Special needs children in Leicestershire are being failed over education plans, say Ofsted

A report issued this week said failings highlighted during a previous inspection were still apparent – to the detriment of the children who are desperately reliant on formal educational support.

Following an inspection in 2020, Ofsted found “systematic weaknesses” in education, health and care plans, (EHCPs), drawn up by officials for Leicestershire children, inaccuracies within them and delays in issuing them.

The plans set out clearly the support each child needs and is entitled to.

Ofsted carried out follow-up inspection of the service provided by Leicestershire County Council and the county’s health services and found some progress had been made since the previous inspection, but problems remained with the preparation of the plans.

They said: “[Parents] spoke of the distress such delays cause. They expressed their dissatisfaction and worries about the inaccuracies in their children’s EHC plans.

“They are exasperated with the lack of communication from area leaders while they wait for news of the progress of statutory assessments of their children’s needs.”

Too many plans contained inaccurate and out-of-date information, inspectors said, with many they checked not updated for more than a year.

“Inaccuracies could potentially have a significant affect on the education, health and welfare of the children and young people, they added.

However, inspectors did acknowledge that more children in the county have been diagnosed with special needs over the past three years. This, they added, had to the strain the system was under.

Parents told Ofsted they were frustrated about the length of time they were having to wait for plans to be completed.

“As a result, they said, too many children and young people were waiting for their identified needs to be met while some were missing out on education, inspectors found.

Robert Martin, co-chair of the Leicestershire SEND Hub, a parent and carer forum which represents 6,000 families across the county, said Ofsted’s findings were incredibly worrying.

He said: “These are some of the most vulnerable people in society and getting the care planning correct for disabled children is of paramount importance.

“It causes a huge amount of anxiety fighting for the services the children deserve. The one thing parents say is everything is a fight, everything is difficult.

“The local authority are so strapped for cash and the budget is having to be reduced. How can you reconcile the fact you’re failing disabled children but you also want to cut the money for them?

“I’ve had a lot of parents message me saying hopefully this will be a catalyst for change. The people in the local authority are good people, they care about their job and they want to see improvements, but their hands are tied behind their backs.

“We’d like to see proactive investment in children’s services to be able to increase the quality of EHCPs to a sufficient level where children aren’t being let down and families can feel safe and secure sending their children to schools, knowing they will be cared for adequately and correctly.”

Mr Martin also extended his thanks to the families who worked with the inspectors to highlight the problems in care plans.

The Department for Education and NHS England will determine what will happen next with the service. This may include the Secretary of State using her powers of intervention, Ofsted has said.

Leicestershire County Council and the Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland Integrated Care Board, which oversees healthcare locally, said in a joint statement they were committed to making further improvements “as quickly as possible”.

Councillor Deborah Taylor, deputy leader and cabinet member for children and families at the county council and care board CEO Andy Williams said: “This report has highlighted the progress we have made and we are pleased to see the recognition of the improvements that have been made since the initial inspection in 2020. But we know more needs to be done.

“We accept the findings of the report which has identified that whilst the education, health and care plans are better and include the views of parents and carers, significant improvements still need to be made, including the implementation and the quality assurance of EHCPs and the improvement in the timeliness of EHCPs.

“As the report states, the leadership commitment to improvements is being demonstrated and the inspectors have acknowledged we have made a focused plan to bring about the necessary improvements to EHCPs.

“We are determined in our joint efforts to continue to make progress as quickly as possible, despite the overall pressures upon funding for public services both in our area and nationally. I’d like to thank everyone who took part in the re-visit.”

“This feedback given has ensured we can continue to work with partners on our commitment to securing better outcomes for children and young people with SEND.”