I was delighted with the success of my recent SEND Policy Workshop, and I would like to thank all of the parents, carers and others who took the time to attend and contribute to the discussion.
The event was a really useful opportunity for me to hear directly from local families about their experiences of the SEND system, both where support is working well and, importantly, where things need to improve.
We had a wide ranging and constructive discussion, with 382 individual comments and points recorded across the six areas we considered. These covered the current EHCP system and proposed move to Individual Support Plans, mainstream education, SEND transport, early years support and intervention, post 16 education and the SEND system more broadly.
There were a number of clear themes running through the evening. Parents and carers spoke about the importance of getting the right support in place at the right time, improving communication and continuity for families, having appropriately trained staff, increasing the availability of suitable specialist and alternative provision closer to home, and ensuring that the individual needs of each child or young person are at the heart of decisions about their education and support.
We also heard concerns about lengthy waits for assessments and EHCPs, the difficulties some families experience navigating the system, access to appropriate transport and post 16 provision, and the importance of retaining meaningful legal protections and rights of appeal for families.
I am extremely grateful to everyone who spoke so openly about their experiences. I will be taking the points raised back to Westminster and ensuring that they form part of my ongoing work on SEND.
The slides from the evening can be found below, alongside the summary and full notes of all the points raised during the workshop.
Following the positive response to the event, I am looking to hold another SEND Policy Workshop in Cranbrook this autumn. This will give people who were unable to attend this event an opportunity to have their say, while those who attended this time and would like to contribute again will also be very welcome.
If you would like to register your interest in attending the Cranbrook workshop, please contact my office. Further details will be announced once arrangements have been confirmed.
