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June 2025
There’s a different feeling among Devon County Council's leadership team with regards to its biggest challenge – improving services for children and young people with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND).
Talk to its directors or heads of service and there’s a palpable change in energy. It's a reflection that the council has dialled up its determination to transform its SEND support.
The shift in gear comes with the realisation that despite so much work in the last 18 months to improve or build new foundations on which to improve services, young people and their families are simply not yet feeling it or seeing the change.
The council has now established a new leadership team in children's services, which is more determined, more insistent on change. It's expecting more, and it’s driving change harder. It's also got a new political administration at the helm that has made SEND one of its top two priorities.
Devon County Council has set out four key priorities to give structure to their work to improve SEND services over the next 12 months.
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Improving people's experience: the council will review the information and advice given to young people and their families and will continue to improve the way it assesses and manages EHCPs so people having better access to the right care and support where they need it.
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Build inclusive learning communities: this means improving access to high quality support in schools and educational settings close to home, so that young people with additional needs can learn at their local school, alongside their friends and peers.
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Reshape its services to support our most vulnerable children in education: the council has been restructuring its education services to focus more on inclusion and learning, bringing together local multi-disciplinary teams to better support vulnerable children in education.
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Invest in schools by getting the basics right: as demand rises, and costs to meet demand follow suit, the council recognises the enormity of the financial challenge ahead of it and is determined to see an increase in funding into mainstream schools to support SEND.
At the first full council meeting since the elections last month, councillors decided who will be Devon County Council's new Cabinet Members. The Cabinet is the part of the council responsible for political decision making. It is made up of a Leader and no more than nine other members (Cabinet Members), all appointed by the council from amongst its membership.
Councillor Denise Bickley has been appointed to look after services for children with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND). That means she’s involved in making sure the right support is in place, from assessments to providing and commissioning the services families rely on. She’s also responsible for helping young people move on after school, making sure there are good options for education, training, and skills that lead to jobs.
Commenting on the council's work to improve SEND services in Devon, she said:
"It's a full agenda, and money is of course in short supply. But we're ambitious and determined that children and their families rapidly begin to see and feel the change they need."
Devon County Council is redesigning its Inclusion and Learning Service to better support children, young people, and their families in their community. The goal is to make sure every child gets the help they need to thrive in an inclusive and supportive education system. Here’s what’s changing:
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Education Quality and Inclusion Locality Teams: These teams will work closely with local schools, settings and communities to help children succeed. They’ll support areas like early years, school attendance, home education, and special educational needs and disabilities (SEND).
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Educational Psychology and Specialist Support Services: This team brings together experts who support children with additional needs, including those with sensory or physical difficulties. They’ll work alongside the local teams to provide joined-up support.
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SEND Operations: This team will focus on making sure the council meets its legal responsibilities around Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND). They’ll work closely with families, schools, settings and the wider Inclusion and Learning service to improve the process and ensure young people with SEND can thrive.
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Education Strategy and Central Operations: This team looks at the bigger picture, like planning school places, admissions, and making sure services are available where and when they’re needed.
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The Virtual School: Supports children who may need extra help, such as those in care and those supported by a social worker. The team is expanding to support more valuable, vulnerable children across Devon.
Emma Phillips is Devon County Council's new Head of Devon Virtual School for Children with a Social Worker. She’s looking forward to strengthening the council’s relationships, communications and support for our most vulnerable children in schools and other educational settings in Devon.
"At Devon Virtual School, we are committed to promoting our children’s educational achievement and wellbeing, whilst always being curious and asking the question ’is it good enough for my child?," says Emma.
Timely support is for children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) is important. That’s why improving the speed and efficiency of Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP) assessments is a top priority for Devon County Council.
Right now, around 1,400 children are going through the statutory assessment process in Devon, which is significantly more than in many similar local authorities. This can cause delays, and so the council are taking steps to change that and make the process quicker and smoother, without compromising on quality or fairness.
They've made some changes to how our SEND Operations Service is organised and what work their Educational Psychologists are focussing on. They're also trialling a new approach to speed up the initial decision about whether to carry out an EHCP assessment.
Last week parents, carers, young people, and practitioners from across Devon came together for a powerful day of connection and collaboration.
The Four Cornerstones Co-production Event, hosted by the Genuine Partnerships team, focused on building trust through four key values: Welcome and Care, Value and Include, Communicate, and Working in Partnership. You can find out more about them on the Devon SEND Local Offer website.
The day was filled with engaging presentations, short films, and interactive activities that encouraged everyone to share their experiences to help shape ideas for future improvements. Attendees explored what’s working well and identified opportunities to strengthen partnerships between families and services. The event also showcased the psychology and practical steps needed to embed genuine co-production in everyday practice.
This event marked a meaningful step forward in ensuring that families are not just heard, but actively involved in shaping the services that support them.
Devon County Council's SEND Network for Change aims to create opportunities for young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) to get involved and have their voice heard! There are lots of different groups and projects going on, run by our SEND Participation Team. Below are some of the things that the groups have been involved in recently...
