'It's all about time': How new SEND system could improve reading support across Leeds
How a new SEND management tool could improve the city’s reading
The founders of a new revolutionary SEND management tool are hopeful that it will free teachers up to spend more time with students.
Dom Newmarch, 29, and his fiancée Lucy Stephens, 28, launched ‘Senflow’ in September 2025 and it has since been rolled out to 110 schools across the country, ranging from Newcastle to East Sussex.
The online management platform has been designed to help primary schools run their special educational needs provision properly, with less time lost to admin.
Speaking as part of the Yorkshire Evening Post’s Leeds Reads campaign, Dom is hopeful that the new system will mean teachers spend less time on paper work and more time with pupils.
“It is all about and comes down to time,” Dom explained. “At the moment they are spending hours and hours writing reports and correlating all this data so having it in a single system will make such a difference.
“One of the key benefits is freeing up that time to spend with the children and support them whether that be with their reading, maths or other areas.”
Inspired by the National Year Of Reading, the YEP’s Leeds Reads campaign aims to get the city once again immersed in books and making reading accessible for all.
Based in Garforth, the couple combined Lucy’s experience as a primary school teacher, and Dom’s background as a software engineer, to launch a system aimed at ensuring that the children who need the most support are not left paying the price for holes in the system.
Through centralised student profiles however, Senflow provides teachers with complete information, EHCP plans and everything from initial assessments through to annual reviews on one secure and specially designed platform.
Not only will the software provide teachers and SEND co-ordinators (SENCOs) with much needed technical support, it will provide more in-depth analysis of what’s going on with each student and where they are struggling.
“It’s massive for the students. We talk about them falling through cracks but that isn’t the fault of any teacher, it’s just how the system is,” Dom explained. “Senflow will ensure that they get the full one-to-one support that they need.
“On top that, with it being logged properly, you can see the reports in real time and we can see where things might be falling off and the reasons why. This allows SENCos to build a better picture on how to support them.”
News of the new system’s launch comes as the Government recently published their Schools White Paper report, a £4 billion investment over three years to transform SEND provision across the country.
Aimed at overhauling the current SEND legislation, which dates back to 2014, the report introduces new demands on how schools manage SEND provision, including the creation of digital support plans for every child with additional needs.
This would represent a big ask for schools that are already stretched, with many still relying on spreadsheets and paper folders to manage it all, which is where Senflow can help.