Harnessing Artificial Intelligence to Enhance SEND Services in Stoke-on-Trent
Stoke-on-Trent is proud to be exploring the potential of Artificial Intelligence (AI) to enhance services for children and young people with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND).
As part of this initiative, our SENMAS team is currently piloting the use of AI to support elements of the Education, Health and Care (EHC) plan process.
Why AI?
Our commitment is to deliver the highest quality support to families. By integrating AI into the drafting of EHC plans, we aim to streamline administrative tasks—allowing our experienced SEND Caseworkers to dedicate more time to direct engagement with families. This approach is designed to enable faster responses, more proactive communication, and improved support throughout the assessment and review journey.
How Could AI Support the Process?
AI has the potential to assist in generating initial drafts of EHC plans by extracting key information from professional reports. These drafts will then be carefully reviewed and personalised by our Caseworkers to ensure they accurately reflect each child’s individual needs. If the pilot proves successful, we will also explore the use of AI to support annual reviews and maintain up-to-date plans.
What’s Next?
This is an early-stage pilot, and we are closely monitoring its progress. Quality assurance remains paramount—every plan will be person-centred and reviewed by qualified professionals. AI is not a replacement for human expertise; rather, it is a tool to enhance the support we provide.
We welcome your thoughts and feedback. For further information or to share your views, please contact Daniel.Marson@stoke.gov.uk. We are committed to working collaboratively with families and professionals every step of the way.