About Mainstream SEND Hubs

Mainstream SEND Hubs (or mainstream SEND Units as identified by the DfE) are defined as:  

           “special provisions within a mainstream school where the children are taught within separate classes.”

In Lincolnshire, it is our ambition to collaboratively develop and implement mainstream SEND Hubs in as many schools and academies as possible. These Hubs would:

•  provide enhanced educational provision for children and  young people with SEND
• enable them to be educated and have their needs met in a mainstream school, with enhanced facilities, by knowledgeable and skilled staff. 

Wave 1 will develop mainstream SEND Hubs in 11 primary schools and three secondary schools across the county.

This is a long-term ambition for the Council, and we will be expanding this offer further. 

It will be an integral part of the mainstream school, physically and culturally, with inclusivity and belonging at its core.

It will:

• belong to the school
• be managed by the school 
• be staffed by the school

The local authority’s responsibility is to

• provide funding
• place pupils
• support with quality assurance for the Hub

The SEND hub will be a place for pupils with SEND to be educated, with access to all the benefits of a mainstream environment but with the ethos of a special school – smaller class sizes, specifically trained staff and differentiated curriculum.

There will be a maximum of two classrooms per SEND Hub. it will be made up of 10 local authority commissioned places with  two to three transitional places for the host school to use. 

The Hub will be specially designed to ensure it has the space and resources required to meet the needs of pupils placed in the Hub.

This will vary in each school as we look to make best use of all available space.

However, as a minimum all Hubs will offer:

• a suitably sized classroom, within the school’s existing building
• direct access to a breakout space/sensory space to allow time for pupils to regulate and manage their feelings
• direct access to secure outside space to allow free-flow learning and opportunities for regulation outside of the classroom

The Council are providing funding for the school to set up the space with suitable resources and decoration for the pupils in the Hub including sensory equipment.

We will begin opening SEND Hubs from September 2025 onwards. Some will be ready to open from this dates and others may take longer due to the building works required. All schools will be opening their Hubs and admitting pupils throughout the 25/26 academic year.

Access to the mainstream SEND Hub will be though the formal Education, Health and Care Plan process, in accordance with the SEND Code of Practice 2014.

As part of either the Needs Assessment or Annual Review process, children and young people will be assessed as needing one of the following:

• mainstream
• mainstream with SEND Hub 
• specialist setting

If identified as requiring a mainstream SEND Hub, consultation with the nearest Hub will take place.

We recognise that demand for places within the mainstream SEND Hub may be high and that capacity will be limited initially, as we roll out wave 1 of this initiative.  Please be aware that places will not be guaranteed, and all places will be allocated within the existing formalised process.

Mainstream SEND Hubs will be best placed to meet the needs of children and young people who could thrive in mainstream with enhanced support and interventions. 

They are not suitable for children and young people with complex needs who require specialist provision.

Children and young people with a degree of speech, language and communication needs, and those with cognition and learning needs may be most suitable to the mainstream SEND Hub

The SEND Hubs will not be suitable for children and young people with behaviour which significantly challenges. 

The Council are developing a profile of suitability for mainstream SEND Hubs which will inform the Needs Assessment and Annual Review process, where Hub is identified as a possible option. 

The Council will be funding all building and renovation works required in the identified area of the school.

The Council will also be funding the cost of “kitting out” the Hub with appropriate resources and supporting the cost of recruitment. 

Schools will receive an allocation of funding for each pupil placed in the Hub. 

This funding ensures the Hub can provide the following:

• one qualified teacher 
• two teaching assistants 
• one Intervention Worker Enhanced Leadership time 
• enhanced SENDCo time (additional half a day per week)
• additional midday supervisor 
• learning resources
• staff funding at appropriate level for those with experience of teaching or supporting children and young people with SEND

Schools and Academies will not be detrimentally impacted financially with the implementation of the SEND Hubs, nor will they impact the school’s ability to meet the needs of children and young people educated in the wider school. 

Lincolnshire County Council are providing all host schools with an intensive training package which will cover all areas of working with children and young people with SEND.

This training is being developed by experts in the specialist sector and is part of the wider SEND Workforce Development Strategy which supports the county’s special schools. 

Specialised training will not just be for those working in the Hub, it will be for all involved in running of the school – Trust Boards, Governors, Senior Leadership, SENDCo’s and Hub staff. 

All school staff will also commit to completing the SEND Workforce Development Learning Platform modules to enhance knowledge and skills across the provision.

In addition, a further eight modules per year will be added to the SEND Workforce Development Learning Platform, aimed at enhancing skills of those involved with the SEND Hubs.