Suffolk: County Council provides update on SEND services

The council has received backlash from parents and relatives in recent years for failing to provide adequate provision for children with special educational needs - with the system resulting in many missing years of education.

So what progress has been made in the last three months?

The Lincolnshire Review:

Last year, a six-week review into Suffolk County Council's SEND services was conducted by experts from Lincolnshire.

The report concluded that weaknesses existed in a host of areas and made nine recommendations for future improvement.

Suffolk County Council apologised last year for letting children and young people down (Image: Newsquest)

These actions have now been completed, with the council now focussing on four priorities: Communication, Children & Young Persons Journey, Commissioning and Services and Moving into Adulthood. 

Senior officials hope this will help to provide essential support for children at an earlier age and ensure young people are given the provision they need as soon as possible.

Further places and training for schools:

Since 2021, the council agreed the delivery of 1,317 new specialist places either in new schools or units linked to mainstream schools by 2026, and 826 of these new places are now open across Suffolk.

Now, the SEND Programme is on track to deliver up to 1,275 new specialist places by 2025. 

A total of 40 schools have also completed the first stage of SEND training and a further 39 were invited to attend training last week. The programme is on track for 310 schools to be trained by the end of May 2023. 

EHCPs: 

The authority has also been fiercely criticised for its failure to issue Education, Health and Care plans (EHCP) - a legal document that describes a child's special educational needs and the support they need - within the 20-week target. 

Conservative cabinet member for education, Cllr Rachel Hood, has previously said: We are determined to make SEND services better in Suffolk (Image: Simon Lee Photography/Suffolk County Council)

Currently, an average of 20% are being administered on time - with the national average standing at 50%. 

The council accepted this was unacceptable and has established a recovery plan which looks to prioritise the aim of eventually being at 70%. 

School exclusions: 

The number of school exclusions "remains higher than we would like", the authority said. 

A total of 67 pupils were excluded in Autumn 2022 compared with 71 in Autumn 2021.

Four exclusions have been overturned and 10 rescinded with support from the Education Access Team.

Staffing: 

The council has admitted that hiring trained professionals, such as educational psychologists, is one of its most significant challenges at the moment - with the need outweighing the resources.

However, the capacity of teams has improved - with there currently being a 14% vacancy in Family Services compared to 35% in August 2022.

Outlook: 

Demand for SEND services continues to rise in Suffolk and families across the county continue to voice their concerns and frustrations at a lack of suitable provision. 

In the past, the council has apologised for letting children and young people down and has accepted mistakes have been made. 

Going forward, senior officials say they are still not where they would like to be, but say "we are starting to see improvements."