SEND and Alternative Provision Change Programme Insights and Resources
About the SEND and Alternative Provision Change Programme
The Change Programme was a national initiative from the Department for Education (DfE) designed to test and refine reforms to Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) and Alternative Provision (AP) support in local areas. It was initially established to take forward proposals in the SEND and AP Improvement Plan in 2023, and later reformulated and extended following the 2024 General Election to test further policy development around mainstream inclusion.
Through nine regional Change Programme Partnerships, the programme brought together 32 local areas using a collaborative ‘test and learn’ approach to understand how to effectively implement improvements in support for inclusion and earlier intervention where needs arise. This is part of the overall aim to build a more inclusive, trusted and financially sustainable system that better meets the needs of children, young people and their families.
About the REACh Consortium
The REACh Consortium was DfE’s delivery partner for the Change Programme. Led by PA Consulting, the team included the Council for Disabled Children, IMPOWER Consulting and Olive Academies. As well as providing challenge and support to local areas with delivery of the changes, a key role for REACh was to capture ‘real-time’ learning and feed this back into policy development, as well as use the insights to develop implementation resources and illustrative examples for other local areas.
Learning and insights from the programme
You can find below links to resources created as part of the Change Programme to capture learning, examples and advice from the reforms tested. There are different types of products:
- Insight Guide – Insight Guides are detailed summaries of overarching themes and learnings across an extended period of the Change Programme.
- Practice Notes – Practice Notes are intended to be short, easy to read summaries of key findings and actionable insights from the Change Programme.
- Case Studies – Case Studies are used to provide in-depth illustrations of promising local practice on a given topic.
- Toolkit/Guidebook – These resources give leaders and practitioners specific steps and tools that can be used to implement changes in different contexts.
All of the products on this page have been created by the REACh Consortium in partnership with the DfE. These products contain emerging insights and learning from the Change Programme up to March 2026 and should not be regarded as official government policy or guidance.
Changing local SEND and Alternative Provision systems
These resources address wider considerations for changing local SEND systems and working in Local Partnerships to improve outcomes for children and young people. They may help local areas as they develop their Local SEND Reform Plans and identify areas for improvement and change.
- Enabling Inclusion: Lessons about system reform from the SEND and AP Change Programme – Insight Guide
- Listening to the voices of children and young people and their parent carers – Insight Guide
- Developing data-driven views of inclusion across settings – Practice Note & Case Studies
- Inclusion Data Indicators – Toolkit
- Embedding co-production into local system change – Practice Note & Case Studies
There is also an illustration of the Experts at Hand offer and what it can cover, based on the testing undertaken on the Change Programme: Experts At Hand Rich Picture
Developing local inclusion support offers
These resources provide examples and insights of how local areas have improved provision of universal and targeted support for mainstream settings, including ways of using the specialist workforce to enable inclusion and earlier intervention. These resources draw on testing within the Change Programme that may help local areas as they develop their local Experts at Hand offer.
- Strengthening local support offers for mainstream inclusion – Guidebook
- Developing a local area vision for inclusion – Practice Note & Case Studies
- Enabling mainstream settings to access and navigate available support – Practice Note & Case Studies
- Strengthening engagement between local authority and settings – Practice Note & Case Studies
- Use of the specialist professional workforce to build capability in mainstream settings – Practice Note
- Specialist input into Universal & Targeted Support – Practice Note & Case Studies
- Building confidence with Assistive Technology and the Lending Library model – Practice Note & Case Studies
Early Language Support for Every Child (ELSEC)
These case studies cover each of the local areas that were pilot sites for ELSEC, which provided universal and targeted support in Early Years and Primary School to identify speech and language needs and ensure timely support.
- Barnet – ELSEC Case Study
- Bradford – ELSEC Case Study
- Gloucestershire – ELSEC Case Study
- Hartlepool – ELSEC Case Study
- Luton – ELSEC Case Study
- Oldham – ELSEC Case Study
- Portsmouth – ELSEC Case Study
- Shropshire, Telford & Wrekin – ELSEC Case Study
- Leicester, Leicestershire & Rutland – ELSEC Case Study
This Practice Guide for Local Authorities, ICBs and providers looks at the role of Speech, Language and Communication Assistants within the Experts at Hand offer.
Implementing an effective continuum of Alternative Provision
These resources provide practical advice and tools for creating a flexible and responsive continuum of Alternative Provision in a local area, using AP interventions that are needs-based and help to focus on the best long-term outcomes for the child or young person.
- Alternative Provision Self-Review – Toolkit
- Measuring the Impact of Alternative Provision – Practice Note & Case Studies
- Monitoring outcomes and measuring impact across AP – Toolkit
- Strengthening multi-disciplinary working to meet students needs – Practice Note & Case Studies
- Strengthening re-integration as part of a robust AP 3-tier model – Practice Note & Case Studies
- Developing an effective Tier-1 AP – Practice Note & Case Studies
Interim findings from Phase 1
These resources were developed earlier in the Change Programme based on emerging findings from the testing in Phase 1. They helped to inform further learning from the programme.
- Change Programme Phase 1 Summary – Insights Guide
- Multi-Agency Panels and Parental Engagement – Practice Notes
- Supporting Inclusion in mainstream settings – Practice Notes
- Alternative Provision 3-Tier Model – Practice Notes
- Children and Young People’s Voice, Influence and Engagement – Practice Notes
Local Area Change Stories
These change stories show the journey of local partnerships on the Change Programme as they pivot towards more inclusive SEND systems. They illustrate the complex and contextual nature of system change, highlighting the real challenges and pressures that shape local decision‑making. The stories demonstrate how local partnerships have responded with creativity, collaboration, and commitment to delivering more equitable and inclusive support for children and families.
About the Change Programme Partnerships (CPPs)
| CPP Region | Local Authorities |
|---|---|
| North East | Hartlepool, Gateshead, Durham, Stockton-on-Tees |
| Yorkshire & Humber | Bradford, Wakefield, Calderdale, Leeds |
| North West | Manchester, Oldham, Trafford, Rochdale |
| West Midlands | Telford & Wrekin, Shropshire, Herefordshire, Worcestershire |
| East Midlands | Leicester, Leicestershire, Rutland |
| South West | Swindon, Gloucestershire |
| East of England | Central Bedfordshire, Bedford, Luton |
| South East | Portsmouth, East Sussex, West Sussex, Brighton & Hove |
| London | Barnet, Enfield, Islington, Camden |
Hartlepool, Gateshead, Durham, Stockton-on-Tees
Bradford, Wakefield, Calderdale, Leeds
Manchester, Oldham, Trafford, Rochdale
Telford & Wrekin, Shropshire, Herefordshire, Worcestershire
Leicester, Leicestershire, Rutland
Swindon, Gloucestershire
Central Bedfordshire, Bedford, Luton
Portsmouth, East Sussex, West Sussex, Brighton & Hove
Barnet, Enfield, Islington, Camden