Introduction and purpose
Please see the downloadable PDF version of this strategy for all tables and annexes (starting from page 5) 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 special educational needs and disabilities (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, without unnecessary travel or delay.
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% (see table 2).
This is far higher than the national rise of eighty percent, 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) (see table 3). 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 for hours each day to get to school because local provision does not exist for their needs.
Special schools are full or oversubscribed, meaning that Devon is forced to place more children in independent or out-of-county schools – at significant cost and with less control over quality.
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 increasing local capacity, addressing geographic inequalities, improving placement processes, reducing reliance on independent placements, and ensuring the system is financially sustainable in the long term.
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.
Locally, the sufficiency strategy is closely tied to the Devon SEND Strategy 2024 to 2027 and the SEND Transformation Programme.
The SEND Strategy is built on four cornerstones:
- Welcome and care
- Value and include
- Communicate
- Work in partnership
These are not abstract ideas – they underpin how provision is planned and delivered. For example, ‘Work in partnership’ means co-producing decisions about new provision with families and schools, while ‘Communicate’ means being transparent about why certain areas are prioritised for investment.
The SEND Transformation Programme is already tackling key weaknesses: 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.
Current and future landscape in Devon
Devon’s profile shows a higher level of SEND than the national average. 15% of pupils receive SEND support in school, and nearly 6% (see table 1 and table 2) of children and young people aged two to eighteen have an EHCP.
The distribution is uneven: (see table 8) some areas such as Newton Abbot, Dartmouth, and Bideford have higher-than-average proportions of EHCPs, while others have far fewer. In rural border areas, lack of nearby provision means children can spend hours each day travelling.
Special school capacity has grown by seventy percent since 2018, yet nearly all schools are full. Resource bases in mainstream schools remain scarce – only 1% of pupils with EHCPs are in such provision compared to almost 4% nationally (see table 4, annex A, annex B).
Seven resource bases have closed since 2018, but recent investment has created 70 new places, showing what can be achieved with targeted action.
The reliance on independent and out-of-county schools has grown steeply (see table 5 and table 6). Over 10% of children with EHCPs in Devon attend such schools, compared to around 6% nationally, with numbers tripling since 2018. This has driven up transport costs to over forty million pounds per year.
Post-16 provision is another pressure point. More than 1,200 young people with EHCPs are now in further education, (see table 7) a 50% rise since 2019 (see annex B). Growth has been strongest in north Devon, but provision in the south of the county lags behind, especially for complex needs.
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.
This means resources need to shift towards secondary and post-16 provision without neglecting the primary phase, where the proportion of children with EHCPs is actually increasing.
Forecasting shows that by January 2030, there could be over 13,000 children and young people in Devon with an EHCP (see table 12 and table 13) – a further 24% rise from current levels (see annex B).
Almost 80% of that growth will come from increased ASD, SEMH, and SLCN (see table 3) needs. Without action, demand will continue to outpace capacity.
Strategic priorities and actions
The first priority is to expand local capacity. By 2030, Devon will create 300 additional special school places and develop 400 more post-16 places by 2028 (see annex B).
There will be a rapid increase in resource bases within mainstream schools, placed in the communities with the greatest unmet need (see annex A, annex B).
Capital funding will be sought through government grants, formula allocations, and planning agreements linked to new housing developments.
Commissioning arrangements for specialist provision will be reviewed regularly to ensure they keep pace with changing needs.
The second priority is to address rural inequalities. Multi-agency hubs will be created in underserved areas so that assessment, support, and advice can be accessed locally.
Demographic data will be used to decide where new resource bases are located, ensuring a countywide offer that reduces the need for long journeys (see annex B).
The third priority is to strategically plan and address specific areas of need. Provision for ASD, SEMH, and SLCN (see table 3, table 10 and table 11) will be targeted into areas with the highest prevalence to prevent unnecessary special school placements, based on accurate data intelligence (see table 12, table 13 and annex B).
The fourth priority is to reduce reliance on independent schools. This will be achieved by expanding local capacity for the highest-demand needs (see annex B), working with families to return children to local provision where it meets their needs, and ensuring that new provision is commissioned with flexibility to adapt as demand changes.
The fifth is financial sustainability. Implementing the Safety Valve Agreement (see table 10) 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 (see annex B).
The sixth and final priority is to improve placement processes. A new placement review team will coordinate decisions, ensuring efficient use of available capacity.
A digital tracking system, to be introduced by 2025, will give a real-time picture of where places are available and help match children to the most suitable provision quickly (see annex B).
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.
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 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 and out-of-county 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, the changes set out in this strategy will help create a SEND system rooted in the principles of inclusion, equity, and partnership.
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 5).