Enablers and improvement cycles: Lessons learned from the What Works in SEND effective local practice case studies

This resource attempts to capture both the foundations or “enablers” that need to be in place – and that leaders of local SEND systems need to be tending to constantly – when engaging with examples of effective practice, as well as the learning from What Works in SEND effective practice examples that can help to strengthen those foundations. When we use the term “enablers”, we mean:

• The non-negotiable essential “foundations” of an effective local SEND system that need to be in place to support broader practice improvement initiatives and maximise their impact; and
• A summary of the evidence from the What Works in SEND effective practice case studies.

Why we are focusing on “enablers” of improvement in local SEND systems:

• To identify a set of “enablers” and map out the “improvement journeys” of local SEND systems. We recognise that, while there are enablers and phases of improvement that are common in any system, the context in which local SEND systems are working is distinctive and different from that of local children’s services systems. As such, we wanted to capture the enablers of improvement specific to local SEND systems.
•  As we began developing the What Works in SEND Effective Practice Evidence Framework, leaders of local SEND systems cautioned against treating examples of good practice in isolation. They emphasised the mutually reinforcing relationship between the “enablers” and foundations of an effective local SEND system and new initiatives designed to improve practice and outcomes. Effective practice initiatives rely on there being strong foundations in place for those initiatives to be effective and to be sustained, while using new initiatives to reflect on and strengthen core practices is crucial to maintaining the foundations of a local SEND system.
• While we cannot ignore the challenges and need for reform at a national level, there remain ongoing, day-to-day activities in which all local SEND systems are engaged. We are under no illusions about the scale of the challenge relating to support for children and young people with SEND at a national level. We consider, however, that whatever the national context might be there remains value in distilling and sharing the fundamentals of good practice in these areas of common and ongoing activity. For example, leaders in local SEND systems will continue to need to find ways to engage young people and parent carers co-productively, at both individual and strategic levels. Leaders in local SEND systems will continue to need to engage partners, shape a shared vision and strategy, implement effective practices and support, and track the difference that makes to the experiences of children, young people and families.