Supporting children with SEND in Lewisham - what we’re doing and why it matters

Every child and young person in Lewisham deserves the chance to learn, grow, and thrive, children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) even more so.

We know that for many families, getting the right support hasn’t always been easy. Demand is rising, needs are becoming more complex, and services across the country are under pressure.

Families tell us about long waits for support, having to travel far from home for specialist places and feeling like they have to push hard to get help.

We are listening. And we are acting. Both to improve support today and to build a better system for the future.

We’ve recently opened a new specialist SEND unit at Deptford Park Primary School for children with severe learning difficulties.

This unit will:

• provide up to 40 specialist places for children who need more intensive support, delivered in four to five dedicated classrooms 
• allow children to learn alongside a mainstream school environment with the right specialist help
• enable more families to access support closer to home

The first group of 12 children have already started, with more joining later this year.

Alongside practical steps right now to increase support locally, we are developing a SEND Reform Implementation Plan, preparing for the delivery of the national SEND Reforms. These are reforms that the government is bringing in which all local authorities are legally required to implement. In Lewisham we are making sure that they are rolled out in a way that best supports children with SEND and the families and educators who support them.

We have built a roadmap for how Lewisham will build an inclusive, supportive system over the next three years and up to 2030.

At its heart, this plan is about making sure:

• children get help earlier, before families start struggling
• support is closer to home, and parents have more local choice
• more support in mainstream schools and specialist care
• families don’t have to fight for the right support

One of the biggest changes will be having more specialist teams working directly with education providers through new ‘Experts at Hand’ teams. These teams will bring together education and health specialists to support children quickly, before challenges escalate.

We also want to simplify how support works. In future, more children will have personalised individual support plans that help schools and families work together more effectively. This will mean that support is more readily available for children who are not assessed as needing an ECHP. 

We know families are fed up after broken promises to fix the system from successive governments.

We also know that those who have first-hand experience of the system are the best place to speak to the issues and propose solutions.

So, as we consider how to implement these reforms, we will be co-producing our proposals with parents, teachers and special education needs coordinators.

We will be a Council where you shape the policy that will shape your children’s education.]

This is a major change, and an important one. This plan sets out how we’ll fix that and create a more joined-up system.

We will not allow the government to implement these reforms without scrutiny or accountability. That is why I personally will be joining the SEND Partnership Board and regularly meeting with the Parent & Carer Forum.

I will be fighting for what is best for Lewisham’s children every step of the way, including:

• more local support: More children will be able to attend schools in Lewisham, staying close to their friends, family and community
• earlier help: By bringing specialists to support schools, children can get support sooner, before problems become bigger
• more choice: Places like the Deptford Park Primary School unit give families different options to suit their child’s needs
• a more joined up system: Education, health and care services will work more closely together, making things clearer and easier to navigate.

I am not going to sugarcoat this – more support is needed.

But we are making real progress by expanding specialist places, strengthening mainstream support and planning for long-term reform.

Our goal is simple: a fairer, more inclusive, sustainable system where every child gets the support they need - without a battle.

We will continue working closely with parents, carers, schools and partners to make this a reality.