Over the past week, a recurring theme has emerged in conversations with Trust leaders.

Many schools are doing thoughtful, positive work to support pupils’ communication and inclusion. There is no shortage of commitment, care or effort at school level.

The challenge Trusts are increasingly reflecting on is not intent, but coherence.

When support develops school by school, often in response to immediate need and local context, it can become difficult to sustain consistency, equity and impact across a Trust over time. What works well in one setting may not translate easily to another and oversight becomes harder as provision grows organically.

As Trusts mature, the questions begin to shift.

Rather than asking whether support exists in individual schools, leaders are increasingly stepping back to consider how provision fits together across the organisation. Conversations are moving towards questions such as:

• What should be universal across all schools?
• Where should targeted support sit?
• How do specialist expertise and workforce capacity align at Trust level?

These are not quick questions, and they do not have one-size-fits-all answers. They require space, reflection and an understanding of both educational and specialist support systems.

However, they are becoming increasingly important as Trusts seek to balance inclusion, sustainability and impact across diverse school communities.