Council missing target on special needs plans

Parents in West Northamptonshire have been protesting about special needs education failings in the area

Almost 90% of families waiting for special educational need (SEND) assessments in once council area are waiting more than six months, new government figures show.

Despite a national target of 20 weeks, just 67 of the 645 plans issued by West Northamptonshire Council last year were completed within six months.

By contrast, almost 90% of North Northamptonshire Council's plans were issued within six months.

West Northamptonshire says it now has more staff dealing with applications and that performance has improved.

Education, Health and Care Plans (EHCP) explore the extra support a child might need.

A typical EHCP could contain measures such as one-to-one support in school or home tuition.

A council is legally obliged to complete an EHCP within 20 weeks of a parent requesting one, but many councils fail to do this.

North Northamptonshire Council had 619 requests and completed 554 within the six-month period.

Six people had to wait more than two years in the north of the county, while only one faced the same delay in the west.

'He would hit out at teachers'

Joanne Cooleen has been waiting for an EHCP for her son for 78 weeks.

She said it was clear mainstream school was not suitable for him.

"He would hit out at teachers, there'd be classrooms evacuated because of his behaviour and many times he tried to escape," she said.

She applied for an ECHP in March 2023, but he did not get an appointment with an educational psychologist until December.

He stayed at school, but his mother said he had to be restrained regularly.

"We agreed with the school that he shouldn't be attending any more in September, and, at that point, we were at 27 weeks of the 20-week EHCP process," she said.

"We had no idea that he would, a year later, still not have any placement."

Ms Cooleen said her son was now being taught at home and she had been forced to give up her job.

West Northamptonshire Council said that, since 2021, there had been a 51% increase in requests for EHCPs, creating a backlog.

It said it had expanded the team processing EHCPs and was hitting the 20-week target more often.