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SEND and AP Change Programme

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Introduction

This page shares information about the DfE SEND and AP Programme. It also explains how we are involved in East Sussex.

This page will highlight regular updates throughout the programme. We will let you know how you can get involved at various stages.

Please note:

You can also read the DfE / REACh guide to the change programme. The guide is for parents, carers and families:

SEND and AP Change Programme Overview

The government published the SEND and AP Improvement Plan in March 2023. This was following the outcome of the SEND Review in 2022. The aim of the plan was to create a more inclusive society for children and young people with SEND, and those who use AP.

You can visit the Government website to find out more:

How East Sussex is Involved

The DfE has created nine regional Change Programme Partners (CPPs). The CPPs will deliver the Change Programme over the next 18 to 24 months. Please note, in 2025, this was extended until March 2026 and then further extended until August 2026.

We are part of the South East partnership. This means we are working closely with:

We have been asked to test some of the proposed reforms to the SEND system through the Change Programme.

Recent Change Programme Updates

We have been developing and testing a new LISO to help schools support children and young people with additional needs earlier and more effectively. Schools and other partners have helped shape this pilot. 

The pilot is taking place in the Wealden area and includes: 

A small team is working closely with the pilot schools and services to look at: 

The learning from the pilot will help us develop a stronger, more consistent offer of inclusion support across East Sussex.

ELSEC (Early Language Support for Every Child)

ELSEC is a programme that helps Early Years settings identify and support children with speech, language, and communication needs as early as possible.  To do this, East Sussex uses a tool called Little Link. Little Link is an Early Years speech and language programme designed by specialist Speech and Language Therapists. It helps Early Years settings support children’s communication and language through fun, story‑based activities.  It includes: 

Little Link activities happen across the whole setting. This allows every child to join in, including:

Activities also support early sound skills, helping children become ready for phonics and early reading.

How Little Link is being delivered in East Sussex 

All Early Years settings in East Sussex have been given a 1-year Little Link subscription, including all resources. 

Settings are being supported to use Little Link through: 

Families are being signposted to the Family Portal by Family Hubs and others working with them:

To find out more, visit the SpeechLink Parents website.

 Screening is well underway. Settings are reporting that it has been useful in highlighting children with previously unidentified language needs. At the beginning of April 2026, 1,581 children across East Sussex had been screened using the universal Little Link tool. 

The ELSEC project is a joint venture across the Early Years sector, including:

It also features in our Best Start in Life Strategy.

Universally Available Provision (UAP)

The updated UAP resource launched in May 2026. This resource aims to clarify the expectations of all schools, while being an interactive and supportive tool, providing links to training and resources. It has been linked to the new Ofsted framework and is separated into the following headings:

  1. Leadership, including culture and ethos
  2. Inclusive teaching, learning and assessment
  3. Belonging, relationships and wellbeing
  4. Removing barriers and meeting needs through environments
  5. Physical, sensory and medical needs
  6. Involving pupils, parents / carers, families and the wider community

It is hoped this tool will support consistency in inclusive provision across schools. We are also looking to develop an Early Years version of the tool to support Early Years settings. 

To learn more, visit our Expectations on All Settings (Universally Available Provision) page.

Alternative Provision Specialist Taskforce (APST)

The APST comprises a wide range of professionals. This includes Educational Psychologists, Speech and Language Therapists, Youth Workers and Social Workers. The Taskforce has been working within East Sussex Academy to provide support in a number of ways: 

We are now looking at how we can take the learning from this to create a longer-term sustainable model.

PINS (Partnership for Inclusion of Neurodiversity in Schools). 

The second year of PINS has now concluded, having been delivered to 68 primary schools across Sussex over the two years. In that time, schools have particularly valued:  

We are now looking at how we take learning from PINS forward within our existing service delivery. In particular, around:

Previous Change Programme Updates

August 2025 update:

In the past 18 months, as of August 2025, East Sussex has been working on important changes for students with SEND and those in AP. 

  1. Alternative Provision Model - Our three-tier model for Alternative Provision. The goal is for students to stay in regular schools as much as possible. This includes getting the support they need while still attending their school.
  2. Alternative Provision Specialist Taskforce (APST) - A new team of staff from the Local Authority and beyond to give extra help to students in AP. Our APST will be in place for another year, until August 2026. Starting in September 2025, we plan to add mental health support to our team. This program has been very successful, and now other Local Authorities are also testing it in their areas. We are also looking forward to new opportunities for the APST when we move from College Central to LSEAT on 1 September 2025.
  3. Universally Available Provision (UAP) - We are updating our general support services with ideas and help from schools. On Monday 30 June, we held a UAP event. Over 65 people joined us for a successful event. During the event, participants shared ideas and examples of good ways to include everyone. We talked about important topics like belonging, safety, and fairness. It was great to hear from school staff about what they think of our current UAP and what changes they would like to see. We also discussed possible updates to our East Sussex Quality Mark for Inclusion (ESQMI). School leaders gave us helpful feedback on how the ESQMI helps East Sussex and how we can make it easier to use in the future. Many people said they want more face-to-face meetings like this UAP event.

Upcoming plans:

SEND and AP South East Network Meeting:

Feedback Loops:

REACh continues to support the CPPs and set up webinars. These allow for knowledge sharing in preparation for the LISO.

They will also help teams understand the practical changes in SEND and AP reform, such as:

Glossary of East Sussex SEND Terms

We explain some of the terms used on this website on our page, Glossary of East Sussex SEND Terms.

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