Executive summary

The Devon Local Area Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) Strategy 2024 to 2027 has a clear vision for children and young people to have the opportunity to thrive, with access to the right support in the right place and at the right time, so they can fulfil their potential and lead happy, healthy and productive adult lives.

The LA Send Strategy and Sufficiency Strategy have been produced at time of SEND reform and reflect the expected outcome of the SEND reviews in recent years.

In October 2025, the Secretary of State for Education confirmed that SEND reforms will focus on mainstream schools being equipped and confident to meet a broader range of needs, with specialist provision reserved for children whose needs are most complex.

This is a clear indication that the previous priority for increasing specialist provision, in particular delivery of special schools and additional special school places, will not be a key focus moving forward to support children and young people with SEND.

The SEND Sufficiency Strategy sits within the wider SEND Transformation Programme which has four key strategic priorities:

• Priority 1: Invest in Devon schools – getting the basics right.
• Priority 2: Improve the experience of children, young people, families and partners.
• Priority 3: Reshape services to support our most vulnerable children.
• Priority 4: Build inclusive learning communities.

The Sufficiency Strategy 2025 to 2030 primarily sits within Priority 1 and whilst it recommends additional special school investment, the priority is the recommissioning of special schools to support more complex needs, whilst increasing provision in mainstreams schools and further education provision.

The Sufficiency Strategy will however support all four priorities with the ambition that children with SEND learn in their local community, alongside their peers, without long journeys or unnecessary escalation to specialist settings, within inclusive learning communities.

These ambitions align directly to the expected outcomes of national SEND reforms and will ensure Devon is well placed to support children and young people with SEND.

Introduction

Please see the downloadable PDF version of this strategy for all tables and annexes (starting from page 7) referenced in the following text.

The Devon SEND Sufficiency Strategy 2025 to 2030 sets out how the county will meet the needs of children and young people with SEND over the next five years.

It is a practical plan that supports the vision of the wider Local Area SEND Strategy – to build inclusive communities where every child has the chance to succeed. The principle is simple: children should receive the right support, at the right time, in the right place.

The need for such a plan has become urgent. Over the last seven years, the number of children and young people in Devon with an education, health and care plan (EHCP) has risen by 117%.

This is far higher than the national rise of 80%, and the increase has been sharper still in some types of need, notably autism spectrum disorder (ASD), social, emotional and mental health needs (SEMH), and speech, language and communication needs (SLCN) (Table 9, Table 10, Table 11, Table 12). These categories alone will drive almost four-fifths of all future growth in plans by 2030.

The strain on the system has been felt in many ways. Some children are travelling long distances to school because local provision does not support their needs (Map of Local Provision across Devon – Annex A). Special schools are full or oversubscribed (Annex B), meaning that Devon is commissioning places in independent or out-of-county schools — at significant cost (Table 5, Table 6).

Delays in EHCP processes have eroded family confidence: in recent years, fewer than one in ten EHCPs in Devon were issued within the statutory twenty-week timeframe, compared to a national average of around half.

Families report frustration at having to “fight the system” to secure support, and schools face difficulty planning provision when decisions are slow.

The sufficiency strategy aims to respond to these pressures by strengthening mainstream inclusion, increasing local capacity, focusing on provision for specific needs (SEMH, ASD, SLCN), creating additional post-16 and preparing for adulthood pathways, ensuring the system is financially sustainable and improving placement and contracting processes.

The context – national and local drivers

The national policy framework is clear. The Children and Families Act 2014 sets out the rights of children and young people with SEND and the legal duties on local authorities, schools, and health services to work together.

The SEND Code of Practice reinforces the principle of early identification and a graduated approach to support, and the Equality Act 2010 requires reasonable adjustments to remove barriers.

The Education Act 1996 establishes the duty to ensure sufficient school places, and national High Needs Funding arrangements provide resources for SEND support.

Devon is also part of the national Safety Valve programme, which requires a credible plan to bring the High Needs Block budget back into balance.

The strategy has been written at time of expected SEND reform with a greater focus on more children needs being met in mainstreams school with special schools increasing supporting more children and young people with more complex needs.

The Secretary of State for Education wrote to the Education Select Committee regarding their report on Special Educational Needs emphasising the importance of mainstream schools in supporting children and young people wit SEND, highlighting five key principles of reform including the need to ensuring children can be supported closer to home.

It is recognised that these reforms will require more resource for mainstream schools. The Sufficiency Strategy has recognised the emerging national picture for SEND but also aligned local need and pressures.

The sufficiency strategy is a key component of the Devon SEND Strategy 2024 to 2027 within the wider SEND Transformation Programme.

