On Monday, the government published its long-awaited white paper on education reform. We are still reviewing the full details, but we understand that families and professionals may feel uncertain about what these changes could mean in practice. At West Sussex County Council, our commitment remains clear: we will always put children first, ensuring that every child has the opportunity to thrive and reach their full potential. 

Our teams are now carefully examining the white paper to understand its implications for our services, schools and communities. We will respond in full to all interested parties once we have had time to fully digest the proposals and assess how they align with our local priorities and the needs of families in West Sussex. 

In the meantime, we want to reassure families, carers, and education professionals that we will continue to apply a children first approach in the communication and application of any education reforms. 

We are delighted to confirm that we now have two Heads of Service for SEND and Inclusion. 

Area A is being led by Andrew Parker and he has responsibility for the following teams within SEND and Inclusion:

• Educational Psychology Service
• SEND & Inclusion Advisors
• Special Education Needs Assessment Teams (SENAT) Service with responsibility for Education Care and Health Needs Assessments (EHCNAs), Special Needs Officers and Advisory Teachers team, Education Other Than At School (EOTAS), Elective Home Education where the child has an EHCP, Disagreement Resolution & Tribunal team

"Throughout my career I have been passionate about improving outcomes for all children and before joining West Sussex, I worked in mainstream and as a head teacher of a special school.

We all know we work in a challenging area but I can see firsthand the passion, commitment and expertise within the Inclusion Service and am looking forward to working with Jack on our improvement journey."

Andrew Parker, Head of Service, Area A, SEND and Inclusion

Jack Jones joins us as the lead for Area B and the following teams report into him: 

• Special Advisory Teaching Service
• Fair Access
• Special Education Needs Assessment Teams (SENAT) Service with responsibility for Annual Reviews, Preparation for Adulthood and Post-16

"I have spent more than a decade in education, leading improvement and inclusion across diverse settings. As an experienced senior leader and Headteacher, I have driven strategic change in schools serving areas of high deprivation, ensuring equity and excellence for all learners. As a qualified SENDCo, I bring expertise in special educational needs and disabilities, having established two specialist resourced provisions (one in primary and another in secondary) and strengthened inclusive practice.

I also believe in giving back to the system, bringing my own experience as a Co-Chair of Governors for an alternative provision in my local community. Prior to education, I worked extensively with children and young adults with SEND, shaping my values and approach to leadership. I am passionate about creating environments where every child thrives."

Jack Jones, Head of Service, Area B, SEND & Inclusion

The additional needs of most children and young people can be met by inclusive quality first teaching and reasonable adjustments from the funding and resources that are already or ‘ordinarily’ available in their mainstream school or setting. This is known as ‘Ordinarily Available Provision’.

WSCC launched an updated version of the Ordinarily Available Inclusive Practice guide (OAIP) in spring 2025.  This guide highlights a range of support and expectations that settings can ordinarily provide for a child or young person, without the need for additional support from an Education Health and Care Plan. You can find it on Tools for Schools where you can also download it as a PDF file.   This accessible resource will be used to prompt discussion and facilitate planning to create more inclusive learning environments and experiences.

Hello everyone, if you haven’t heard of us yet, we are The West Sussex Parent Carer Forum (WSPCF) a charity created by parent carers, for parent carers.

We work to ensure parent carer experiences aren’t just heard - they actively shape better services and support in West Sussex for families navigating SEND.

Read here about the work we did in 2025, and the Making Sense of Change and Chat & Chill events we have planned for early 2026!

We are delighted to share that we are taking two of our services out into the community again this term so we can support even more families in West Sussex!

Benefits Advice

Parents of a child or young person with SEND can meet our Benefits Advisor in their local area for support with applications for Carers Allowance, Disability Living Allowance and Personal Independence Payment.

• 12 March 10am – 12pm, ADHD Support Group, St Lawrence Surgery, Worthing

SEND remains a key priority across Sussex

We understand the effect that waiting lists have on our families and are working hard to reduce the impact of these.  SEND continues to be one of the system’s highest priorities, with a refreshed, health-focused SEND Action Plan now in place. This work remains a strong focus despite upcoming NHS and local government changes.  

Improving waiting times and support whilst waiting

• Initial mental health CAMHS referral to assessment waits have reduced significantly (from 42 weeks to around 10 weeks), though demand for ADHD and autism assessments remains very high
• Neurodevelopmental (ND) pathway improvements are underway, including a co-designed assessment model for young people aged 16+ and school-based profiling and signposting tools
• ‘Support whilst waiting’ offers are expanding across Child Development Centres and through online digital resources, with early help sessions, family drop-ins and clearer guidance and support for schools and families available on digital pages such as Support while you wait for an assessment - West Sussex County Council and Special educational needs and disability (SEND)
• Additional NHS investment has meant further impact and support from the Neurodevelopmental Navigation and Support service which is provided by Reaching Families
• The CAMHS COAST community crisis service is supporting children and young people closer to home and helping reduce inpatient admissions across Sussex. The COAST service (Crisis Outreach and Acute Support Team) has been developed as part of the Sussex CAMHS system. It is not a broad treatment philosophy but a particular service model aimed at supporting young people in acute mental health crisis.

