The SEND reform programme signals a decisive shift in how inclusion is defined, delivered and held to account across the education system. With the introduction of a strengthened Universal Offer, National Inclusion Standards, revised SEND Code of Practice and new Specialist Provision Packages, mainstream settings will carry clearer responsibilities and greater scrutiny. Inclusion will no longer sit at the margins of school improvement — it will be central to leadership, governance and inspection.
For senior leaders, the question is not whether change is coming, but how prepared your organisation is to respond. This conference provides a clear, strategic walkthrough of the proposed reforms and their implications for structure, funding, workforce and accountability. It will enable leaders to step back from day-to-day pressures, assess their current model against the direction of travel, and begin shaping a phased, coherent response.
The focus throughout is leadership: what this means for your school or trust, what must be strengthened now, and how to position inclusion as a driver of standards rather than a competing priority.
Who should attend?
Headteachers, Assistant Heads, Deputy Heads, SENCOs, Assistant SENCOs and other members of the SLT
By attending this conference, you will be able to:
Articulate the strategic case for reform and position your organisation clearly within the national direction of travel.
Evaluate the alignment of your current inclusion model against the proposed SEND framework and identify structural vulnerabilities.
Determine the leadership and governance shifts required to embed inclusion as core business rather than specialist provision.
Define the implications of the new Inclusion Strategy requirement for accountability, funding transparency and inspection readiness.
Anticipate the operational and legal impact of Specialist Provision Packages, Individual Support Plans and the revised Code of Practice.
Establish a phased response plan that balances immediate action with longer-term system redesign (2027–2030).
Lead informed conversations with governors, trustees and stakeholders about risk, readiness and reform.
