Children with SEND just ‘badly behaved’, councillors claim
07/02/2024 Warwickshire CC has launched an investigation after a video revealed councillors making disparaging remarks about children with special educational needs. |
Suffolk councillors resign over ‘widespread’ SEND failings
05/02/2024 Three councillors have resigned their posts at Suffolk CC after a damning report found there were ‘widespread’ failings affecting SEND outcomes. |
Council financial crisis ‘out of control’
31/01/2024 MPs have issued a stark warning on the ‘very real’ prospect of more councils in England ‘effectively going bust’ if the Government does not address a £4bn funding gap. |
Children with SEND impacted by psychologist shortage
31/01/2024 The lives of children with SEND are being negatively affected by the shortage of educational psychologists, the local government ombudsman has warned. |
Oxfordshire publishes SEND ‘action plan’
19/12/2023 Oxfordshire County Council has published an ‘action plan’ for improving care for children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND). |
Councils hit by improvement notices
20/11/2023 Oldham MBC and Oxfordshire CC have received improvement notices for their services for children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND). |
Councils call for emergency school transport funding
20/11/2023 ‘Spiralling’ transport costs for children with special educational needs are threatening the financial stability of England’s largest councils, according to a report. |
South Gloucestershire families not getting agreed respite
08/11/2023 Almost a third of families with children with special needs in South Gloucestershire have not been receiving sufficient respite care, an investigation has found. |
MPs call for SEND support to tackle school absences
27/09/2023 MPs have called for more support for pupils with special educational needs (SEND) to tackle school absences and a consistent approach to the issuing of fines. |
Councils ‘wasted’ £46m on SEND tribunals
26/09/2023 Councils ‘wasted’ £46m on special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) tribunals in 2021-22, economists have reported. |
Nottingham to boost SEND provision
25/09/2023 Nottingham is set to bolster school capacity for children with additional needs as the city sees an increasing number of pupils requiring support. |
Suffolk’s essential service funding ‘not sustainable’
06/09/2023 Suffolk County Council has forecast it will spend £22.3m over its budget this year, with the costs of school transport and looking after children in care making up two thirds of the overspend. |
Surge in upheld SEND complaints
04/09/2023 A growing number of complaints involving special educational needs and disability (SEND) provision and education, health and care (EHC) plans are being upheld by the local government ombudsman. |
Seven new special free schools announced
23/08/2023 Seven new special free schools are set to open amid a critical shortage of places for pupils with special educational needs, the Government has announced. |
Third of children in care face exclusion
27/07/2023 Pupils who have a history of receiving social care or support from special educational needs services are much more likely to be excluded, UCL study reveals. |
Sheffield unveils ‘autism-friendly’ plans
01/06/2023 Sheffield Council has unveiled plans to make the city more ‘autism-friendly’. |
Bristol council faces bankruptcy
25/05/2023 Bristol City Council has been warned it must take urgent action to avoid bankruptcy over the spiralling cost of special educational needs and disabilities. |
Ten more councils to receive short break SEND funding
12/04/2023 Ten new local authority areas are set to receive up to £1m each to help families with children with special educational needs take short breaks. |
Kent receives improvement notice for SEND failings
06/04/2023 An improvement notice has been issued to Kent CC after it failed to turn around its special educational needs and disability (SEND) services. |
Cambridgeshire receives £49m to improve SEND provision
17/03/2023 Almost 600 school places for children with additional needs will be created in Cambridgeshire after an agreement between the council and Government. |
Suffolk CC warned again about poor alternative education provision
16/03/2023 The local government ombudsman has issued another warning to Suffolk County Council to improve provision for children who can’t go to school. |
New SEND plan fails on ‘fundamental’ issues, council chiefs say
02/03/2023 New plan to support children with special educational needs and disabilities fails to address ‘fundamental cost and demand issues’, council chiefs say. |
Surrey council agrees to review SEND support
16/02/2023 Surrey CC has agreed to review its SEND support for children and young people following an investigation by the local government and social care ombudsman. |
SEND advice service requires 'drastic' overhaul
13/01/2023 A SEND advice service has been savaged in an independent report that found it had contributed to a £10m tribunals bill for Birmingham City Council. |
SEND pupils ‘unfairly excluded’, charity says
16/12/2022 Pupils with additional needs have said they are unfairly excluded from mainstream schools because of racism and a lack of understanding from professionals. |
Council apologises after failing boy with Autism
09/12/2022 Redcar and Cleveland Council have apologised after failing to provide respite care for the family of a boy with complex special educational needs. |
Charity calls for SEND funding to be protected
29/11/2022 The Government has been urged to make a public pledge that SEND funding and families’ legal rights to get support for their children will be protected. |
Autistic Dorset boy left for two years without school
