Special needs target unrealistic, says councillor

Only 1% of education, health and care plans were being completed within the 20-week legal timeframe in Essex in early 2024

A senior councillor has said that assessing all children for special educational needs and disabilities (Send) within the legal timeframe is "not achievable".

Last year, Essex County Council admitted that just 1% of assessments were completed inside the 20-week target, which was the worst performance of any local authority in England.

Tony Ball, the council's Conservative cabinet member for education, told a committee meeting that the 1% rate was "absolutely unacceptable" but said "we were never going to get to 100%".

Education Minister Georgia Gould has told the BBC the government is working with councils to help meet targets.

"To then move from 1% to 100%, we all need to be realistic, is not achievable and we have seen that by the country's average of 46%," said Ball.

"We were never going to get to 100%"

An education, health and care plan (EHCP) is a legally-binding document that sets out the support that children need up to the age of 25.

At the People and Families Policy and Scrutiny Committee meeting on Thursday, councillors were told 27% of EHCPs were being completed in under 20 weeks.

Families with Send children were at County Hall in Chelmsford for the committee meeting, including Amy Greenfield, who is fifth from right

Amy Greenfield, a mother from Clacton-on-Sea who has children with Send, asked at the committee meeting whether it was fair some families were waiting over a year for an EHCP.

Ball responded "it is not fair".

Director of education Clare Kershaw added: "We are not in any way satisfied with the length of time it is taking some children to get their education health and care plan."

She continued: "We are increasing education psychology capacity. That's something we did last year and we are continuing to do that this year."

Councillors were told the lack of educational psychologists due to "a national shortage" was causing the assessment delays.

That was despite Essex County Council putting an extra £7m into Send services since March 2024.

The number of EHCP requests have increased nearly fourfold compared with a decade ago.

A total of 15,437 young people have an EHCP; more than double the figure 10 years ago.

The local authority says it has opened four of five new special schools and increased places at mainstream schools.

Essex County Council has a high needs budget of £220m, which covers Send services.

Councillors heard it is set to be in deficit by £31m this year - and if nothing changes - this is forecast to rise to £428m by the end of the decade.

'A battle'

Also speaking at the meeting, Mark Jenkins, a school governor, accused Essex County Council of "a lack of transparency around Send reforms" and said schools feel it is like "a battle" dealing with the local authority.

Liberal Democrat Jenkins said "Head teachers tell me that when the local authority fails to meet the 20-week deadline it now pays only a nominal compensation amount to school.

"A sum so small it doesn't come close to covering the real cost of supporting pupils without an EHCP."

Ralph Holloway, head of Send strategy, insisted that the council paid "the full assessed amount", that it backdated these payments, and would "fully fund" children going through the assessment.

EHCPs were brought in by the Conservative-led government in 2014.

The current government was expected to announce Send reforms this autumn but that has been postponed until early 2026.

Education Minister Georgia Gould heard from families with Send children and community groups in Thurrock last week.

She told the BBC: "We don't want children to only get support when they go for an assessment.

"We want support to start at the earliest possible point because what parents often say is they are waiting and waiting and things are getting worse."