Central Bedfordshire agrees refreshed SEND Strategy to improve support for children and young people
Wednesday, 8 April 2026
Central Bedfordshire Council has approved a refreshed Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) Strategy.
It sets out how the authority and local partners will work together over the next three years to improve outcomes for children and young people with SEND and their families.
The SEND Strategy 2025–2028 has been shaped by engagement with children and young people, parent carers and partners across education, health and social care. It sets out a shared commitment to providing earlier help, clearer communication, more inclusive practice in mainstream settings and stronger accountability across the local SEND system.
The strategy recognises the increasing demand for SEND services and the growing complexity of need, and sets out a whole-system approach to making sure children and young people get the right support at the right time.
Over the next three years, the strategy will focus on improving early intervention, strengthening support in mainstream schools and settings, ensuring specialist provision is available where needed, supporting smoother transitions into adulthood, and using data and partnership working to drive continuous improvement.
A key theme from engagement with families was the need for services to be easier to navigate, better joined up and more responsive to children and young people’s individual needs. These priorities are reflected throughout the strategy and will help shape delivery over the coming years.
Significant work is already underway to improve support for children and young people with SEND. This includes strengthening support in mainstream schools through enhanced SEND advisory services, expanded access to speech and language support and the development of Team Around the School approaches that bring services together more effectively.
There is also a renewed emphasis on early identification and intervention, backed by training and support for school staff so they can meet a wider range of needs within their settings. This work is being supported by a refreshed, more action-focused governance structure, with SNAP Parent Carer Forum and partners across education, health and care playing a central role in driving improvement, strengthening oversight and ensuring accountability across the SEND system.
These early steps are making a difference. They are helping needs to be identified earlier, improving the coordination of support for children and families, and increasing schools’ confidence in meeting a wider range of needs. As a result, schools and settings are increasingly able to respond more quickly, helping to prevent needs from escalating and supporting more children to stay in their local school with the right support in place.
Our executive Member for Children and Families, Councillor Gareth Mackey, said:
Every child and young person deserves the chance to thrive and achieve their potential. This refreshed SEND Strategy sets out our shared commitment with partners to improve support for children and families across Central Bedfordshire.
We know families want services that are easier to understand, better connected and more responsive. This strategy is about working together across education, health and care to provide earlier support, improve communication and strengthen accountability so that children and young people with SEND can get the help they need to achieve their aspirations.