As the Delivering Better Value (DBV) Programme in West Sussex wrapped up at the end of the last academic year, we’ve taken time to review what worked, what we learned, and how this shapes the future.  

Why DBV? Putting children and young people first

The DBV Programme was launched to strengthen outcomes for children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND), while also addressing financial pressures on the High Needs Block of the Dedicated Schools Grant.

At its heart, DBV aimed to create systemic changes that promote:

• Inclusion in every setting
• Early intervention for better outcomes
• Sustainable services for the future

What we achieved together

Despite tight timelines and funding challenges, the programme delivered several initiatives with encouraging early outcomes:

• Review of the Ordinarily Available Inclusive Practice guide - providing schools with a wealth of strategies and resources to meet the needs of children with SEND
• Expanded Special School Outreach - helping mainstream schools meet a wider range of SEND needs and reducing reliance on specialist placements
• Whole School Approaches & Earlier Support, known as Local Inclusion Solutions (LINCs) - building capacity in mainstream schools to support children earlier and more effectively, with learning from this is being used to inform our future ways of working

What we learnt

We have had encouraging feedback from our LINCs schools:

“I would say that staff knowledge around executive functions is so much more embedded than it has been before..." (Headteacher)

“Staff have a better understanding of behaviour being communication. Teachers and staff are empowered to use strategies in class for themselves, which has reduced the amount SLT are asked to support with.” (Staff member)

“The school is calm and welcoming. Leaders have worked hard to improve pupils’ behaviour. Staff help pupils who require additional support to manage their emotions well. These pupils learn a range of strategies, and, as a result, pupils know how to regulate their behaviour." (Ofsted Inspector) 

From pilot schools, we saw that a key finding was fewer requests for new Education, Health and Care Needs Assessments (EHCNAs), suggesting earlier support made a difference.

Looking ahead: building on strong foundations

The DBV Programme has laid the groundwork for the next phase of our SEND and Alternative Provision Change Programme and is informing our SEND Strategy. It has strengthened multi-agency collaboration and reaffirmed our commitment to inclusive education, early intervention, and sustainable services.

As we move into the next phase of our improvement journey, the insights
gained from DBV will continue to shape our strategic direction. Working together remains at the heart of creating meaningful change, helping us shape services that are not only responsive and inclusive, but also financially sustainable for the future.

We’re delighted to share an update on the significant progress made in shaping the SEND Strategy that will set our strategic direction for the next four years (2026-2030). This work reflects the commitment and collaboration of partners across education, health, social care, and our parent carer and young people forums.

Following our most recent Ofsted and Care Quality Commission (CQC) Area SEND Inspection in November 2023, we know that local arrangements for children and young people with SEND lead to inconsistent experiences and outcomes.

We have taken our time writing the strategy, making sure it aligns with national developments and that we listened to professionals, parent carers and young people,  using their feedback to inform its focus. This new strategy reflects our shared commitment and ambition to improve experiences and outcomes for children, young people and their families, building on identified strengths in practice and provision and addressing areas where we know we need to improve.

What will the strategy deliver?

The strategy sets out our vision, five guiding principles, and six strategic priorities that will create a fairer and more equitable SEND system across the partnership. It aims to enable the majority of children and young people with SEND to thrive in their local mainstream education settings and communities, with early intervention and prevention as key drivers of success.

What’s been achieved so far?

• Partnership workshops: in October 2024, senior leaders and partners from West Sussex Parent Carer Forum, Young Voices, Education, Health, and Social Care came together to set the foundations for the strategy
• Public consultation: during spring 2025, we launched a consultation on the Your Voice platform, and the feedback gathered has been invaluable in informing the content and priorities of the strategy
• Co-production group: a dedicated group of key partners drove the development of the strategy, working closely with the SEND and Alternative Provision Partnership Board and senior leadership teams
• Task and finish groups: six groups were mobilised to draft content around the six priority areas, ensuring a focused and comprehensive approach
• Creative design: illustrations were commissioned to give the strategy a unique and personalised feel, with consultant advice shaping the overall design and presentation and further refinements planned based on feedback from the parent carer forum and Young Voices
• Stakeholder engagement: two engagement sessions with strategic partners have helped strengthen our shared ambitions and refine the draft strategy
• Scrutiny committee input: an informal task and finish group reviewed the consultation process, the strategy’s aims and objectives, and its alignment with the SEND Improvement Plan

What’s next?

