Team ADL: Education Consultancy

Teachers ... some like to prepare for next year at the start of the holidays and others at the end. So we thought we would pitch our final blog for 2025-26 at the end of July. Hopefully a useful midpoint serving different approaches to preparation and rest.

Check out three simple, yet effective ideas by Sue Jagger to enhance talk for learning in the classroom that you can use next year with your students. https://teamadl.wordpress.com/2026/07/31/reflecting-with-summer-came-hope/



We have some great editorial planned for Autumn 2026 ... so stay tuned 👀 but until then - be well 💪🏼

🎉 News just in ... yesterday won the Milton Keynes Best SEND and Inclusion Solutions Provider Award at the SME News UK Enterprise Awards.

This makes it a “Four-Goal Haul” for the team in 2026 ⚽⚽⚽⚽

Dr Anita Devi - Silver Winner for the (April 2026) and Finalist for British Educational Suppliers Association (BESA) Person of the Year Award (July 2026) plus Chris Holmwood Lifetime Achievement Award - Milton Keynes Education Awards (June 2026)

What a team‼ We will share our end of year reflections tomorrow. Stay tuned 👀

Part 1/3 https://lnkd.in/eM4Ewcra

Part 2/3 👇🏽 How to we compare like-for-like?

It is 15 years since the last SEND Reforms in England was launched and one of the challenges the DfE has failed to address is creating a mechanism for parents, local authorities and inspectorate to compare like-for-like, whilst retaining the individually of expression to serve each local community.

They were shown this approach during the last SEND Reforms (2011-2018). However, to adopt such an approach would require:

· a move away from the tick box culture

· a deeper trust of ALL stakeholders in the system

· a flexible and creative approach to developing a continuum of provision.

The Provision Review Methodology (created by ) is a flexible tool, through which constructive dialogue across stakeholders produces a two-page document that ensures transparency and accountability of provision (year-on-year). The approach works in ALL types of settings and therefore allows for better comparative modelling against ‘Value for Money’ (VfM) criteria https://lnkd.in/eExBDBvT

The Provision Review takes just one day in total to deliver and a shift in culture / impact is experienced within 6 weeks of completion. It not only reduces workload, but also joins the dots across the spectrum of teaching, leadership and management tasks consistently for ALL learners. It further provides accuracy of information to local authorities and service providers commissioned to ‘add value’ in supporting the education of some of our most vulnerable, including intersectionality between different types of needs.

It is not the expectation of that every setting will adopt this, though it certainly provides a flexible, coherent and consistent approach for comparison between different types of settings.

My purpose in sharing this today: as we move forward, ALL settings will need to bridge the transition from the current world to that which eventually will need to be defined in law. Therefore, Leaders are advised to start looking around at different approaches; comparing and contrasting and seeking out the most effective to drive change, with minimal disruption and confusion.

Part 1/3 We are still operating under the current law.

Under Regulation 51 of the SEND Regs 2014. ALL schools & academies are still required to publish their 'SEN Information Report (SIR) 2025-26’ at the end of this academic year & it should be signed off by Governors. This Report & its contents were designed by parents/ carers to hold schools accountable through annual reporting to governors & parents.

Page 14 of the current Ofsted Inspection Toolkit makes it clear Inspectors will still be expecting to see this. The SIR is likely to remain until 2028, as the DfE will need to demonstrate legal legitimacy of any replacement they introduce. This would require at least one full academic year of the Inclusion Strategy / NIS implementation.

Whilst an Inclusion Strategy (p13) is sought & government templates have been published all three principles need to operate within the current legal framework, not the aspirations laid out in The Schools White Paper 2026.

*** Please be advised, there are significant gaps / errors in the recently published “Inclusion Strategy Template” by the DfE (2026)

Until the law changes, schools & academies will need to connect & embrace their Inclusion Plans, Bases and Funding within existing policies & reporting mechanisms, especially where inclusion refers to SEND. Inclusion is broader than SEND.

We are informed, ‘feedback’ to the recent SEND Reforms Consultation will likely be shared in the Autumn Term. There is still much to resolve. Therefore, even though individuals & organisations have taken it upon themselves to publish books & guidance documents (assuming the Schools Paper to be the norm), none of this has been finalised. Therefore, everything should be read & reviewed under the lens of the current law.

This includes local authorities; whilst Local SEND Reforms Plans have been submitted and local areas await news of their 90% debt write off, the evaluation & implementation of said plans must be within the current law.

Our advice is caution. Not everything that contains the word ‘Inclusion’ is appropriate, accurate or fit for purpose. This is particular important when planning and considering CPD 2026-27 and/or forwarding and sharing information.

*** NEW Blog *** by Steve Pendleton out today!

https://leader5aday.wordpress.com/2026/07/03/the-student-wellbeing-crisis-is-the-pressure-for-schools-to-perform-the-problem/

Walk with Steve as he unpicks motivation differences and barriers for students from low socio-economic status (SES). This blog reflects some of the findings from his current PhD .

What are your takeaways form this thought-piece?

Did you catch it? Passion or Purpose?

Read more here https://sencowellbeing.wordpress.com/2026/06/17/senco-purpose-or-passion-what-drives-you/

Guess who is in Birmingham today delivering a keynote at the Midlands IQM Conference.

Go

🌟 Just 7 days left to nominate someone for the 7th year of (previously ) 🌟

This is an annual Appreciation Day for anyone who goes over and above to be inclusive to others. Free to nominate.

Find out more here https://forms.gle/j5bnGoTzedZwRww39 We've included examples from previous years.

This you chance to say 'thank you' to a colleague, someone in your community or just someone you have witnessed doing extraordinary things in the ordinary everyday!