Experts at Hand: What the SEND Reforms Mean for Mainstream Schools
Experts at Hand is a funded part of the Government's wider SEND reform programme, not simply a future consultation proposal. Guidance published in June 2026 explains how local authorities and local partners should begin bringing specialist education and health advice and direct support closer to mainstream settings. For school leaders, the practical question is how the developing local offer fits alongside the skills of their own staff.
What is Experts at Hand?
Experts at Hand is a locally delivered offer of advice and direct support for early years settings, mainstream schools and further education colleges. It is intended to make specialist help available earlier and more flexibly, including without requiring an individual assessment or referral in every case. Local authorities, Integrated Care Boards and other partners will shape the exact offer and allocation according to local need.
The specialists involved
The offer centres on professionals whose expertise schools often find hard to access quickly, including:
Speech and language therapists.
Occupational therapists.
Educational psychologists.
Specialist teachers and outreach from specialist settings, including alternative provision.
Related support workers and trainees working under appropriate professional oversight.
How the offer is being developed in 2026/27
The Government has allocated £429 million to local authorities for 2026/27 as the first year of a three-year programme, with £1.8 billion for Experts at Hand across the spending review period. Scaling will take time. Local areas are expected to establish partnership governance and fair allocation arrangements, with an initial emphasis on upskilling education staff. The exact support available will vary locally.
What it could mean for mainstream schools
Earlier specialist input into identifying and understanding need.
Advice and support that helps staff put evidence-based strategies in place.
Group and whole-setting approaches for commonly occurring needs, alongside tailored guidance as needs change.
Outreach from special schools, alternative provision and specialist post-16 settings to build mainstream capacity.
Closer working between education, health and care.
What it does not replace
Experts at Hand does not remove schools' existing responsibilities under the current SEND framework, including the graduated approach and reasonable adjustments, and it does not replace internal SEND expertise. Nor is the eventual national model fixed in every detail: the consultation describes its longer-term role within proposed Targeted Plus support, while current delivery is being developed locally.
Planning your SEND workforce alongside specialist support
Identify which staff will work most closely with visiting specialists.
Make sure teaching assistants and support staff are trained to carry strategies into daily practice.
Strengthen your systems for recording need and reviewing intervention.
Build ongoing SEND CPD so specialist advice lands in a prepared team.
Ready to plan your next cohort?
Talk to the NCE employer team.
Whether you are shaping a business case, comparing providers or planning a trust-wide programme, we will help you get from question to confident decision.