 Joseph and Eloise are part of Devon County Council's SEND Network for Change, and Devon Youth Council. Earlier this month they spent the day at the Devon SEND conference, the focus of which was ‘empowering inclusive communities’.
They co delivered two workshops explaining the importance of pupil voice in schools, and they shared their experiences, including the importance of relationships and connection.
They also met the key note speaker George King, who gave an inspiring talk about ADHD and not allowing others to set limits on your dreams (as well as showing us some scary videos of him climbing very tall buildings!).
A huge well done to Joseph and Eloise!
 Devon County Council's Participation Team, in collaboration with Okehampton College, recently hosted an enriching session at the Eco-Hub.
This bi-weekly group, attended by 15 to 20 autistic young people, welcomed Livewell for an insightful talk and Q&A focused on the neurodiversity pathway in Devon.
The Livewell team, comprising neurodivergent individuals, shared valuable support and perspectives from their lived experiences.
 ‘Places to Go, Things to Do’ was recently voted as the top issue for young people in Devon in the .
To be able to make a clear goal for the campaign and ensure that is truly representative of all young people in Devon, need to know more information from children and young people about this issue to be.
To do this, the Youth Council have created a really short survey for anyone aged 11-25 that only takes a few minutes to complete. You can .
If you need an accessible Widgit version of the survey, please email .
We've been hosting a series of online sessions about the help and advice available for young people preparing for adulthood. These sessions are an opportunity for residents to hear about the support and advice available for young people, and those that support them.
Our next session is taking place on Tuesday 8 July, and its all about empowering young people with practical money management skills. From budgeting and saving to discovering helpful resources and knowing who to turn to for support — we’ll cover the basics you need to feel confident and in control of your finances as you step into adulthood.
Participants will have the opportunity to engage and ask questions throughout the session, making it an interactive and informative experience. This session is open to all, but is specifically aimed at young people.
Devon County Council has launched a refreshed section on the SEND Local Offer website, dedicated to supporting children and young people with sensory and/or physical needs.
This new section is designed to help families better understand the types of support available for children with vision or hearing impairments, dual sensory loss, or physical difficulties. Whether your child needs help accessing learning, navigating daily tasks, or using specialist equipment, this hub offers clear guidance and signposts to relevant services.
Key features include:
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Tailored signposting guides for vision, hearing, and dual sensory impairments.
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Information on education support, including how schools can access help from the Sensory and Physical Needs Team.
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Resources for families, such as lending libraries with braille, large print, and tactile books.
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Support for transitions, especially for young people aged 14+ preparing for adulthood.
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Wellbeing and safety advice, ensuring holistic care for your child.
A helpful series of guides from the Devon SpLD (Dyslexia) Service are now even easier for parents and carers to access. These guides, designed to support children with dyslexia and related learning needs, have been re-published on the SEND Local Offer website under a brand-new ‘Dyslexia’ page.
The following parent-focused guides are now available:
These resources are designed to empower you with knowledge and tools to support your child’s learning journey at home.
Devon Information, Advice and Support (DiAS) is offering free 'Making Sense of SEND' in-person training in North Devon next month.
It's taking place on Thursday July 10 2025 from 9:15am until 12:45pm at the Castle Centre, 25 Castle Street, Barnstaple EX31 1DR
The aim of this half-day training is to help parent carers understand some of the most important information and the most useful skills to develop when supporting a child with SEND.
It explains special educational needs, SEN support and how the SEND system works and helps parents to feel more confident about speaking up for their child and working with professionals.
You may find it most useful if you’re new to SEND or have a child being supported without an EHC plan, but anyone is welcome to join! The session is free and there places still available.
The 2025 SEND Conference was held at Sandy Park in Exeter earlier this month. It was a resounding success, bringing together over 300 delegates, exhibitors, and speakers for a day of inspiration, collaboration, and learning.
The record-breaking attendance is a testament to the unwavering commitment of Devon schools to inclusive education and the shared vision of empowering all learners.
Under the theme “Empowering Inclusive Learning Communities,” the conference featured a dynamic programme of three powerful keynotes and two interactive workshop sessions, offering practical strategies and heartfelt stories that resonated deeply with attendees.
We heard the Chancellor's spending review earlier this month, in which she set out how much funding each of the government departments will have over coming years.
We were hoping to hear some good news regarding national reform of the SEND system, but little was said, other than that the government's intention is to explain its approach to SEND reform and how it will support local authorities in the school's white paper in the autumn.
"Autumn's not soon enough," said Devon County Council's Cabinet Member, councillor Denise Bickley. "The current system is failing our children nationwide, today."
She said the need for national reform of the system is immediate. You can listen to what else she said in this video on our YouTube channel.
Over the last few years some members of Children and Family Health Devon's Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Champions group have been sharing information to raise awareness of invisible disabilities.
In a recent blog posted on their website, a parent of an autistic son describes the feeling of being judged in public spaces and the pros and cons of the hidden disability sunflower lanyard.
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