guidance for Special Schools. I have been fortunate to be leading on working with Special Schools and Specialist Resource Provision on the possible implementation of a banding system for children with Education, Health and Care plans. Just before Christmas myself and a team within KCC visited all our Special Schools and worked with colleagues to explore ways in which such a system could work in Kent, using draft banding descriptors that had been devised collaboratively with school leaders and teachers. A great deal of information about each setting was also shared and we are hugely grateful to all those staff members involved in the organisation and attendance at those meetings. It was a great opportunity for us to meet face to face and talk through the celebrations and challenges of different settings. It was clear how well understood and supported the children are. Since then we have been working through the information we have received and will be in contact with Special Schools and SRPs shortly around proposed next steps.

We have also continued the establishment of our Dimension groups with Special School Headteachers, which will provide a shared space to discuss common themes and challenges, and for us to look together at how we best support Kent children with the most complex needs. Within these meetings, and the visits mentioned above, I have seen such a wealth of experience and dedication and really effective, purposeful problem solving. To that end, may I also congratulate Peggy Murphy, Principal at Five Acre Wood on being awarded School Principal of the Year in Europe 2026 by Education Insider Magazine. Any of you who knows Peggy and Five Acre Wood School will know of their commitment and ingenuity in providing their children with the best education possible - including the use of trains, planes and automobiles (with a boat thrown in for good measure)!

Thank you to all of you for the incredible, hard work you do and the incredible impact you have on children, young people and their families.

Best wishes

Alice Gleave
Assistant Director SEN Strategic Services