Key Points
- Redbridge Council hosted a borough-wide Inclusion and Belonging Conference bringing together headteachers, governors, schools, colleges, early years settings, families, and young people.
- The initiative supports the borough’s wider SEND (special educational needs and disabilities) programme and builds upon its status as England’s first UNICEF UK-recognised Child Friendly Borough.
- The Inclusion and Belonging Strategy was co-designed directly alongside headteachers and chairs of governors to guide local support delivery.
- Redbridge launched the new Ordinarily Available Guidance (OAG) to help education settings consistently address SEND needs.
- Attending schools contributed to a borough-wide Inclusion Toolkit designed to share effective practices across institutions.
- A featured video showcased young people who assisted in designing Redbridge’s updated Local Offer information portal.
- Education inspection body Ofsted participated in the conference, detailing the importance of inclusion and belonging within its national inspection framework.
- Participating schools, nurseries, and colleges concluded the event by signing official pledges detailing specific actions to improve inclusion within their communities.
Redbridge (East London Times) September 28, 2026 – Redbridge Council has convened a comprehensive borough-wide Inclusion and Belonging Conference, uniting headteachers, chairs of governors, school staff, higher education leaders, early years practitioners, families, and young people to transform educational provision for children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND). The initiative forms a cornerstone of the local authority’s broader strategic framework aimed at enhancing educational experiences and long-term outcomes for pupils requiring additional learning support across the London Borough of Redbridge.
As the first local authority in England to achieve formal recognition from UNICEF UK as a Child Friendly Borough, Redbridge Council designed the event to ensure the direct perspectives of young people inform local policy decisions. The conference established a unified framework intended to guarantee that every child with SEND across the municipality experiences a sense of belonging while accessing tailored educational support within mainstream and specialist settings.
How was the new Redbridge inclusion strategy developed?
The overarching Inclusion and Belonging Strategy was structured through a direct co-design process involving local education leaders, specifically headteachers and chairs of school governing bodies. By embedding institutional leadership at the onset of policy formulation, the council aimed to create an operational framework that directly reflects the daily practicalities of classroom management and school governance.
Throughout the conference proceedings, the experiences of children and young people were positioned at the forefront of discussions. Youth delegates addressed the audience directly, sharing personal accounts of navigating the local education system, identifying specific barrier points, and detailing the tangible benefits of well-structured support mechanisms.
A dedicated video presentation showcased pupils who actively participated in designing Redbridge’s updated Local Offer. This online platform consolidates detailed information regarding available municipal services, health provisions, and educational support structures for families navigating SEND pathways. Furthermore, attending children engaged in a direct question-and-answer session with senior local authority officers, querying executive leadership on concrete measures to accelerate inclusive practices in local classrooms.
What new resources were introduced at the event?
The conference marked the official rollout of the Ordinarily Available Guidance (OAG). This standardisation document provides practical frameworks designed to assist mainstream schools, nurseries, and further education colleges in delivering consistent, baseline support for SEND pupils without requiring immediate statutory intervention.
In addition to the guidance release, representatives from Ofsted delivered a presentation contextualising inclusion and belonging within the current national school inspection framework. Inspection officials outlined how institutional commitments to equity and SEND accessibility are evaluated during formal school assessments.
To facilitate cross-institutional learning, attending educational establishments submitted proven case studies of effective classroom intervention. These submissions are being aggregated into a comprehensive, borough-wide Inclusion Toolkit. The repository will serve as a shared digital resource enabling educators across Redbridge to replicate successful pedagogical strategies. The event concluded with school leaders, early years providers, and college executives formalising written pledges that outline specific institutional targets for enhancing belonging within their respective learning communities.
As reported by municipal representatives, Councillor Lloyd Duddridge, Cabinet Member for Children, Young People and Education, stated that
“This conference brought together everyone with a role to play in improving the lives of children and young people with SEND, and secured a shared commitment to action across Redbridge.”
Councillor Duddridge added that
“The most powerful voices in the room were those of our children and young people. Their experiences challenged, inspired and shaped the conversations throughout the day.”
Addressing the practical outputs of the summit, Councillor Duddridge further noted that
“The launch of new guidance, the creation of an Inclusion Toolkit and the pledges made by schools and settings mean this conference is not just about talking about inclusion, it’s about delivering it. Together, we are building a borough where every child feels they belong and can thrive.”
Educational leaders across the borough also evaluated the collaborative structure of the conference. As reported by school administrators, Andy Tarrant, Headteacher at South Park Primary School, stated that
“It was an excellent day and truly collaborative. I’m very excited to see how we all shape a positive future for our Redbridge children and young people. Thank you to you and your team, Andrea.”
Representing school governance, David Backhouse, Chair of Governors at Mayfield School, stated that
“What a fantastic, inspirational Education Conference you arranged and invited Chairs and Headteachers to yesterday. It ticked all the boxes of what makes a good conference, excellently supported by Mayfield School. The excitement prior to the meeting was well-founded and clearly evident throughout the day.”
What is the background of this SEND support development?
Provision for children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities across English local authorities has faced structural pressures over recent years. Statutory frameworks dictate that local councils maintain an up-to-date ‘Local Offer’ detailing available education, health, and social care resources, alongside clear pathways for Education, Health and Care Plans (EHCPs).
Redbridge Council’s current initiative builds directly upon its status as a UNICEF UK Child Friendly Borough. This designation requires local government bodies to integrate the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC) into municipal governance, policy creation, and public service delivery. The development of the Inclusion and Belonging Strategy, alongside the Ordinarily Available Guidance (OAG), represents an effort to standardise early-stage interventions across early years, primary, secondary, and post-16 settings. By establishing clear expectations for mainstream schools through co-designed frameworks and shared toolkits, local authorities aim to optimize resource allocation, enhance early identification of learning needs, and reduce unnecessary friction for families seeking specialized educational support.
What is the prediction for how this development will affect local families and schools?
The implementation of the Inclusion and Belonging Strategy, supported by the Ordinarily Available Guidance and Inclusion Toolkit, is projected to alter the operational dynamics for educators, pupils, and families across Redbridge in several distinct ways.
For educational institutions—including nurseries, primary schools, secondary academies, and further education colleges—the standardized guidance will establish clear benchmarks for baseline classroom adaptations. School leadership teams will be expected to align their internal inclusion policies with the borough’s OAG framework, which may streamline staff training, teaching assistant deployment, and early-intervention strategies. The integration of Ofsted’s perspectives during the conference signals that compliance with these inclusive principles will remain a key focus during future statutory school inspections.
For children with SEND and their families, the co-produced Local Offer and standardized school practices are expected to create greater consistency across different educational stages. Clearer definitions of what mainstream settings must ordinarily provide may reduce administrative delays in securing early support adjustments. However, the long-term effectiveness of these measures will depend on the practical execution of the institutional pledges made by school leaders and the ongoing allocation of municipal resources to meet growing local demand.
