Salford City Council’s cabinet has today (26 May) approved new grant funding from the Department for Education (DfE) to strengthen support for children and young people with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) across the city.
As part of the national SEND Reform Programme, the DfE has confirmed a major package of funding through the Experts at Hand initiative and the Local Authority SEND Transformation Fund. Nationally, £429 million will be made available in 2026–27, the first year of the programme, with further investment of £750 million in 2027–28 and £850 million in 2028–29.
Salford has been allocated £2,093,810 for 2026–27. The council anticipates additional funding in subsequent years in line with national increases, ensuring sustained momentum in delivering meaningful improvements to local SEND services.
This flexible funding will enable Salford to build specialist capacity across early years settings, schools, and post-16 provision. The investment is designed to promote earlier intervention, reduce reliance on reactive and statutory services, and enhance the overall quality and responsiveness of SEND support across the local system.
Central to this work is the development of Salford’s Experts at Hand offer, which will form a key pillar of the city’s wider Local SEND Reform Plan. This approach will bring together specialist expertise to support professionals working directly with children and young people, helping to identify needs earlier and deliver targeted, impactful interventions.
This funding is the latest multi-million investment for families in the city, following the announcement in January that the council had successfully lobbied the Department for Education for £7.43 million towards a brand-new, purpose-built special school in Walkden to support 150 SEND children and their families, and expanded specialist educational needs provision at Springwood Primary in Swinton.
Councillor Jim Cammell, Lead Member for Children’s and Young People’s Services, said: “This grant funding represents a major opportunity for Salford to advance our support to children and young people with SEND as we strive to create a child-friendly city. By focusing on early intervention and building specialist capacity across our education and care settings, we can ensure that more children get the help they need, when they need it.
“Our ambition is to create a more inclusive, responsive system that delivers better outcomes for families across the city, working closely with schools, health partners, and families to deliver a more joined-up and effective SEND system – one that prioritises early support, reduces inequalities, and enables every child and young person to achieve their full potential.”
Alongside this, the council has also secured an additional £1.56 million through the Best Start Family Hubs and Healthy Babies programme to support SEND-related activity between 2026 and 2029. This funding will further strengthen early help services, ensuring that families, infants and young children receive the right support at the earliest possible stage.
Further details on the council’s ambition to be a Child Friendly City can be found on the council website and as part of its This is our Salford, Corporate Plan 2024 to 2028.