07/07/2022 Dorset Council to reform the way it provides alternative education for children, after a boy with special educational needs missed out on two years of school. |
Council apologises after failing to support autistic girl
30/06/2022 Suffolk council apologized after an investigation revealed that the local authority had failed to provide therapy for a child with special educational needs. |
Council chiefs call for ‘action’ to deal with spiralling SEND costs
29/06/2022 The number of children in England in need of special needs support has increased dramatically over the past year, local authority leaders say. |
One in four children persistently absent from school, study reveals
15/06/2022 The Government needs to ensure that councils have enough funding and powers to help ensure that all children are able to access education, council chiefs say. |
Consultation for new SEND inspection framework launched
14/06/2022 Ofsted and the CQC have today launched a consultation on a new draft framework for inspecting local provision for children and young people with SEND. |
Local authorities to bid for funding for 75 new free schools
10/06/2022 Up to 75 new free schools - including sixth forms, specialist schools and alternative provision - will be created across England. |
Call for national review of children's mental health services
07/04/2022 The new president of the Association of Directors of Children’s Services (ADCS) has called for a post-pandemic national review of children’s mental health services. |
Government vows to end 'postcode lottery' on SEND
29/03/2022 Schools, councils and health providers will need to work together to support children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) with more targeted funding, a Government green paper said today. |
Fuel prices hit school transport services
25/03/2022 Spiralling fuel costs are impacting school transport services, with councils set to have to pay providers more or face pupils unable to access free transport. |
Council chiefs call for reform of ‘adversarial’ SEND system
11/03/2022 Council leaders have called on the Government to tackle the rise in tribunals over SEND disagreements as they warn the system has become ‘adversarial’. |
Council criticised after vulnerable teen misses year of education
03/03/2022 A teenager with special educational needs has missed out on a year’s education because the county council did not plan for her to move schools after Year 11. |
Families spend £14.6bn replacing missing disability support
07/02/2022 One third of families with disabled children have been forced into debt funding their children’s education, a new survey has revealed. |
Delayed SEND review to reduce 'local variation'
11/11/2021 Proposals coming out of the Government’s review of special educational needs and disability (SEND) will look to reduce ‘local variation,’ children and families minister Will Quince has suggested. |
Council apologises for SEND failures
21/09/2021 Suffolk CC has apologized to families who rely on special educational needs (SEND) provision after a report found the council was 'not performing well.’ |
SEND children being left behind by council
31/08/2021 Children with special educational needs are being left behind by council services across Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole, inspectors have found. |
Unravelling the knot of education, health and care plans
29/07/2021 Leo Jones lays out the deeper challenges that need to be recognised and addressed if the SEND review is going to tackle the complex problems behind rising numbers of education, health and care plans. |
Special needs deficits to grow to £1.3bn in two years
30/06/2021 A ‘spiralling deficit’ in special educational needs services (SEN) is expected to grow to an ‘unmanageable’ £1.3bn in just two years’ time, county councils have warned. |
SEND services in Suffolk to be reviewed
15/06/2021 An independent review into Suffolk County Council’s special educational needs and disability services is to be conducted following criticisms by families. |
Working in partnership to get more people with disabilities and complex needs into employment
14/06/2021 Cllr Lorraine Dean explains how a pilot partnership project with housebuilder and contractor, Durkan, has created a blueprint for supporting more people with disabilities and complex needs into employment. |
Councils must meet their SEND legal duties
20/05/2021 No matter how tight budgets are, councils still need to be held to account for how they are discharging their statutory SEND duties, says Catriona Moore. |
Construction of £23m council-funded school for SEND students complete
17/05/2021 Somerset CC has announced that construction has finished on Polden Bower School, a brand new £23m council-funded school for students with complex needs. |
Council chiefs call for review of SEND system to be completed ‘urgently’
14/05/2021 Council leaders have called on Government to ‘urgently complete’ its review of the SEND system and to ensure councils have funding to support SEND children. |
Children and families need £12.5bn over three years, says new ADCS president
22/04/2021 The growing number of children and families who need support 'to thrive, not just survive in the wake of the pandemic' will need investment of around £12.5bn over three years, says England's new children’s services chief. |
Extended funding for projects for children with SEND
12/02/2021 The Government has extended funding for projects to support children with special educational needs and disabilities. |
SEND education requires ‘radical shake-up’, council chiefs say
03/12/2020 The high needs system for further education is ‘not working and requires a radical shake-up’, council and college leaders say. |
Ofsted warns of COVID impact on SEND support
