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Latest SILAP board meeting summary from April 2026
Published
For 2026, the SEND and Inclusion Local Area Partnership (SILAP) board have been keen to give updates on their meetings. Here Kirsten Harrison, Director of Education, and Helen Ford, Deputy Director of Integrated Commissioning, who co-chair the SILAP board, provide a summary for young people and their families of the last meeting in April 2026.
Welcome to the second update on the work of the SEND and Inclusion Gloucestershire Local Area Partnership Board, often referred to as SILAP.
SILAP met in mid-April again to discuss how, as a partnership, we can better support children and young people with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND), and their families.
To find out more about the SILAP board, who’s involved and what are they doing for you, please visit Gloucestershire’s Local Offer, Support for Families with SEND.
We’re pleased to share a summary of the main topics discussed, the progress made so far, and the future actions agreed.
Areas discussed in the meeting included:
The SEND and Inclusion Local Area Partnership (SILAP) Board met in April 2026 to talk about how education, health and care services work together to support children and young people with SEND in Gloucestershire.
National SEND Reforms – what do they mean for Gloucestershire?
Board members discussed the new national SEND reforms, currently out for consultation by the Government, aimed at improving inclusion, particularly in mainstream schools. Gloucestershire is working with partners towards submitting a SEND Reform Implementation Plan to submit to the Department for Education (DfE). A proposed draft version will be shared with to the DfE by 19 May, with the final version requiring submission to the DfE by 19 June 2026.
The plan will set out the Local Area’s vision for services to children and families with SEND aligned to the proposed reforms, how decisions will be made, how progress will be monitored and how funding will be used. Updates on the progress of the plan will be shared through the Families in Partnership newsletter.
Children and young people not in school
The Board discussed findings from work looking at children and young people who are currently not in education.
Key themes included the importance of earlier support, better mental health provision, flexible school approaches, and stronger relationships between families, schools and children. Parents’ lived experiences were central to the discussion.
Next steps include agreeing three priority areas where partners will strengthen support across the partnership.
Assistive Technology Lending Libraries
An update was shared on the Assistive Technology Lending Libraries pilot, part of the DfE Change Programme. Schools have been able to borrow supportive technology, including tools to help with communication, reading and writing. Some settings are also using robots to help children stay connected to learning.
Feedback so far has been positive. The pilot will finish in May, after which learning will be reviewed to explore how the scheme could continue and reach more schools. Read about the pilot here.
Communication and co‑production
Results from the 2025 Parent Carer Survey were shared. There was a significant increase in responses, with more parents reporting their child receives the right support at the right time.
Parents highlighted the importance of good communication and inclusive practice.
A ‘You Said, We Did’ report will be ready in Summer 2026 to show how feedback is shaping improvements. Read about the Parent Carer guide to the findings here.
Data and SEND quality
The Board reviewed data showing increased demand for health services and education assessments.
Across the partnership, we continue to work, on improving the quality and consistency of Education, Health and Care Plans using new auditing tools.
Looking ahead
Our next SILAP meeting will be on Monday, 15 June 2026 and we will let you know what happened in a future edition of this newsletter. We will keep working together to make SEND services better for everyone. Thank you for being part of this journey!
If you have ideas or want to share your thoughts, please get in touch. Together, we can make a big difference for children and young people with SEND.