Health input into EHCPs

• Further training for health professionals and SEN teams began in January 2026, with a focus on strengthening the quality of Sections C and G of an EHCP
• It is being proposed through contract negotiation that every NHS trust identifies a named SEND health contact, which would improve communication and accountability for schools and local authorities

Inclusion and support in education settings

• Additional NHS investment for health provision in special schools has been approved for 2026/27, to respond to changing health needs across Sussex special schools
• Health partners are supporting the development of the new Local Inclusion Support Offer (LISO) as part of the SEND and Alternative Provision Change Programme 
• Mental Health Support Teams (MHSTs) in Schools now reach 64% of West Sussex pupils, with plans to expand coverage over time

Partnerships for Inclusion of Neurodiversity in Schools (PINS)

• PINS Year 2 is now underway, building on the success of Year 1 across a broad range of Sussex primary schools
• Communities of Practice continue to support schools through online and in-person events focused on neuro-inclusive practice
• 30 new schools across Sussex have joined this year, with strong parent/carer engagement and lived-experience input

New support information has been published across Sussex to help children and young people with SEND, and those who support them, find the right help more easily. It brings together clear, trusted guidance on mental health and neurodevelopmental support, shaped by what young people, parent/carers and professionals said they need.

Families and SENCOs told us that support information can feel confusing, especially during long waits for ADHD and autism assessments. Clear information supports early help, reduces stress, and improves conversations between families, schools and services.

People with lived experience led this work alongside NHS, council and voluntary sector partners. The information focuses on support based on need rather than diagnosis and explains what to expect from first concerns through to assessment, including support while waiting and peer support. It’s separated into two sections – one directly aimed at young people themselves, and another at parent/carers.

See the content online now and download the toolkit to add the new content to your own website or publication.

Around one in ten children has asthma. When symptoms stay uncontrolled, children can miss lessons, sport, playtime, and whole school days.

With the right support and shared understanding at home and school, children can stay active, confident, and well.

Sussex Asthma Friendly Schools helps schools support children with asthma throughout the school day. It offers clear guidance, staff training, and practical tools. These include an asthma register, a management plan for every child, and strong policies that help staff act quickly and safely, in partnership with parents.

Many schools across Sussex already take part and see real benefits for pupils and staff. Register your interest to become an Asthma Friendly School by emailing sxicb.communitycommissioning@nhs.net and help children with asthma in Sussex stay safe, included, and active.

We are delighted to announce that tickets for the SENCO Conference on 18 June 2026 are now on sale on Services for Education!

The conference will take place at the Crowne Plaza in Crawley and we are delighted to confirm Gary Aubin from SEND Matters UK as our keynote speaker.  You might know him as the author of the The Lone SENDCO, a handbook of 300 questions and answers for busy SENDCOs. 

Tickets are priced at £120 to include lunch and refreshments for the day.  More details about the programme including workshops will be confirmed shortly.

Below are details of three courses for parents, carers and communities.  Please share the links in the course titles take you directly to the sessions.

Gamification and Violent Extremism

This 1.5 hour training is for parents, carers and communities and will explore the online space in regards to radicalisation and extremism, with a focus on what could make a person vulnerable to online radicalisation. It will explore how extremist groups use the online gaming space, and make use of gaming approaches for recruitment and radicalisation. The aim of this training is to explore steps we can take to ensure individuals of all ages, but particularly children and young people can be kept safe online and the risks that are present. The training will apply this within the context of radicalisation, looking at how extremism groups make use of the online space and gamification as part of the radicalisation process.

Dates:

• Monday 9 March 2026 – 10.00 – 11:30
• Friday 27 March 2026 – 11.00 -12.30
• Monday 25 May 2026 – 12.30 – 14:00

Online Radicalisation

This 1.5 hour online webinar is for parents, carers and communities and will enable you to develop a greater understanding of the online space in regards to radicalisation and extremism, with a focus on what could make a person vulnerable to online radicalisation. It will support you to explore why extremist groups and individuals target the online space and the mechanisms they use, in addition to where these groups can function and signs that someone is engaging with them.

Dates:

• Wednesday 11 March – 10.00 -11.30
• Tuesday 31 March – 13.00 -14.30
• Tuesday 26 May – 11.00 -12.30pm

Disinformation and Extremism

This 1.5-hour webinar is for parents, carers and communities and will support you to explore what disinformation is, how it differs from misinformation and malinformation, and how it spreads, including how these factors can create pathways into radicalisation and extremism. You’ll examine the impact disinformation has on communities and learn practical tools and strategies you can use to challenge it and build resilience in the people you support.

Dates:

• Friday 13 March – 12.30-14:00
• Monday 30 March 10 – 11.30
• Wednesday 27 May – 1pm – 2.30