More Send staff puts service in 'better shape'

Up to 90 new staff are to help Suffolk County Council speed up the number of education, health and care needs assessments produced for children with special educational needs.

A vital staff recruitment programme for special educational needs and disability (Send) services at Suffolk County Council is nearly complete.

A critical Ofsted report into the service 10 months ago prompted a £20m investment over the next three years to boost staff numbers by 92.

Andrew Reid, responsible for Send at Suffolk County Council, said: "We recognised the need to develop resilience and resources if we were going to improve... we are now in better shape."

Anna Mears, headteacher at Castle East Academy in Bungay, agreed there had been some improvement but said she wanted to see the council maintain and continue to build a trusting relationship with schools.

Castle East Academy provides Send places for 123 children and is rated outstanding.

Ms Mears acknowledged that the changes at strategic leadership level at the council had "started to make a difference".

Head teacher Anna Mears says parents and children often come to them having experienced "educational trauma" trying to find the right school or setting for their child.

Children with special education needs or disabilities require an Education, Health and Care Needs Assessment (EHCNA).

This outlines the level of support and the right school setting for a child or young person so their needs are met. It should be carried out within 20 weeks.

'Increasing demand'

The Ofsted report in January said delays in assessments had a significant impact on the outcome for children.

The number of assessments completed within 20 weeks had risen from 5% a year ago to 32% in September.

Mr Reid said the investment in staffing was driving up the number, although demand was constantly increasing.

"It's not where we want to be and, we need to do much better," he said.

"I am glad things are improving and that is showing through in the responses we are getting from families."

The National Audit office recently reported the Send system was "broken" and financially unstable in the the long term.

Suffolk Parent Carer Forum, a group which support SEND families in the county, welcomed the investment in staff numbers.

However it said it was still seeing poor interaction from staff with families and poor assessments coming out from the council.

They called for any new staff to be trained "effectively and properly".

Demand for places is high in SEND schools, Castle East Academy has recently received an Outstanding Ofsted and is over subscribed.

Even when an EHCNA is completed, places for children in Suffolk are hard to find.

Castle East Academy is built on the old middle school site in the town and has more than 120 places for children aged nine to 16 with complex communication needs, such as autism.

Ms Mears said the academy was over-subscribed and was turning away pupils on a weekly basis.

She added that she wanted parents to understand that an education healthcare plan was "not a cure" and there was work to be done around "parental expectation".

"We absolutely get parental anxiety and we deal with parents who are as damaged by the system as the children," she added.

Suffolk County Council's Send services would be inspected again in about eight months' time.