Welcome and Care, Value and Include, Communicate, and Work in Partnership are the Four Cornerstones which underpin the SEND Sufficiency Strategy.

The Sufficiency Strategy is designed explicitly to deliver the SEND Transformation Strategy priorities of strengthening mainstream inclusion (Priority 1), improving experiences for families and partners (Priority 2), reshaping services for vulnerable learners (Priority 3) and building inclusive learning communities (Priority 4).

The SEND Transformation Programme is already tackling key priorities: improving inclusion in mainstream schools, streamlining EHCP processes, increasing specialist provision, and preparing young people for adulthood.

The sufficiency strategy provides the detail on where and how new capacity will be delivered to support these wider aims.

The Sufficiency Strategy provides the mechanism for delivering these priorities in practice, ensuring that changes in capacity, provision and pathways directly support the SEND Transformation Programme’s aims.

Current and future landscape in Devon

Devon’s profile shows a higher level of SEND than the national average. 14.9% of pupils receive SEND support in school compared to 13.6% nationally (see Table 1).

In respect of children and young people with an EHCP, Devon has approximately 6% of the school population with a plan compared to 4.75% nationally (see Table 2).

The distribution is uneven: some areas such as Newton Abbot, Dartmouth, and Bideford have higher-than-average proportions of EHCPs, while others have proportionally far fewer (Table 8).

In rural areas, lack of nearby provision means children may have to travel long distances to access their education.

Special school capacity has grown by 70% since 2018 with new provision provided in underserved areas such as Okehampton, Newton Abbot and Tiverton. However, nearly all schools are full.

The number of children and young people in Devon’s special schools is almost twice as high our closest statistical neighbours based on population (Table 4). Resource specialist provision within mainstream schools however are below national and statistical neighbours with only 1% of pupils with EHCPs accessing provision compared to almost four percent nationally.

Seven resource bases have closed since 2018 due to lack of demand for the particular offer, but recent investment has created seventy new places focusing on demand for specific needs. 

These pressures demonstrate why the Sufficiency Strategy must drive Priority 1 and Priority 4 of the SEND Transformation Strategy by enabling more inclusive mainstream environments supported by the right specialist resource bases.

The reliance on independent and out-of-county schools has grown steeply (Table 5 and Table 6). Over 10% of children with EHCPs in Devon attend such schools, compared to around 6% nationally, with numbers in schools tripling since 2018. This has in part seen an increase in the demand for personalised transport.

Post-16 provision is another pressure point. More than 1,200 young people with EHCPs are now in further education, a fifty percent rise since 2019.

Population trends add to the challenge. While the number of primary-aged pupils is falling, the secondary population will peak mid-decade before declining, and the post-16 group will keep growing until 2030 (Table 7). This means resources need to shift towards secondary and post-16 provision although the proportion of primary children with EHCPs is increasing as a proportion of the population.

Forecasting shows that by January 2030, there will be over twelve thousand children and young people in Devon with an EHCP — a further 24% rise from current levels (see Table 13).

The majority of growth is expected to be from children and young people with primary need being ASD, SEMH, and SLCN (Table 9, Table 10 and Table 11, Table 12).

The Sufficiency Strategy’s priorities align directly with the Transformation Strategy’s intent to create more inclusive, responsive, and sustainable provision.

Strategic priorities and actions

Priority 1: Strengthen mainstream inclusion

The first strategic priority of the SEND Sufficiency Strategy is to strengthen mainstream inclusion across Devon linked to the LA SEND Strategy and the commitment to build inclusive communities.

This will include the expansion and enhancement of specialist provision in mainstreams schools (resource bases or SEN Units) providing targeted and specialist support for learners with more complex needs.

The Strategy will support more children and young people with EHCPs to succeed within their local mainstream school or wider community (Table 4).

This priority directly enables SEND Transformation Strategy Priorities 1 and 4.

Priority 2: Expand specialist provision

Due to the high percentage of the population with an EHCP and specifically those in need of specialist provision, the second priority is to continue to expand specialist provision.

By 2030, Devon will create a further 300 additional special school places alongside a strategic recommissioning of Devon’s special schools.

Devon County Council has a duty to ensure that children in its care have access to high-quality, nurturing education that meets their individual needs.

The development of three to four small therapeutic schools for up to 100 children and young people, will provide trauma-informed, therapeutic education for children whose needs cannot be met in existing settings, supporting emotional wellbeing, stability, and improved educational outcomes.

This priority directly supports Transformation Priority 1 (investing in Devon schools) and Priority 3 (reshaping services for the most vulnerable).

