The progress of improvements to special educational needs and disabilities provision in Suffolk was discussed at Education Scrutiny Committee on Thursday <4 December>.
The committee, made up of councillors from all parties and non-elected independent members, such as parent governors, quizzed health and county council leaders on the progress, plans and challenges within SEND reform. The last time SEND was discussed at Education Scrutiny was June 2024.
Progress reported to the committee included:
- Significant improvement in the timeliness of Education, Health and Care Plans (EHCPs). By January, timeliness will be well above the national average of plans issued within 20 weeks. (Approximately 50% compared to 3.8% November 2023)
- Issuing more Education, Health and Care Plans than ever before. In November, 364 plans completed, compared to 186 November 2024. An increase of 65%.
- The timeliness of Annual Reviews has also improved, with 892 completed in November - compared to 775 last November
The committee also heard how the Department for Education continues to monitor and track improvement. The results of a recent stocktake visit by officers from the Department for Education is due shortly.
Despite positive evidence, officers were clear that improvement is not yet being felt by all families and reiterated that a robust, detailed and deliverable plan remains in place to keep driving reform at pace.
Acknowledgement was given that work to improve SEND is complex and costly, working across many sectors and against a backdrop of a broken national SEND system. Suffolk also faces rising demand with an increase of 22% more Education, Health and Care Plans over the year.
Discussions also included the caseloads of staff, appropriate training including staff visiting education settings and recent investment in staff recruitment.
Cllr Keith Robinson, chairman of the Education Scrutiny Committee, said: “It is right that the complexity of Suffolk's SEND reform is scrutinised by the committee.
“It is clear that progress is being made and there is enthusiasm and dedication shown by officers to improve the way services are delivered. What is important now is that this improvement continues and its impact is felt by all children and young people.”
Sue Willgoss, chair of trustees for the Suffolk Parent Carer Forum, a statutory co-production partner, told the committee: “We welcome SEND reforms but the delay is challenging. We know timeliness is getting better, but our fear is then the quality is not what it should be or not improving alongside it.
“It is important to work at pace, but really important for that change to be meaningful and of a quality that makes a difference to families, children and young people. Once they are and they make positive change, those changes need to be embedded, so we don’t come back around, yet again, to the same old problems.”
Reform of SEND is being driven by the Local Area Inclusion Plan, which is delivered by the SEND Local Area Partnership made up of Suffolk County Council, the NHS Suffolk and North East Essex Integrated Care Board (ICB) and NHS Norfolk and Waveney ICB, and education settings. There are five priorities; belonging and inclusion, quality of Education, Health and Care Plans, access to provision, preparation for adulthood and engagement and communication.
Cllr Andrew Reid, Cabinet member for Education and SEND at Suffolk County Council, said: “I am grateful for the opportunity for SEND services to be scrutinised in such detail.
"The data and evidence show positive trends and improvement, but we recognise that there is more work to do. Improving the way we deliver SEND services remains our top priority and we will not deviate from our strict timeframes. We are committed to transparency, co-production and continuous improvement, as evidenced by the breadth of data and oversight arrangements in place."
The committee will now agree a set of recommendations. The papers are available to view here.
