Strategic SLCN Planning for Multi-Academy Trusts

As autumn and winter progress, the pressures on Multi Academy Trusts increase: new cohort data becomes clearer, pupil communication needs emerge more sharply and the impact of seasonal routines begins to influence behaviour, learning and engagement.

For Inclusion Leads and Directors of SEND, this period is not simply busy, it is strategically decisive.

It is the time to assess risk, tighten systems and ensure the Trust is equipped to meet rising SLCN demand in a consistent, sustainable and equitable way.

Below is an evidence-aligned, MAT-focused guide to the critical priorities every senior SEND leader should consider this autumn-winter.

1. Review Trust-Wide Emerging SLCN Needs & System Risk

By mid-autumn, MATs have enough information to identify:

• Shifts in communication profiles across year groups
• Schools with rising SLCN referrals
• Inconsistencies in identification rates between schools
• Newly presenting needs following summer transitions
• Bottlenecks in SLT assessment capacity

The question for MAT leaders is not what strategies SENCOs are using, but whether the Trust’s system is resourced well enough to cope.

Key leadership questions:

• Are identification patterns consistent and equitable across schools?
• Do we have a model that allows capacity to flex across hubs?
• Are particular schools at risk of unmet need or assessment delays?

A Trust-level SLCN audit at this point in the year prevents problems compounding in spring.

2. Anticipate Seasonal Pressure Points

Autumn–winter brings routine changes, darker days, indoor crowds, seasonal events and end-of-term intensity, all of which increase communication and regulation demands on vulnerable pupils.

Strategically, MAT leaders should ask:

• Have all schools built seasonal adjustments into their inclusion plans?
• Are vulnerable pupils being monitored Trust-wide, not only within individual schools?
• Are reasonable adjustments applied consistently across the MAT?
• Is there a cross-school system to escalate concerns early?

This season exposes inequalities between schools unless MATs take a joined-up, preventative approach.

3. Strengthen Governance, Compliance & Strategic Oversight

Autumn–winter is a crucial checkpoint for senior SEND governance.

MAT leaders should review:

• EHCP compliance and timeliness
  • Are SLT assessments and advice completed on time across all schools?
• Provision mapping & impact data
  • Do you have a MAT-level view of what interventions are being delivered and their effectiveness?
• Variation between schools
  • Which schools require support, and which are ready to model best practice?
• Workforce sufficiency
  • Do current SLT hours cover assessment, EHCP duties, targeted support, and specialist input?

4. Embed a Unified, Trust-Wide Communication Strategy

Strong MATs avoid the risk of individual schools operating in isolation. A coherent, MAT-wide SLCN framework should include:

• Shared referral pathways
• Consistent identification criteria
• A universal communication friendly environment standard
• Shared resources and visuals across all schools
• Clear thresholds for universal, targeted and specialist support
• Trust-wide monitoring templates

This ensures every pupil, regardless of school or phase, has access to equitable support.

5. Audit the Capacity of Your SLT Provision

Given workforce shortages, fluctuating needs and rising demand, a mid-year capacity review is essential.

Key questions for MAT leaders:

• Do we have adequate SLT capacity to meet autumn/winter need?
• Are EHCP and statutory contributions at risk?
• Do we need flexible short-term support to manage seasonal pressures?
• Are some schools relying on teachers/SENCOs to fill specialist gaps?
• Are waiting lists growing faster than our current model allows?

Capacity planning now protects the MAT from spring-term bottlenecks.

6. Prioritise MAT-Level Workforce Development

Instead of each school sourcing CPD independently, autumn–winter is the ideal time to implement:

• A Trust-wide SLCN CPD strategy
• Training aligned to your universal provision model
• Rapid upskilling for new staff
• Specialist top-up training for teams supporting high-need cohorts

This reduces inconsistency and sets clear expectations across the Trust.

7. Plan for High Intensity Events & Transitions

Events such as winter productions, assemblies, community events and end-of-term changes can cause communication stress for many pupils.

MAT leaders should consider:

• Do all schools have inclusion plans for winter events?
• Are supports consistent so families receive a coherent Trust-wide experience?
• Are high-need pupils tracked and proactively supported?

These events test the robustness of a MAT’s inclusive systems, not just its goodwill.

8. Strengthen Monitoring of Vulnerable Groups Across the Trust

Certain pupils require enhanced oversight through autumn–winter:

• Children with language disorder
• Pupils with autism who struggle with unpredictability
• Learners with SEMH linked to communication difficulties
• Looked after children
• Newly arrived pupils with unknown language profiles

A Trust-level monitoring system ensures early escalation and reduces crisis management later.

9. A Cost Effective MAT Solution: Enrol SENCOs in the ITS Teachers Community

To support consistency, upskill SENCOs and reduce demand on specialist services, MATs may consider enrolling key staff into the ITS Teachers Community; a low cost, high impact professional learning network with direct access to SLT expertise through monthly Q&A sessions and on-demand resources.

This gives MATs:

• Consistent training across all schools
• A scalable alternative to repeated CPD bookings
• Faster, more accurate identification and decision making
• Better quality referrals and reduced workload for Inclusion Leads

Strategic Action List for MAT Leaders this Autumn–Winter

✔ Conduct a Trust-wide SLCN needs audit
✔ Review SLT capacity and address identified gaps
✔ Strengthen identification and referral pathways across all schools
✔ Implement a unified communication friendly environment standard
✔ Ensure consistent seasonal inclusion planning
✔ Tighten governance around EHCPs and provision mapping
✔ Invest in MAT-level CPD and systems that reduce variability
✔ Monitor vulnerable cohorts at Trust level, not just school level

Final Reflection

Autumn–winter is the moment that reveals the strength of a MAT’s SEND systems.

The most effective Trusts take a strategic, preventative, data driven approach, ensuring that capacity, leadership, governance and everyday practice align across all schools.

A strong, coherent SLCN strategy now will protect pupils, reduce pressure on schools and position your MAT for a more stable and successful spring term.