Oxfordshire’s SEND reform plan
Oxfordshire’s plans to improve support for children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities have been approved by government, alongside proposals for a new £24.2 million special school in Didcot as the county works to address a shortage of specialist places.
The county council’s response to national SEND reform was submitted to the Department for Education in June 2026, following the publication of the government’s schools white paper Every child achieving and thriving and the SEND consultation Putting children and young people first.
The approved plan sets out a three-year programme to strengthen support for children and young people with SEND, with a greater emphasis on specialist expertise being available in mainstream schools and closer to where families live.
Oxfordshire is receiving £4.9 million in government investment for its ‘experts at hand’ programme and wider local authority SEND transformation. The funding will support the recruitment of additional educational psychologists and therapists, the creation of inclusion support bases in mainstream schools and the development of locality-based teams bringing services together around children and families.
Councillor Sean Gaul, Oxfordshire County Council’s cabinet member for children, education and young people’s services, said the aim was to provide more specialist support “in their schools and closer to their homes”.
The government’s approval will also allow Oxfordshire to receive a high-needs stability grant, which is expected to significantly reduce the council’s existing deficit in its dedicated schools grant.
The financial pressure facing Oxfordshire reflects a wider national problem. Councils across England have seen the cost of supporting children and young people with SEND rise sharply, driven in part by increasing demand for education, health and care plans, limited specialist capacity and insufficient funding for inclusive provision in mainstream and state special schools.
The shortage of places can leave councils reliant on independent and other specialist settings, which are often considerably more expensive and may require children to travel further from home.
New specialist provision planned for Didcot
The expansion of specialist provision is also being considered directly in Didcot, where Oxfordshire County Council is preparing to progress plans for a new community special school at Didcot Valley Park.
Dan Levy, the council’s finance cabinet member, has been recommended to authorise the progression of the project and its £24.2 million budget at a meeting on Friday 09 October.
The council’s SEND Sufficiency Strategy identifies the need for two new special schools in the Didcot area. One is intended for pupils with autism and social, emotional and mental health needs, while the proposed community special school would provide places for children with other categories of need.
The council expects to acquire a site for the community school by the end of 2026, with the school planned to open in September 2029.
Once complete, it is expected to provide up to 120 places for pupils aged 2 to 19 from Didcot and surrounding areas. The council says the additional capacity is urgently needed to address the shortage of specialist places in the area.
The second planned school, Artemis Academy, will provide a further 120 places for pupils with autism and social, emotional and mental health needs. Construction is expected to be completed in November, with the school due to open in January 2027.
Together, the two schools are intended to increase the number of children who can access specialist provision within Oxfordshire, reducing the need for placements outside the county as well as the distance and time some pupils currently spend travelling to school.
The expansion of school places forms part of a broader SEND partnership across Oxfordshire, involving the county council, NHS Thames Valley Integrated Care Board, Oxford Health NHS Foundation Trust, Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust and Oxfordshire Parent Carer Forum.
The challenge now is to turn the reform plan and investment into practical improvements for families. Alongside new specialist school places, Oxfordshire’s programme is intended to strengthen earlier support, increase specialist expertise within mainstream education and build a system in which children can access appropriate help closer to home.
Reporting contribution by Isabella Harris, Local Democracy Reporter (LDR) for Oxfordshire, covering local politics, council meetings and planning decisions across six councils in the county.
