Activity Alliance welcomes SEND and alternative improvement plan

The proposals include “investment in training for thousands of workers” as well as additional places and 33 new free schools. Activity Alliance welcomed the long-awaited plan and responded with a call for more meaningful change.

The plan states that “the transformation of the system will be underpinned by new national SEND and AP standards, which will give families confidence in what support they should receive and who will provide and pay for it, regardless of where they live”.

An additional measure highlighted in the Improvement Plan is a programme to fund local areas to test new services including play and sports. £30 million will go towards developing innovative approaches for short breaks for children, young people and their families.

In response Ray Ashley, Director of Partnerships at Activity Alliance, said:

“All children and young people with SEND or in alternative provision deserve high-quality, early support wherever they live in the country. We welcome the initial commitments set out in today’s Government SEND and AP Improvement Plan. But we urge Minsters to ensure there is more meaningful change for disabled children.

“Through our robust insight and ongoing evaluation of programmes we support or manage, we know that sport and activity can play a valuable role in every child’s life. Young disabled people need to be given the opportunity to lead a full and active lifestyle. The £30million fund set aside to test services including play, sports, arts and independent living activities must be seen as much more than respite for families of children with complex needs. Being active from a young age can build lifelong habits and ensure more children and young people enjoy an active future.

“In partnership, we are proud to be supporting schools and their staff to be embedding inclusive practice that every child can benefit from. The Inclusion 2024 education hub is an essential tool to support more teachers responsible for PE to engage more disabled students. The School Games Inclusive Health Check highlights the key role schools play in providing an inclusive pathway for more disabled children. These are impactful resources designed to bring about meaningful change because no child should miss out on the physical, health and social benefits of being active.”

Find our more about our work on Inclusive PE Training.