SEND under pressure

A condensed 30-minute version of the full seminar, offering a practical overview of current SEND duties and what schools and trusts remain responsible for during reform. We will cover the 2026 Act, wider SEND proposals, changes already made and those still to come, alongside EHCP provision, reasonable adjustments, delay and unmet need, funding requests, and challenging local authority decisions through resolution, complaints, mediation and appeals.

In this session we explore

Current SEND duties and what schools and trusts remain responsible for during reform.

The 2026 Act, wider SEND proposals and the distinction between changes made and those still to come.

EHCP provision, reasonable adjustments and the risks created by delay or unmet need.

How to frame funding requests and evidence need, provision, cost and impact.

Challenging local authority decisions through resolution, complaints, mediation and appeals.

Building a defensible file through chronologies, decision records and contemporaneous evidence.

Take home points

A clear map of current duties, proposed reform and key decisions.

A practical pre-dispute checklist and chronology structure.

Evidence prompts for provision, impact and cost.

An escalation framework covering routes, responsibilities and critical timescales.

This session is for

Chief executives, finance and operations directors, school business leaders, SEND leaders and trust teams managing EHCP provision, funding, complaints, appeals and SEND-related risk.

Coral Peutrill