Agenda item

Emma Ferrey introduced the report (Agenda Item 9) and outlined the headline issues in the report summary. It was noted that timeliness of EHCPs had reduced from 47% in 2024 to 22% in 2025. This was attributed primarily to increasing demand and capacity pressures within the SEN Assessment Team, which had not expanded in line with rising need.

Emma Ferrey drew attention to the table under section 4.4 of the report, which highlighted the number of assessments needing to be completed by a very small team of staff. It was noted that the threshold for agreeing to assess had been lowered in 2024 following a high number of tribunal challenges, and this had led to a substantial rise in assessments. It was further reported that each EHCP assessment represented a significant cost to the Local Authority (LA), estimated at approximately £10k per case.

Emma Ferrey reported that analysis had identified a range of factors contributing to reduced timeliness, including capacity constraints within the SEN Assessment Team, a backlog of Educational Psychologist advice and ongoing recruitment challenges. Increased parent?led requests, including privately commissioned assessments, alongside delays in schools responding to consultations, had also contributed, although it was recognised that schools were under significant pressure. It was further noted that an increase in schools challenging funding agreements had added to delays.

Emma Ferrey highlighted that data on the length of time taken to complete assessments had been included within the report (4.10) following a request from the Heads’ Funding Group and did not show an improving picture. It was noted that there had been a significant increase in requests for EHCP assessments following the SEND White Paper reforms and it was noted that this trend would continue to be monitored as reforms progressed and awareness increased.

Emma Ferrey concluded that the SEN Assessment Team did not have sufficient capacity to meet current demand. While a number of actions were being explored, including the use of AI and a review of team structures, the primary challenge remained the volume of requests and the increasing complexity of need across the system.

Richard Hand queried whether the estimated cost of approximately £10k per EHCP assessment was borne entirely by the LA, and whether academies or academy trusts incurred any costs in this process. Emma Ferrey reported that while the majority of costs sat with the LA, there were contributions from other partners, including schools through staff time and the Integrated Care Board for specialist assessments.

In reference to Richard Hand’s query, Gary Norman reported that there was a large cost to St Bart's from EHCPs. He advised that the LA requested costings from schools when considering placements, which was particularly time consuming. He raised concerns regarding the impact of EHCP demand on schools, particularly those receiving disproportionately high numbers of pupils with EHCPs and stressed that greater clarity was required regarding the criteria for allocating placements.

Gary Norman noted the level of pressure within the system, both locally and nationally and expressed concern that the LA was not currently meeting its statutory responsibilities for EHCP timeliness. He suggested that the current arrangements were unsustainable without increased capacity.

In response, Emma Ferrey reported that work was underway with schools that were accepting higher numbers of pupils with EHCPs. This included engagement with secondary headteachers to improve the consultation process, including work on phased transitions and cohort planning. She advised that a key priority was to strengthen support for schools where high numbers of pupils with EHCPs were being placed.

Ashley Milum encouraged that the concerns raised be fed back to the Department for Education through the consultation on the SEND White Paper. He recognised the pressures that schools were under and noted that national reforms were seeking to move towards a more equitable system, including a longer term shift away from EHCPs. Ashley Milum advised that work was ongoing to address both immediate challenges and longer term reforms, and that innovation and improved processes would be required to support this.

RESOLVED that the Schools’ Forum noted the report.