Solved Before You Start:

How Schools Are Unlocking SEND Capital Without Lifting a Pen

You do not need to be convinced that your school needs more SEND space. You already know.

What you do not have is time.

No time to prepare capital applications. No time to align space designs to BB104 guidance. No time to coordinate multiple quotes, consult with specialists or chase the local authority for updates. And certainly no time to write persuasive funding submissions while managing pupil need and staffing logistics.

This is not a failure of intent. It is a failure of capacity.

And it is exactly the gap that LUMIPODD was built to close.

Funding is available. But access is uneven.

In December 2024, the Department for Education confirmed £740 million in capital funding to expand and adapt specialist spaces in mainstream schools. The goal is to support earlier intervention, reduce reliance on high-cost placements, and improve access to appropriate environments for children with SEND.

It is a policy response to the sharp rise in EHCPs, the oversubscription of special schools, and the clear recommendation from Ofsted’s new inspection framework: local partnerships must demonstrate how they are planning, commissioning and delivering effective provision.

But funding does not implement itself. Many schools that are eligible for support do not apply — not because they do not need it, but because the process is too heavy.

LUMIPODD offers a solution that removes that weight from your team.

We write the bid. You get the space.

LUMIPODD provides more than modular infrastructure. We provide a full-service grant assistance programme for capital funding. That includes:

• A short consultation to understand your need and your constraints
  
• A tailored space design, mapped to BB104, EHCP trends and site-specific considerations
  
• A costed specification ready for Trust, LA or DfE approval
  
• Complete grant bid writing, formatted to match the criteria of DfE, local authority or independent funders
  
• Submission tracking and document management
  
• Full build and handover within your required timeline
  

At every stage, we work with your internal processes, not against them. You retain control of the project. We handle the complexity.

Designed for how schools really work

In most settings, the staff who understand the learners are not the ones with time to manage procurement. And the leaders who oversee estates and finance are already balancing compliance, safeguarding and staffing pressures.

Our model respects that reality.

We begin with a 15-minute planning call. No jargon. No hard sell. Just a clear discussion of your current space constraints and what your SEND team needs in order to deliver provision with dignity and impact.

We then provide:

• A specification pack you can share with your Trust or governance board
  
• Bid-ready documentation for capital funding routes
  
• Flexibility to scale up, down or reconfigure as your needs change
  

Our infrastructure is modular, funding-eligible and compliant with SEND Code of Practice expectations. And our bid writing is done by professionals with public-sector experience and an understanding of how MATs and councils evaluate proposals.

You do not need to learn the system. You just need a partner who already works within it.

Why reconfigurable infrastructure matters now

The capital logic is shifting. Previously, school estates were planned on static models. Needs were forecast on multi-year projections, and buildings were assumed to stay fixed.

That model no longer holds. EHCPs are rising faster than predicted. Neurodiverse profiles are becoming more complex. Inclusion expectations are growing, but the tools to meet those expectations remain unevenly distributed.

Reconfigurable SEND space is no longer a “nice to have”. It is a risk management asset. It reduces the chance of tribunal exposure. It provides physical environments that support early intervention. It helps retain staff. It aligns with Ofsted’s inspection priorities.

But most importantly, it is deliverable — now.

A better system requires better routes in

The SEND and AP Improvement Plan calls for high-quality provision to be delivered consistently. But without the right access points into the capital system, that ambition stalls.

LUMIPODD offers schools a route in that respects their time, supports their mission and delivers what learners need. We are not a supplier. We are an extension of your team — one with deep experience in SEND, public procurement and modular delivery.

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If you know what your learners need but lack the time to unlock it, let us help.