Stockton-on-Tees Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) and Alternative Provision Sufficiency Statement 2026 to 2029
National and local context
The Government policy paper "Every child achieving and thriving" (2026) outlines an ambition for children and young people with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) to receive the right support at the earliest opportunity, enabling them to experience positive educational outcomes and thrive into adulthood. The white paper has been introduced at a time of significant national challenge where:
- more children than ever before are being identified as having SEND, with the rise in the number of pupils in schools with Education, Health and Care plans far outstripping the overall rise of the school population
- more children and young people with SEND have needs that are not met in mainstream education and require specialist provision, with a corresponding substantial rise in placements in independent and non-maintained special schools
- more money than ever before is being invested in the SEND system, but this is not keeping pace with what is being spent (the high needs funding deficit), representing significant budget pressures for local authorities, education and health services
- outcomes for children and young people with SEND overall have not improved
Major reforms to the SEND system will be phased in by Government over the coming years, aiming to create a more inclusive, consistent and outcomes focused system that enables children and young people with SEND to achieve their potential and thrive.
Local context
The voice of children, young people, parents and carers have shaped the priorities within our SEND and Alternative Provision (AP) Strategy (2025 to 2030). These are based on the key outcomes that support preparation for adulthood, which are:
- being as healthy as possible
- ​building relationships with friends, family, and the community
- ​developing independence
- accessing quality education, training, and employment opportunities
Our local area SEND and AP strategy underpins the delivery of our sufficiency statement, alongside our Local Area Reform Plan and Best Start in Life Strategic Delivery Plan (2026-2031).
The voice of children, young people, parents and carers
During the development of our local area strategy the views of parent, carers, children and young people were collected to understand the priorities and lived experience of children and young people with SEND and those who require alternative provision.
Insights from children and young people
Recurring themes for children and young people included:
- not knowing about or understanding activities that were available to them
- wanting to feel safe in society and have positive experiences in school
- to be able to access the same experiences and opportunities as other children and young people who did not have SEND
Insights from parents and carers
Recurring themes for parents and carers included:
- the importance of, and gaps in, inclusion for their children
- a difference between how mainstream education settings responded to the needs of their children
- wanting SEND to be more embedded in mainstream settings
- wanting their children to experience more inclusive communities
