Summary of proposed 'Oxfordshire SEND Reform Plan' published

The Cabinet papers for next week’s Oxfordshire County Council Cabinet meeting have now been published. Included within those papers is a summary of Oxfordshire’s proposed SEND Reform Plan, under agenda item 8 which you can find here: Agenda for Cabinet on Tuesday, 16 June 2026. 

The plan is Oxfordshire’s response to the Government’s proposed SEND reforms and sets out how support for children and young people with SEND could develop in Oxfordshire over the coming years. It includes plans to strengthen early intervention, improve inclusion, increase local support and provision, and improve the way education, health and care services work together.

To support this vision, the Partnership have identified five core inclusion measures upon which the SEND Reform Plan has been developed: 

1. More inclusive mainstream settings 

2. Improved confidence in mainstream settings  

3. Meeting children’s and young people's needs locally  

4. Meeting children’s and young people's needs earlier   

5. Using the views of children, young people and families to inform system transformation   

An earlier draft of the plan was shared with the Department for Education (DfE) for feedback. This updated version will now be considered by both the SEND Improvement and Assurance Board (SIAB) and Cabinet next week before being submitted to the DfE by 19 June 2026. The DfE will then review the plan and decide whether it meets the national requirements. 

OxPCF has taken part in workshops and discussions linked to the development of the plan and will continue to be involved as this work progresses. We will be involved with the implementation of the SEND Reforms, including quarterly review of the local SEND Reform Plan, and are working closely with the Local Area Partnership to understand the planned role for Oxfordshire Parent Carers Forum. 

We know many families will have questions about what this could mean in practice. We are currently reviewing the proposals in more detail and will be working with the Local Area Partnership to help families better understand what is being proposed, while continuing to gather and reflect parent carer views as the work progresses. 

For now, we want to reassure families that: 

• The plan has been designed to complement existing services — not to replace them. 

• There are currently no changes to the support children and young people receive. 

• There are currently no changes to the local authority’s legal duties towards children and young people with SEND. 

• Some of the proposed work may begin over the coming months, while other aspects would be developed and implemented over a much longer period. 

• Any future changes to SEND legislation have not yet been agreed and are not expected to happen immediately. 

• The plan sets out a proposed direction of travel, but many aspects will require further development, engagement and discussion before they can be fully implemented. 

• Parent carer voices will continue to be an important part of shaping how this work develops in Oxfordshire. 

We will share further updates, opportunities to ask questions, and ways to get involved once we have had the opportunity to review the proposals in more detail and following discussion at SIAB and Cabinet next week. 

~ Oxfordshire Parent Carers Forum