Bury launches SEND Local Offer during inclusion conference

SEND Local Offer launched at Bury’s inclusion conference

The conference brought together headteachers, special educational needs co-ordinators, education professionals and borough partners. Keynote and interactive sessions covered inclusive practice, partnership working and cultural change, alongside reflection on improvement and the next phase of work.

The council’s launch announcement was published on 20 October. It does not give the conference’s exact date. That distinction matters when placing the event within the borough’s improvement timeline.

Wendy Young, Head of SEND and Inclusion, linked the launch to a three-year improvement and reform programme. Its scope spans education, health and social care, rather than school provision alone.

Cabinet member Sandra Walmsley thanked schools, families and partners. She also acknowledged Beebot AI’s support in developing the website.

The improvement timeline from inspection to launch

The council traces its improvement programme to the February 2024 local area SEND inspection. Its account says stakeholders, including parent carer forum Bury2Gether, co-produced a Priority Impact Plan. It says Ofsted and the Care Quality Commission subsequently approved that plan.

Inspection dates and publication dates are different. Ofsted’s report index for Bury records publication of the full inspection report on 7 May 2024. The later monitoring visit took place from 9 to 11 March 2026, with its report published on 29 June 2026.

According to Bury Council, the monitoring report confirmed effective action in all six Priority Impact Plan areas. That conclusion is attributed to the council’s published account; it should not be read as confirmation that every family’s difficulties have ended.

The council also describes a graduated approach: identify needs early, put support in place promptly, then review and adapt it. This is an ongoing process, not a single intervention.

How the Priority Impact Plan measures improvement

The Priority Impact Plan describes the February 2024 inspection as identifying widespread, systemic failings. Its response combines six priority actions with three additional improvement areas.

Those additional areas cover communication; alternative provision and education otherwise than at school; and workforce development across the partnership. The distinction matters: the six priorities do not represent every strand of the improvement programme.

The plan sets out shared oversight through the SEND Improvement and Assurance Board. Accountability connects to the council’s Cabinet and Greater Manchester Integrated Care Board arrangements. It specifies monthly lead-officer reporting and risk review, alongside six-monthly reporting by the independent chair.

Its proposed measures extend well beyond website visitor numbers. They include attainment, attendance, suspensions, exclusions, complaints and family feedback. Local Offer visitor and page-use indicators sit alongside these wider measures, rather than replacing them.

Further indicators concern health waiting lists and support while waiting. They also cover education and training among 16- and 17-year-olds with education, health and care plans, often called EHCPs.

Transition experiences, timely plans and amended annual reviews are included too. Communication measures seek feedback on the Local Offer, confidence in the partnership and understanding of transport support.

These are proposed ways to assess impact, not published results demonstrating that each target has been met. The plan also seeks evidence that families understand the strategy and experience a positive difference from services. That separates activity, such as publishing information, from the changes people experience.

What the July 2025 stocktake established

A joint Department for Education and NHS England letter, dated 10 July 2025, reviewed a stocktake held on 1 July. It recorded encouraging implementation progress and improving partnership relationships.

However, reviewers also called for stronger evidence of tangible impact, rather than relying principally on plans and actions. That distinction provides context for assessing the later website launch.

Communication developments recorded in July 2025 included more frequent SEND Local Offer updates and feedback mechanisms. The letter also described a reviewed Local Offer, a schools toolkit being rolled out, redesigned inclusion services using communities of practice, and a dedicated SEND health visiting service.

Reviewers noted stronger timeliness for phase-transfer reviews and better engagement with annual reviews. They also identified continuing needs around workforce capacity, consistent skills and robust partnership data.

Wider engagement with children and families remained important so that participation could influence service design. This connected the practical improvement work with the partnership’s co-production ambitions.

On health, the stocktake recorded community paediatric waiting-time challenges and work towards a neurodevelopmental hub. Next steps included clearer information about support while waiting, continued work on autism and ADHD assessment waits, and better measurement of waiting times and interim support.

These findings describe the position recorded in July 2025. They are historical evidence of progress and outstanding work, not confirmation of service conditions at the October 2026 launch.

What the July 2026 board recorded before the launch

The board minutes from 14 July 2026 show communication remained a priority before the Bury SEND website launch. They recorded Beebot work progressing and referred to an incoming SEND communications and engagement officer.

A parent carer forum representative raised difficulties in communication between services and families, alongside requests for earlier event notification. Those concerns help explain why information and engagement remained active improvement subjects.

Changemakers discussed college, volunteering, supported internships, interview preparation and friendships. Their recorded activity included an easy-read Short Breaks Duty Statement, work on an NHS SEND handbook and a school survival guide, and engagement with decision-makers.

Voice-mapping responses covered 16 of 17 secondary schools. Further work was needed among primary schools, alternative provision and electively home-educated children. A draft co-production charter had been trialled in transport, personal-budget and local inclusion work, but remained under refinement.

The board also recorded progress in early identification, educational psychology capacity, transition planning and education, health and care plan quality assurance. Alongside that progress, it noted long autism and ADHD diagnostic waits, inconsistent transition experiences and an annual-review backlog.

The October announcement establishes the SEND Local Offer launch as a completed milestone. The wider record describes continuing reform, with both progress and unresolved difficulties. For the council’s published account and supporting documents, read its improvement journey information.