Source · Select Committees · Education Committee
Recommendation 26
26
Acknowledged
Mandate SEND expertise within school and multi-academy trust governance structures
Recommendation
To ensure accountability for inclusive practice, SEND expertise should be embedded within schools and multi-academy trust (MAT) governance structures, for example, by making it mandatory to appoint governors or trustees with specific responsibility for and relevant expertise (including lived experience) of SEND as we saw in Ontario. Without this, inclusive education risks being sidelined at the strategic level, and outcomes for pupils with SEND will continue to be deprioritised. (Recommendation, Paragraph 129)
Government Response Summary
The government is committed to improving inclusivity and expertise in mainstream schools, and created an Expert Advisory Group for Inclusion and a team of expert Regional Improvement for Standards and Excellence (RISE) advisors to work with schools.
Government Response
Acknowledged
HM Government
Acknowledged
We are committed to improving inclusivity and expertise in mainstream schools to ensure they have the tools to better identify and support children before issues escalate. In December 2024, we created an Expert Advisory Group for Inclusion, led by Tom Rees, to advise the Secretary of State for Education and the Minister of State for School Standards on how to drive inclusive education practice. In September 2025, the group’s remit was extended, to ensure that as the government progresses towards publication of a Schools White Paper, Ministers can draw on a broad range of advice and input. Our new team of expert Regional Improvement for Standards and Excellence (RISE) advisors will also work with mainstream schools to become more inclusive places as one of four priority areas for improvement. The RISE advisors include leaders from the SEND and alternative provision sectors, with a track record of improving schools, who will work with schools and their responsible bodies to drive improvement. They will work directly with schools through bespoke targeted intervention, and support the identification and dissemination of effective inclusive practice as part of the RISE universal improvement offer. Through regional events, conferences and networking opportunities, universal RISE will enable schools and trusts to come together to discuss issues and share learning, drawing on expertise from across the whole school system. RISE will help all schools to identify how they can drive inclusion and support them to go further, improving outcomes for all pupils.