About The SEND Accountability Project

To create a more connected, accountable and inclusive SEND system across England where children, young people and families receive the right support at the right time.

Through collaboration, shared learning, continuous improvement and evidence-informed practice, we aim to strengthen outcomes across education, health, care and wider support services while placing children and young people at the centre of everything we do.

The SEND Accountability Project exists to bring together families, professionals, schools, local authorities, services and partners to improve SEND provision and outcomes across England. We do this through:

• Workforce development and training
• Inclusion and belonging frameworks
• Quality assurance and improvement tools
• Professional collaboration and shared learning
• Guidance, resources and practical support
• Accountability, transparency and continuous improvement

Our goal is not simply compliance. Our goal is meaningful change that improves the experiences, opportunities and outcomes of children and young people.

The SEND Accountability Project is committed to acting with integrity, transparency, fairness and respect in everything we do. Our work is guided by a simple principle:

We believe that improving outcomes requires collaboration, accountability, inclusion and a genuine commitment to listening to the voices of those who experience the SEND system every day.

The SEND Accountability Project is led by a parent with lived experience of raising children with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND), alongside a growing network of professionals, families, and partners who share a commitment to improving outcomes for children and young people.

The project was created from a recognition that families and professionals often face similar challenges across the SEND system — and that greater collaboration, transparency, accountability and shared learning can help drive meaningful improvement.

Our Approach

We believe that lasting change happens when lived experience, professional expertise and evidence-informed practice come together. Our work is shaped by:

• Children and young people
• Parent carers and families
• SENCOs and Inclusion Leaders
• Schools and education providers
• Health and care professionals
• SEND practitioners and specialists
• Local authority teams
• Partners, advocates and community organisations

A Project Built on Purpose

The SEND Accountability Project has been developed through determination, lived experience, collaboration and a shared belief that every child and young person deserves the right support. We understand the realities families face. We understand the challenges professionals face. We believe both perspectives are essential to achieving meaningful improvement.

We will strive to:

• Listen with respect.
• Act with integrity.
• Collaborate with purpose.
• Promote inclusion and belonging.
• Encourage accountability.
• Support improvement.
• Place children and young people first.

The SEND Accountability Project seeks to promote constructive challenge, learning and improvement across the SEND system.

Our focus is not on criticism for its own sake. Our focus is on identifying opportunities for learning, sharing good practice and helping to achieve better outcomes for children and young people.

The SEND Accountability Project is committed to operating with integrity, fairness and transparency. We recognise that conflicts of interest can arise where personal, professional, financial or organisational interests may influence, or be perceived to influence, decisions, recommendations or activities.

To maintain trust and confidence, we commit to:

• Declaring any actual, potential or perceived conflicts of interest where relevant.
• Making decisions in the best interests of children, young people, families and the wider SEND community.
• Ensuring that personal, financial or organisational interests do not improperly influence the project's work.
• Being transparent about partnerships, sponsorship arrangements and commercial relationships.
• Managing conflicts appropriately through disclosure, oversight and, where necessary, removal from decision-making processes.
• Promoting objectivity, fairness and independence within all project activities.

The SEND Accountability Project was founded by a parent with lived experience of navigating the SEND system. In the interests of honesty, integrity and transparency, we believe it is important to acknowledge that personal experiences have contributed to the development of this project and continue to inform its commitment to improvement.

The founder is a parent of three neurodiverse children with a range of differing needs. Two children currently have Education, Health and Care Plans (EHCPs), while a third child is progressing through the EHCP process. The founder and family reside within the Slough local authority area and have experience of engaging with a range of educational, health and support services.

For complete transparency, there have been ongoing disputes relating to a school and/or trust within the area. These matters have included formal complaints, one successful disability discrimination claim, and ongoing legal processes. Depending on future circumstances, additional legal action may also arise.

It is important to clarify that these matters relate to specific educational providers and should not be interpreted as concerns regarding the Local Authority SEND Team. Where feedback, commentary or improvement activity references local services, every effort will be made to ensure that observations remain evidence-based, balanced and fair.

The SEND Accountability Project is committed to maintaining clear separation between personal matters and the wider aims of the project. Whilst lived experience provides valuable insight, the project seeks to balance lived experience with professional expertise, research, evidence, stakeholder engagement and collaborative learning.

Our purpose is not to pursue individual grievances or organisational criticism. Our purpose is to support learning, accountability, transparency, collaboration and continuous improvement in order to achieve better outcomes for children and young people. Where any actual, potential or perceived conflict of interest exists, we will seek to declare it openly and manage it appropriately.

The SEND Accountability Project is informed by lived experience, professional knowledge and collaboration across the SEND sector. We recognise that lived experience brings valuable insight, but also that all perspectives may be shaped by individual experiences. For this reason, we seek to balance lived experience with evidence, professional expertise, research and wider stakeholder engagement.

Our aim is not to promote individual interests, organisations or agendas, but to support learning, collaboration, accountability and continuous improvement in pursuit of better outcomes for children and young people.

Where a conflict of interest exists, or may reasonably be perceived to exist, we will take appropriate steps to identify, declare and manage it openly and transparently.

To listen. To understand. To collaborate. To improve. To review. To support. Together, we are working towards a more connected, inclusive, accountable and effective SEND system where every child and young person receives the right support, at the right time, in the right way.