We’re now preparing the final version of the strategy, incorporating all feedback received from our leadership teams, partners and scrutiny committee, ensuring it reflects our collective vision for improving outcomes for children and young people with SEND in West Sussex.

Your role matters!

The official launch of the SEND Strategy will be in the spring term 2026. In the meantime, we encourage you to share this update with colleagues and networks and keep an eye out for opportunities to get involved in the next phase of implementation.

If you have not needed to contact the Virtual School recently, you may not be aware of all that we can offer and support you with.  

Whilst we are not a ‘real’ school with playgrounds and classrooms, and neither are we an online learning provider, we champion the education of a huge number of West Sussex children and young people.

These children are:

• West Sussex Children We Care For
• Those who have previously been cared for by the local authority or state
• Those who are supported through Child Protection or Child in Need planning (or have been in the past six years)
• Those who are living within Kinship Care arrangements

If you would like to find out a bit more about our work and the support we can offer you, please take a look at our West Sussex Virtual School website or email us at wsvs@westsussex.gov.uk.

We are keen to ensure that the training and events we facilitate support education colleagues in meeting the challenges and issues you tell us you experience in including and supporting your vulnerable learners. Alongside our core offer around attachment and trauma you will see several new topics covered in our training programme this year:

• ‘Responding to sexualised behaviour’ will give you the knowledge and skills to appropriately support young people and understand what further help and advice is available.
• Shame is a huge issue for children who have experienced adversity and disrupted attachment and how this manifests in an education environment has an enormous impact on the learner. Our new course, 'Responding to shame', will explain why shame occurs, how it presents and how best to reduce its impact.
• The rewiring of the brain that takes place during adolescence presents challenges not only for the young person themselves but also the family and professional network alongside them. To facilitate a greater level of understanding, and more importantly time to explore some really practical strategies to help you navigate these challenges, we have extended our previous adolescent brain training to a full day. Please book a place on 'Motivating the ‘unmotivated': understanding adolescence', to learn some new ideas and share your own top tips!
• Breakfast Briefings – an informal opportunity to meet with other colleagues responsible for Children We Care For in your area, hear updates from the Virtual School, enjoy breakfast together and share best practice.

Our training is offered at no cost to all West Sussex education providers. Free places on these or any of the other events facilitated by our team and our Educational Psychologist colleagues can be booked through Services for Education.

Autistic school pupils and their allies came together to celebrate their unique strengths and talents at two inspiring roadshow events organised by West Sussex County Council.

Approximately 230 people have attended events in Burgess Hill, Crawley and at individual schools, which aimed to promote positive messages about autism in schools and ensure that autistic perspectives are heard, understood, and acted upon across West Sussex.

The events were co-produced by student-led autism ambassador groups and centred around the theme ‘Calming the Chaos’. They offered wellbeing advice and resilience methods that autistic children and young people can use to self-regulate, or which can be used by neurotypical classmates to help those who are neurodivergent.

A highlights video featuring contributions from children and young people who attended, as well as education professionals, is available to watch on the West Sussex County Council YouTube channel.

We’re gathering young people’s voices to share with West Sussex County Councillors and the Adult & Mental Health Scrutiny Committee. The focus is on:

• Transitions – from Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS) to adult services (or those who age out while waiting)
• Prevention – what helps young people stay mentally well before reaching crisis

Please encourage young people to complete the short, open-ended, youth-friendly survey which will help let people know young people’s views on our mental health services.

Big news from the West Sussex Parent Carer Forum!

Whether you’re a parent carer, a professional working with SEND families, or just curious about what we do, you won’t want to miss this! We’ve got exciting updates, new partnerships, and powerful ways for you to get involved.

The West Sussex Parent Carer Forum (WSPCF) is run by parent carers, for parent carers. We listen, support, and represent families of children and young people with SEND (Special Educational Needs and Disabilities), making sure your voice is heard everywhere - from local services to national government.

