Special Educational Needs

The special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) Development Group was launched as part of the period of co-creation, which was announced in December 2025. The group is an informal engagement group led by myself, as Minister for Schools, to bring together a wider group of SEND stakeholders.

The group’s objectives are:

• To input into the co-creation process by reviewing the department’s evidence and policy questions in line with SEND principles for reform.

• To provide feedback, policy ideas, and suggestions from a wide range of stakeholders.

• To ensure diverse perspectives, including those of parents, practitioners, campaign organisations, and strategic partners, are considered in SEND policy development.

The group is attended by myself and our expert advisors Dame Christine Lenehan and Tom Rees. External attendees include representatives from the Council for Disabled Children (CDC), the Disabled Children’s Partnership (DCP), the National Network of Parents Carers Forums (NNPCF), the National Association for Special Educational Needs (NASEN), The Difference, Dingley’s Promise, The Athelstan Trust, Let Us Learn Too, The Global Black Maternal Health Institute, Aylsham Learning Federation, and the SEND Sanctuary. The group has recently been expanded to include the following.

SEND representative stakeholders:

• CDC
• NASEN

Local authorities:

• Haringey

Alternative Provision:

• Olive Academies

Early Years:

• Dingley’s Promise

Post-16:

• Heart of Worcestershire College

Individual voices from teacher workforce:

• Athelstan Trust
• Eden Academy Trust
• Aylsham High School

Parent and carer groups:

• DCP
• Let Us Learn Too
• Global Child and Maternal Health
• The Difference
• Changing Realities
• NNPCF
• Parentkind

Departmental advisors such as Christine Lenehan and Andrew O'Neil are also invited to this group, as are representatives from the Independent Panel.

Alongside the Development Group, I have set up the Complex Needs Group to expand stakeholder conversations in the department. This group consists of the following.

Parent voices:

• Parent carer representatives (NNPCF)
• Cause Communications

Departmental SEN advisers:

• Tom Rees
• Christine Lenehan

National disability charities:

• The Children’s Trust
• The SEND Sanctuary
• Ambitious About Autism
• Speak and Language UK
• Sense
• WellChild
• Contact
• Mencap
• Syndrome Association
• Together for Short Lives
• Challenging Behaviour Foundation
• Kids
• CDC

Teacher workforce:

• West Kirby Educational Trust
• Children’s Hospital School
• Natspec
• Sunningdale School

Local authorities:

• Leicestershire
• Rochdale

Health:

• National Health Service England

Academic:

• Autism Studies at University of Birmingham

Departmental advisors such as Tom Rees, Christine Lenehan and Andrew O’Neil are invited to this group.

The members of these groups all have independent positions outside of their contributions to the group and engage separately outside.

Both of these groups will meet monthly during the consultation period.

The National Conversation on SEND reached over 8,000 people to help shape the future of support for children and young people. The dates of the meetings are available in the published quarterly returns on Ministerial meetings: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/dfe-ministers-quarterly-returns.