SEND Strategy Governance Board

Four adults and one child sat down having a conversation.

Overview

The SEND Strategy Governance Board (SGB) has members who represent the large number of different groups and services that help and support children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND).

It's the main job of the board to make sure that the East Sussex SEND Strategy is working.

The board:

meet at least 4 times per year
reviews and helps deliver the SEND Strategy
started in September 2022

We have created a video that introduces the SGB:

Previous Board Meetings

Notes from the most recent meeting (30 April 2026)

We met to see how well we are doing with our plans in East Sussex to help children and young people with SEND.

The government has asked every area in England to make a Local SEND Reform Plan. This plan will help us get ready for new rules and changes the government is planning. We must send the East Sussex plan to the government by 19 June 2026,. We must also share a draft by 18 May 2026.

The East Sussex SEND Strategy for 2026 to 2030 is also being written. It will be shared in Autumn 2026 and builds on our 2022 to 2025 strategy. We will use the SEND inspection report for East Sussex (published in February 2025) to help us make improvements.

We do not have much time, so we need Board members to read the draft plan and send their thoughts before our next Board meeting on 22 June. We also need to hear the views of key people, such as:

school and college leaders,
local council staff,
health and care staff, and
groups that speak for parents, carers, and young people.

At our meeting on 30 April, we talked about the best way to collect ideas quickly and fairly.

We also listened to updates from smaller groups that help the Board. They told us about:

how Alternative Provision (AP) in East Sussex is improving. AP is education for children who cannot cope with mainstream school for short or longer periods
how we are making the improvements needed after the SEND inspection in 2025
how we plan and check important services. This includes assessments, therapy, wheelchairs, and other helpful equipment
how our 2022 to 2025 SEND Strategy is being put into action

We heard news about changes in the NHS groups that plan health services (called Integrated Care Boards, or ICBs). From 1 April, Sussex ICB has joined together with Surrey ICB. This means some new people at NHS Surrey and Sussex will help with our SEND plans.

We said goodbye to Caroline Tozzi (Joint Director for Children and Young People).

We welcomed:

Naomi Ellis (Deputy Chief Nursing Officer and Director of Safeguarding), and
Louise Needham (Senior Designated Clinical Officer).

We want education, health, and care to work together, so children and young people with SEND get the right help.

We also talked about big changes around devolution and local government reorganisation. These changes have been delayed. They are still planned to happen during the lifetime of our 2026-2030 Strategy.

After our Board meeting on 30 April, local elections took place in East Sussex. Councillor Bob Standley has been the lead councillor for SEND and a Board member since the Board started. He did not stand for election this time, so we thanked him for all his work to support SEND in East Sussex. We look forward to welcoming a new lead councillor to the Board in the future.

We will report back on progress towards the new SEND Strategy at our next meeting, 22 June 2026.

Full SEND Strategy Governance Board meeting notes: