1 week Ago
Hertfordshire County Council is forecasting an £81m deficit for 2025-26, and was recently found to have been refusing to carry out education, health and care needs assessments (EHCNAs) for many children, which form the crucial first step towards securing much needed educational support. Worryingly, the most recent Ofsted SEND inspection concluded that there are "widespread and/or systemic failings leading to significant concerns about the experiences and outcomes of children and young people with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), which the local area partnership must address urgently". I know this issue is a major priority for many families across North East Hertfordshire, so I’ve recently conducted a survey to gather insights from local parents about their experiences with the SEND system.
Their responses have highlighted significant systemic issues that are causing distress for many families in our communities. The survey responses reveal a troubling pattern of delays and failures in the Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP) process. Parents report long waits, missed deadlines, and inadequate assessments, which leave their children without the support they need.
This lack of timely intervention is exacerbating the emotional and physical impact on both children and their families, leading to stress, anxiety, and health issues. Transparency and accountability within the SEND system are also widely reported to be severely lacking. Decisions are often made without proper communication or documentation, leaving local parents confused and frustrated.
The need for frequent legal challenges, including tribunals and appeals, further underscores the systemic failures that families face. Another critical issue I have had raised with me is the inappropriate placement of children in educational settings that do not meet their needs. This results in children being pushed into unsuitable environments, causing further distress and hindering their educational progress.
A lack of trained staff and specialist input compounds these problems, as schools struggle to provide the necessary support. Early identification and diagnosis of SEND are crucial to give children the best chance in life, yet parents report significant delays in medical and educational assessments. This delay in recognising and addressing needs is resulting in serious long-term consequences for their children's education and future prospects.
We only get one chance to go through school and no child should have their opportunity for education blighted in this way. It is also clear that mental health support is utterly inadequate, with many families struggling to access the necessary services for their children. Parents are too often bearing the costs of private assessments and reports, and many have to reduce their working hours to care for their children, adding to the stress and challenges faced by families.
The survey responses also highlighted the continuous fight for support that parents endure. Many have said that they often face blame from schools and have to navigate a complex and frustrating system to secure the necessary provisions for their children. They feel there is too much focus on attendance percentages, and not enough on addressing underlying matters.
This paints a stark picture of the systemic issues within the SEND system in Hertfordshire. As your MP, I will do everything I can to secure genuine change and press the government to deliver new policies which ensure that every child receives the support they need to thrive. My next step will be to share the anonymised survey responses with the Department for Education, to inform their developing plans for SEND system reform which we so clearly desperately need.
If you are a SEND parent or guardian, you can complete my survey here: https://www.chrishinchliff.co.
uk/send-survey..
