Cornwall Council Approves Plan to Reform SEND Support

Parents of children with special educational needs in Cornwall often describe the same experience. A long fight to get help, and support that only arrives once a problem has already grown serious. Cornwall Council says it wants to change that.

At a Cabinet meeting today, councillors approved the Cornwall SEND Reform Plan. It sets out how the council and its partners intend to bring in the government’s reforms to the SEND (special educational needs and disabilities) system.

Catching needs earlier

The plan focuses on spotting and responding to children’s needs at the earliest opportunity. The thinking is that children identified early are less likely to need costly specialist intervention later in life.

In line with the new Education For All Bill, the plan also stresses the need to strengthen SEND support in mainstream schools.

Cllr Hilary Frank, Cabinet Member for Children, Schools and Families, said the aim was to move away from a system that only reacts once needs have escalated.

“We want support to be available because a child needs it, not because a family has successfully navigated a statutory process,” she said. “And I want to be absolutely clear that this is not a plan to reduce support. It is a plan to get support to children earlier and more effectively.”

She added: “If we get this right, fewer families will feel like they are having to fight for help. More children will be supported in their local communities. Every child educated closer to home is a child spending less time travelling, more time learning, and more time enjoying family and community life.”

The funding at stake

There is money tied to the plan. The government requires every local authority to submit a SEND Reform Plan to secure the High Needs Stability Grant, which will pay off up to 90% of their historic SEND deficit.

Also discussed at Cabinet

The SEND plan topped the agenda, but Cabinet worked through several other items.

Cultural strategy

Cabinet discussed the council’s new cultural strategy, due to launch at the end of this month. Cllr Sarah Preece, Cabinet Member for Tourism, Localism and Planning, framed it as a strategy for people rather than only for the arts.

“It recognises that culture is not confined to galleries or theatres. It lives in our towns and villages, in our festivals, in our music, and in the everyday creativity of our residents,” she said. She went on to describe a vision of Cornwall as a “Creation Nation”.

Belonging in Cornwall strategy

The Belonging in Cornwall Strategy was approved following changes made after a consultation. It sets out the council’s commitment to equity, diversity and inclusion over the next four years.

Cllr Thalia Marrington, Cabinet Member for Community Safety and Public Health, said the strategy sets out the council’s 2026 to 2030 equality objectives. “Our ambition is to build a Cornwall where everyone feels they belong,” she said.

Local transport funding

Cabinet looked at the Local Transport Consolidated Funding plan, which sets out how the council will use the government’s long-term transport funding settlement. Members welcomed the shift from bidding scheme by scheme to a longer-term programme, but were clear the change does not mean extra money overall.

Tamar Valley landscape plan

Finally, Cabinet agreed to adopt a new action plan to protect the Tamar Valley National Landscape over the next five years. It gives the council and partners such as farmers, landowners, communities, charities and businesses a framework to conserve the valley’s natural beauty, heritage and environment.

Speaking on behalf of Cllr Loic Rich, Cabinet Member for Environment and Climate Change, Cllr Hilary Frank pointed to the places that make the case for protecting it.

“Anyone who has watched the tide turn at Cotehele or Wacker Quay, walked their dog on Churchtown Farm, or looked out across the Valley from Kit Hill will know why,” she said.