Tameside has secured approval for its SEND Reform Plan and £39.5 million in funding to help more children and young people with special education needs (SEND) get support.
The council’s SEND Reform Plan sets out how support for children and young people with additional needs will be improved across the borough, while making sure services remain sustainable for the future.
The approval from the Department of Education is an important milestone for Tameside and means work can now move forward on plans to further improve services and make sure children get the right support at the right time.
Alongside these improvements, ongoing work continues to strengthen assessment and support services. Tameside currently has 3,995 Education, Health and Care Plans (EHCPs) in place, with 91% reviewed within the last year. This is improved from 31% in 2024 and 40% in 2025. The council has also significantly improved the speed of assessments, with 100% of plans issued inside 20 weeks in three of the last four months.
The SEND Reform Plan focuses on making support easier to access, helping children earlier and giving schools the tools and specialist advice they need to meet a wider range of needs in mainstream settings.
Feedback from the DfE recognises Tameside’s SEND reform plan as clear, ambitious and strongly aligned to SEND reform principles, with a focus on inclusion, early intervention, partnership working and improved outcomes for children and young people. Reviewers highlighted the strength of the vision, delivery roadmap, co-production approach and investment in mainstream provision, noting a credible, well-sequenced and evidence-based programme of reform for the next three years.
A key part of the plan is the national Experts at Hand programme, which will give schools access to specialist support from professionals including educational psychologists, speech and language therapists and occupational therapists. This will help staff identify children’s needs sooner and provide support before challenges become more serious.
Around £2.1 million of government funding will be invested in early help and additional support for schools across the borough.
