Devon unveils major SEND reforms aiming to cut travel and boost local support

Devon County Council has published a major new plan aiming to change how support is delivered to children and young people with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) across the county. 

The SEND Sufficiency Strategy 2025-2030 will go before the Council’s Cabinet next Wednesday (10 December), where councillors will be asked to approve the proposals.

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Outlining how Devon intends to respond to rising levels of need, the strategy aims to reduce reliance on costly independent specialist school placements. 

Demand for SEND support has increased not only in Devon but across the country, with the number of children who have Education, Health and Care Plans (EHCPs) rising by more than 11 per cent nationally over the past year. 

Devon County Council says that although it has made progress in recent years, adding nearly 700 special school places since 2018 and opening new schools in Tiverton, Newton Abbot and, here on Dartmoor, in Okehampton, this expansion alone cannot meet the rising level of need. 

The Council believes that relying solely on creating more specialist places is not sustainable and must be supported by stronger mainstream provisions across the county.

Instead, the new strategy places stronger emphasis on early support and making sure provisions are available closer to where children live. 

This includes strengthening mainstream schools so they can meet a wider range of SEND needs.

The schools will be supported by locality-based teams and more joined-up working with health and care partners.

Deputy and SEND Strategic Director Kellie Knott said:

“We must move towards a system where high-quality support is provided as soon as a need is identified, rather than only once an EHC plan is in place.

“Responding to the needs of children with SEND must become an intrinsic part of the mainstream system.”

The Council argues that long-term improvement in SEND provision will rely not only on action within Devon but also on strong national backing. 

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For this reason, it is calling for additional government funding to help schools increase their inclusive capacity, train staff more effectively and provide integrated support services across education, health and care. 

The Council warns that, without this wider investment, ongoing financial pressures could limit how far and how quickly the planned changes can be delivered.

Devon County Council also connects the new strategy to its broader environmental and equality commitments. 

By strengthening local provision, the authority hopes to reduce the need for long-distance travel for SEND pupils, something that can place strain on families while contributing to higher transport emissions, and to build a more inclusive education system rooted within local communities themselves.

The strategy has been developed to align with national SEND reforms, which are expected to be detailed in a forthcoming Schools White Paper next year, meaning Devon’s proposals anticipate many of the changes that may be required nationally. 

If the Cabinet approves the strategy next week, the Council expects work to put the plan into practice to begin in early 2026.