Local authorities and MATs face a twin challenge: falling mainstream rolls and rising demand for specialist provision. New-build is sometimes not agile or fast enough to meet immediate and dynamic needs. This session explores how trusts and SEND specialists are collaborating to unlock surplus space in mainstream schools and co-locating resources to create high-quality, local satellite SEND provision - quickly, safely and affordably.

Drawing on a live exemplar of Dysart School and Latchmere Academy the panel will unpack what it takes to deliver a co-located solutions that are targeted, inclusive and sustainable. We will cover delivery (from due diligence to scheme approvals), the operational realities (design, zoning, safeguarding, staffing), and the conditions for success (governance, finance, community engagement). The discussion will spotlight replicable models that meet needs, make better use of existing assets, and help schools stabilise budgets amid falling pupil numbers.

Key Themes:

• Partnerships: Co-production between mainstream schools, specialist providers, and LAs; sharing expertise and culture-building for inclusion.
• Targeted local need: Right provision, right place—reducing travel, supporting families, aligning to LA commissioning plans.
• Speed with rigour: Compressing timelines across legal, estates, governance, design, and consultation; being “fleet of foot” without compromising safeguarding or quality.
• Sustainable, low-cost delivery: Reuse over new-build; leasing models; incremental remodelling; improving utilisation and income.
• Challenges and scaling: Workforce, revenue/CapEx, safeguarding in shared sites, curriculum alignment, long-term viability, and replicability across boroughs.