Capital funding will be sought through government grants, formula allocations, and planning agreements linked to new housing developments.

Priority 3: Targeted provision for ASD, SEMH and SLCN

The third priority is to strategically plan and address specific areas of need.

Provision for ASD, SEMH, and SLCN (see Table 3) will be targeted into areas with the highest prevalence to support local children attend local provision. This will require, in partnership with schools, a detailed review and recommissioning of special school provision across the area to ensure they are able to meet the needs of children who are unable to access a mainstream school or resourced specialist provision within a mainstream school.

This is central to delivering the Transformation Strategy, underpinning Priorities 1, 3, and 4 by ensuring local, needs-led provision.

Priority 4: Increase the number of post-16 places

The fourth priority is to increase the number of post-16 further education (FE) places with 400 additional places planned between 2025 and 2030 and to develop highly effective preparing for adulthood (PfA) pathways that deliver high-quality outcomes for learners with SEND.

This priority reflects Devon County Council’s commitment to ensuring that young people with SEND are supported to achieve meaningful progression into further education, employment, independent living, and community participation.

This aligns with the Transformation Strategy’s focus on improving experiences and preparing young people for adulthood (Priority 2).

Priority 5: Financial sustainability

The fifth is financial sustainability. Implementing the Safety Valve Agreement will be central to this, alongside cost-benefit analysis of all capital projects and a strong focus on reducing transport costs by bringing provision closer to home and communities.

Financial stability underpins all four Transformation Strategy priorities whilst ensuring the right support at the right time, every time for children in Devon with SEND.

Implementation and monitoring

Delivering the Devon SEND Sufficiency Strategy will require coordinated action from the local authority, schools, health services, social care, and the voluntary sector.

It will also need strong engagement from parents, carers, and young people themselves to ensure changes reflect real experiences and priorities.

This multi-agency approach reflects the SEND Transformation Strategy’s commitment to partnership working (Priority 2 and Priority 4).

Progress will be measured through a combination of quantitative and qualitative indicators.

Quantitative measures will include the number of new special school and resource base/SEN unit places created each year, the number of post-16 places developed, reductions in the proportion of children placed in independent and out-of-county settings, and changes in average travel distances and transport costs.

Timeliness in issuing EHCPs will also be tracked, with a clear aim to close the gap between Devon’s current performance and the national average.

Qualitative monitoring will focus on the lived experience of children, young people, and their families. This will be gathered through surveys, focus groups, and ongoing dialogue with parent forums and advocacy groups.

Schools and providers will be asked to report on how well children are integrating into their settings, how accessible specialist support has become, and whether inclusion within mainstream classrooms is improving.

Data will be reviewed regularly by a multi-agency oversight group, with findings published annually so stakeholders can see what has been achieved and where further work is needed.

Where progress is slower than expected, action plans will be adjusted promptly. The monitoring process will not be a tick-box exercise; it will be used to actively drive improvement, ensure resources are used effectively, and keep the strategy responsive to changing needs.

Conclusion

The Devon SEND Sufficiency Strategy 2025 to 2030 is a response to both immediate pressures and the need for long-term reform.

It recognises the rising demand for EHCPs, the geographic inequalities that limit access to local provision, the delays that frustrate families, and the financial strain of relying too heavily on independent specialist placements.

If delivered in full, the strategy will bring about a step change in how support is provided. More children and young people will be educated in high-quality local settings tailored to their needs, whether that is a mainstream school with a specialist base or a well-resourced special school.

Families will be able to access advice and services closer to home, without the stress of long journeys or uncertainty over whether a suitable place will be found. Placement decisions will be made more quickly and transparently, reducing anxiety and helping schools plan effectively.

Financially, the shift towards cost-effective local provision will reduce pressure on the High Needs Block, while also cutting transport costs and reinvesting savings into further improvements.

Strategically, the county will be better prepared for demographic changes, ensuring that provision grows in the right areas and for the right age groups.

Most importantly, this strategy, with the SEND Transformation Strategy running through every priority and action, will help create a SEND system rooted in inclusion, equity and partnership and has been developed within the context of national SEND reform.

Every child and young person will have the opportunity to develop their abilities, build independence, and prepare for adulthood with the support of a community that values and includes them.

By 2030, the vision is for a system that not only meets statutory duties but also earns the trust and confidence of the families it serves — a system that delivers the right support, in the right place, at the right time, every time.

Tables and annexes

Please see the downloadable version of the SEND Sufficiency Strategy for all tables and annexes (starting from page 7).