This meeting was chaired by Chris Baird, Independent Chair.
The Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) Improvement and Assurance Board (SIAB) met on Thursday 7 May 2026.
Partnerships for Inclusion of Neurodiversity in Schools project
We reflected on the feedback from parents and carers whose children benefited from the Partnerships for Inclusion of Neurodiversity in Schools (PINS) project. This was a joint national initiative by the NHS and the Department for Education with the goal of supporting children with neurodivergent needs.
The initiative brought together:
- health specialists
- education professionals
- expert parents in mainstream primary schools
761 parents and carers responded to the survey and fed back a number of positives including:
- many parents describe schools as welcoming environments where their child feels included and supported
- relationships with individual members of staff are often highlighted as a key strength, particularly where those staff understand a child’s needs and communicate clearly
At the same time, experience is not consistent for all families. Across both survey responses and engagement discussions, there are recurring themes. These include communication, clarity of support and consistency over time.
These differences are most evident for families supporting children with additional or emerging needs.
One of the clearest themes is that parents generally feel able to raise concerns with schools.
These are important reflections, recognising the positive approach in schools and the benefits seen.
The reflections also aligned to the recent Bracknell Forest Parent Carer Forum survey where improvements continue to be highlighted in terms of consistent and regular response.
The board was keen to make sure that learning from this national project was built on as part of Bracknell Forest’s approach to the SEND reforms. This is being taken up by colleagues working on the reforms.
Draft Sufficiency Strategy
The board spent some time looking at Bracknell Forest Council's draft Sufficiency Strategy. The strategy's proposals were shaped by data analysis, which included projections and feedback from schools, settings and parent carers.
The plans set out how anticipated demand for places will be met over a number of years.
The board provided feedback to be considered as part of the consultation. This included how the strategy's impact will be considered as part of the overall SEND system monitoring to improve the number of places available locally for Bracknell Forest children.
Education Health and Care Plans
The board made use of the SEND Local Area Data Dashboard in considering what is taking place for children with SEND.
There continue to be a range of positive performance including the timelines of Education Health and Care Plans.
The board wants to better understand why social care is more involved in the lives of children with EHCPs. This issue was also noted in the Joint Strategic Needs Assessment.
Also, the board asked for assurance in relation to what is happening for children between the ages of 0 to 5 waiting for assessment who may be neurodivergent. These will come back to future board meetings.
Elective Home Education
The board reviewed details about Elective Home Education in Bracknell Forest. They focused on children who receive SEN support and those with EHCPs.
The board looked at how families were provided with information and follow-up. This was to make sure they had opportunities to engage with wider services, including health. The board was assured of the work taking place and the explicit focus on children with SEND within this.
Priority Areas for Action
The board reviewed the plans, activity and impact of the Priority Areas for Action that have been set out in response to the last SEND Local Area Inspection.
Progress is being achieved across the range of areas. The partnership is also getting reports on how participants think governance arrangements are helping to improve SEND in Bracknell Forest.
SEND Reform Plan
Colleagues across the partnership have been working hard to respond to the national government requirements to produce a SEND Reform Plan with tight deadlines in place.
Understandably, partners are having to prioritise their time which has meant, for example, that the Bracknell Forest Parent Carer Forum is engaging in the SEND Reform meetings and contributing to other SEND development work outside of meetings. The DfE Advisor acknowledged this situation.
In addition, the ICB colleagues and NHS Provider Trust have been involved in the SEND Area Inspection of Windsor and Maidenhead. This also takes time away from Bracknell Forest work.
These are risks that have been identified to the board before and are acknowledged in the risk register.
The working arrangements and attendance at group meetings have been flexed to assist with the increased demands on partners at this particularly busy time.