09/11/2020 The pandemic has ‘seriously affected’ support for special educational needs an disabilities (SEND), according to Ofsted. |
Three key elements can optimise out-of-area placements for children with SEND
14/10/2020 Professor Sandy Toogood explains what features of provision are required when out-of-area residential school placement is needed for children with special educational needs and disabilities. |
A personalised approach holds the key to unlocking our SEND challenge
28/08/2020 Prof. Sandy Toogood argues there is huge opportunity to reframe SEND provision and focus on the importance of a personalised approach. |
Councils warned about discriminating against autistic children
06/08/2020 More than 40 councils have been criticised for unlawfully discriminating against autistic children. |
Thousands of new school spaces for SEND children
20/07/2020 New special free schools will provide over 3,000 extra places for pupils with the most complex needs. |
Tackling our SEND challenge
14/07/2020 Peter Whitmore explains why collaboration and knowledge sharing are crucial to tackling the SEND challenge. |
Local areas to get extra support to strengthen SEND services
10/07/2020 Ofsted and Care Quality Commission (CQC) will visit local areas to help them improve their SEND services following the disruption caused by COVID-19. |
County increases scrutiny of its special educational needs services
02/07/2020 Norfolk County Council has agreed to regular scrutiny of its services for children with special educational needs after the ombudsman found it 'failed' the same boy twice. |
Teachers call for summer holiday offer to support children
19/06/2020 Teachers have urged the Government to fund councils to help them provide summer activities for children in preparation for a return to school in September. |
MPs tell department to 'get a grip' on SEND
05/05/2020 The Department for Education (DfE) does not have a grip on mounting pressure in the special educational needs and disability (SEND) system, a watchdog has found. |
Council ‘surprised’ by criticisms of its SEND transport policy
25/02/2020 A council has expressed surprise at a ruling by the local government Ombudsman which criticised its transport policy for adult learners with special educational needs (SEND). |
A strong future for SEND services
29/01/2020 How did two non-IT people deliver a successful SEND digital transformation project? Vik Verma and Deborah Brooks explain. |
Councils sent back to drawing board on SEND
28/01/2020 Councils have been sent back to the drawing board after a quango ripped apart their plans to recover massive special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) deficits. |
Council apologises for ‘significant failings’ in SEND provision
14/01/2020 Richmond council has acknowledged that there were ‘significant failings’ in its provision of special educational needs and disability services after a critical Ombudsman report. |
London borough rejects insourcing children’s services
11/12/2019 Kingston LBC had considered returning services from a wholly-owned company when their contract ends in 2021. |
Bristol accused of 'abject failure' over SEND care plans
26/11/2019 An overhaul of services for children with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) is under way at Bristol City Council, after it failed to meet deadlines for families applying for support. |
Index shows large variation in England's incusive schools
12/11/2019 Schools in London are the most inclusive in England, new analysis has revealed today. |
Special educational needs reforms ‘poorly implemented’, MPs say
23/10/2019 A generation of children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities is being failed by the Government’s SEND reforms, MPs warn. |
Nine in 10 complaints about SEND provision upheld by Ombudsman
03/10/2019 The Ombudsman is receiving more complaints about education, health and care plans (EHCP) than ever before – and the vast majority are being upheld. |
Holyrood launches review of additional support provision in schools
23/09/2019 The Scottish government is calling on parents of children with additional support needs to give their views about the educational help available to their kids. |
Cash-strapped councils struggling to support SEND children, auditors warn
11/09/2019 Auditors have warned that councils are coming under growing financial pressure as the demand for supporting school pupils with the greatest needs rises. |
Whitehall to review support for children with special educational needs
06/09/2019 The Government has announced a major review into the support offered to children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND). |
Spending Round 19: Schools receive £7.1bn funding boost
04/09/2019 School spending will increase by £7.1bn by 2022-23, the chancellor confirmed today. |
Councils call for incentives to help schools support children with special needs
29/08/2019 Mainstream schools should be incentivised to accept more children with special needs, council leaders have said today. |
Financial risk for children's services across London is 'unsustainable'
22/07/2019 Children’s services across London are facing an unsustainable level of financial risk, a new report commissioned by London Councils has warned. |
Shell is helping power the journey towards a circular paving industry with Shell Bitumen LT R, a new product for roads that uses plastics destined for landfill as part of the additives to make the bitumen.
Effective Energy Group is now offering its support to the 40 Local Authorities who have received a share of the £430m to deliver their projects on the ground by surveying properties and installing measures.
Dougie Belmore explains how one of the main interfaces between you and Bacs is about to change.