SEND reform plan to support children and young people approved for Oxfordshire
Children and young people with SEND are to benefit from a plan to deliver better and more expert specialist support that has now been fully approved by government.
Oxfordshire County Council’s response to national education reform for children and young people with SEND was submitted to the Department for Education in June 2026.
This followed publication nationally of the schools white paper ‘every child achieving and thriving’ and the SEND consultation ‘putting children and young people first.’
Councillor Sean Gaul, Oxfordshire County Council’s Cabinet Member for Children, Education and Young People’s Services, said: “Every child deserves an opportunity to thrive, and our plan sets out how we will deliver even better support for children and young people with SEND in their schools and closer to their homes.
“More educational psychologists and therapists will be recruited to improve access to support through a new ‘experts at hand’ offer, inclusion support bases in mainstream schools will be created, and local support services will work through locality based teams.”
The reform plan has been supported by £4.9m investment from central government for ‘experts at hand and local authority SEND transformation’ and to support the partner organisations in implementing its ambitions over the next three years.
The government’s approval means Oxfordshire will receive a high needs stability grant which will significantly reduce the current deficit in the dedicated schools grant.
Almost every local council in England faces a special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) high needs deficit because the cost for support has vastly outstripped the funding provided by central government.
Factors across the country, not just in Oxfordshire, contributing to these deficits include increased demand for education, health and care plans (EHCPs), and a lack of funding for inclusive mainstream and state special school capacity, forcing councils to rely on costly independent and specialist placements.
Support for children with SEND is supported through a local area partnership, which includes Oxfordshire County Council; NHS Thames Valley Integrated Care Board (formerly NHS Buckinghamshire, Oxfordshire and Berkshire West Integrated Care Board); Oxford Health NHS Foundation Trust; Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust and Oxfordshire Parent Carer Forum.
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