Exciting change coming in 2026

From April 2026, a charity called Amaze will host WSPCF - just like they do with Brighton & Hove Parent Carers’ Council (PaCC) and East Sussex Parent Carer Forum (ESPCF).

What this means for you:

• WSPCF keeps its identity, activities, and goals
• Amaze provides back-office support, helping us be stronger and more resilient
• Together, we’ll make sure the voice of parent carers is heard loud and clear across Sussex

Don’t miss the full story - read the full news item here.

Meet the Sussex Parent Carer Forum collaborative

We’re also thrilled to launch a powerful new partnership between the forums in West Sussex, East Sussex, and Brighton & Hove! Each forum continues to operate locally, but by joining forces, we amplify the collective voice of families across Sussex - especially on health-related issues coordinated by NHS Sussex.

This collaborative will allow us to better:

• Tackle shared challenges and influence regional SEND developments
• Strengthen family representation in regional decision-making
• Support fairness and consistency across all local services

Learn more about the collaborative here.

Standing up for parent carers

Our CEO, Rowan, has been speaking up loud and clear for parent carers nationally! Together with other Sussex forums and Amaze, we wrote to West Sussex MPs, calling for:

• Clear national eligibility criteria - support shouldn’t depend on where you live
• Consistent duty to assess and meet needs - reduce confusion
• Fairer direct payments - ensure equal access to support
• Stronger advocacy rights - so every voice is heard

Every story shared helps us speak up for all families.

We also joined over 40 families and Tom Rutland MP at a SEND coffee morning. The stories were honest, heartfelt, and powerful. Even if you couldn’t attend, we are here to represent all parent carers and SEND families across West Sussex.

Professionals - get involved!

Are you a professional working with parent carers?

Share our membership and events with SEND families so they can:

• Share experiences
• Stay informed
• Help shape better SEND services

Here’s how you can get involved:

• Become a professional member and explore our pinboard - practical tips and resources 
• Follow us on Facebook and Instagram - stay up to date

Real change starts with you. Together, we make sure every parent carer is heard. Join us today!

A new Ofsted Framework will be used for all inspections from November 2025. Ofsted aims to ensure that there is a high-quality, inclusive education for every child, pupil, learner, apprentice and trainee. They want to see great outcomes for everyone.

Inspections will therefore have a renewed focus on inclusion. Inspectors will focus on barriers to learning and well-being especially for those who are disadvantaged, have SEND or are known to children’s social care.  Inspectors will use contextual information and discussions with leaders to understand each school’s particular community and the opportunities and challenges this brings to their work.

You can read more about the new Ofsted Framework here.

Next year's West Sussex SENCO Conference will be held on 18 June 2026.

We have our first planning meeting on 3 December 2025 (SENCOs: please email Kathryn Kellagher if you would like to attend).  The first decision will be to decide where to hold the conference! 

For the past few years we've used the conference centre at Butlins, which has been amazing, but we're aware that it's been a long journey for some of you and some SENCOs have found it challenging to attend. So, this year we thought it was time we held the conference in the north of the county and are looking at the Crowne Plaza in Crawley. Watch this space...

Did you know that West Sussex County Council’s Apprenticeship Scheme offers funding training for school staff (new and existing) in a range of SEND and inclusion-related areas, such as the following?

• Level 3 Teaching Assistant (can include additional SEND training)
• Level 3 Safeguarding Support Officer
• Level 4 Early Intervention Practitioner
• Level 5 Operations Manager (SEND)
• Level 5 Specialist Teaching Assistant (HLTA training with the option to specialise in SEND, social and emotional wellbeing, or curriculum provision)
• Level 6 Youth Worker

Join us during National Apprenticeship Week 
(9-15 February 2026) to find out more about West Sussex County Council’s Apprenticeship Scheme:

• 10 February 2026 - Transform Your School Workforce with Funded Apprenticeship Training (for school leaders): click here to register
• 11 February 2026 – Becoming an Apprentice (for all staff): click here to register
• Various dates – Apprenticeship-Specific (for all staff): click here to visit our dedicated West Sussex Services for Education page for further details (including registration)