To ask the Minister of Education to detail the communication that has been sent to school leaders in relation to the operation of the new local impact teams.

The Education Authority (EA) has advised that:

Our school and pre-school community is a key Special Educational Needs and Disability (SEND) Transformation stakeholder and engagement and communications with this group has been crucial in the project’s efforts to improve Stage 2 SEND supports for our children and young people.

The SEND Transformation Team has engaged with school leaders throughout the life of the project from 2021 onwards, including providing written and video updates, invites to engagement sessions and requests to provide feedback on the Local IMPACT Team model.

In addition to this, the SEND Transformation governance structure includes the SEND Transformation Practitioners Forum which is comprised of principals, teachers, SENCos and classroom assistants. It has been consulted throughout the development of the Local IMPACT Teams model and is continually updated via its scheduled meetings.