'Families in crisis' as Ofsted criticises SEND offer

A government regulator has found "widespread and systemic failings" around the outcomes of children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) across Derbyshire.

In a new report published by Ofsted, inspectors said children "wait too long" for their needs to be assessed which has led to some "missing large amounts of their education".

Families with SEND children who took part in the inspection told the regulator they were "in crisis" and felt their requests for help were being ignored.

Derbyshire County Council's temporary executive director for children’s services Alison Noble apologised and said they "fully accept the findings".

Inspectors found there were "not enough" special school places to meet the increasing number of children and young people with SEND.

They said this was due to the lack of a joint strategic needs assessment, sufficiency plans to address this issue have not been adequate or timely.

This had led to special school leaders stating that their overcrowded schools "are being pushed towards crisis points".

Inspectors added the recently announced capital spend to provide more special school spaces "will do little to address" the significant number of children and young people with SEND who are currently out of education and awaiting a placement at a special school.

Claire Walsh from Derbyshire Parent Carer Voice, a SEND parents’ participation and campaign charity, said: "The findings align with what parent carers have consistently reported - a need for substantial improvement in the support and services for children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities.

“While the outcome may not come as a surprise, it does represent a pivotal opportunity for reflection, healing, and ultimately, progress."

MPs in Derbyshire said a lot of their casework was made up of parents seeking help for their children with SEND provision.

Linsey Farnsworth, MP for Amber Valley, said: "This report makes for disappointing but unsurprising reading.

"All our offices have been contacted by so many parents and carers desperate for help in accessing appropriate SEND provision for their child, and it is a regular topic of concern at my advice surgeries.

"So many of our young people are denied the support they need to succeed, some missing months of schooling, and so many families are in distress."

The Local Area Partnership, made up of Derbyshire’s County Council’s education service and the NHS Derby and Derbyshire Integrated Care Board, which provides paediatric and specialist health services, said they were working on a "priority action plan" to address areas highlighted by the inspectors for improvement.

Derbyshire County Council's temporary executive director for children’s services, Alison Noble said: "We fully accept the findings of the report and apologise to the children and families who have been affected by Derbyshire Local Area Partnership SEND services not responding in a timely way and being of the quality they should expect.

“We know we need to do better and we continue to work hard with our health, education, private, public and voluntary sector partners to offer a service these children deserve. It is our joint responsibility and we take it extremely seriously.