Suffolk Coastal MP, Jenny Riddell-Carpenter’s report into special needs provision offers ‘sobering insight’, says think tank

A Suffolk MP's report into the provision of special needs provision across the county offers 'sobering insight', a think tank has said.

The Centre for Social Justice (CSJ), an independent think tank, published a report by Jenny Riddell-Carpenter, MP for Suffolk Coastal, focusing on her constituency's challenges with services for children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND).

The report looked into both the national and local picture surrounding SEND, and received 97 responses from families who shared their experiences with the system.

A statement from the CSJ said the report offered 'sobering insight' about an 'overstretched, opaque, and often deeply frustrating' system.

It said the broad national definition of SEND was putting pressure on schools to off-roll or reclassify 'difficult' pupils, and on parents who, desperate for support, were incentivised to pursue formal diagnoses.

From those who responded to Ms Riddell-Carpenter's report, just over half said they were struggling with navigating the system and were not receiving the support they needed.

Similarly, close to 60 per cent of the families said their children missed school due to their needs not being met, while 22.8 per cent were off school for more than a year.

She said: "These are things they both deserve and are entitled to, and tangible improvements must happen now.

"This report does not mark the end of that fight but gives recognition to those who have to fight on, and hopes to give a wider voice to their struggles.

"It should not and does not have to be this way, and families in Suffolk Coastal deserve better."

SEND services are the responsibility of Suffolk County Council, but are delivered in partnership with the local integrated care boards as well as education settings.

Struggles in navigating the system in Suffolk have led to 920 tribunal appeals lodged against the council since 2019, growing consistently since 2020.

Of those who responded in her constituency, six told Ms Riddell-Carpenter they had to use personal savings, borrow money from friends or family and even take out loans to pay for the legal support in making these appeals.

Added to this is the need for some parents to quit their jobs to cater for their children's needs.

Ms Riddell-Carpenter said: "Meeting the education, health and care needs of children and young people with SEND is a legal entitlement, not a privilege for the few who can afford it.

"But all too often the system is only supporting those who can afford to pay privately, or who feel able to fight the system."

The challenges are despite continued investment into the service by the local authority, both from local funds as well as Government allocation, sparking calls for wider system reform.

What has the council said?

In a comment shared within the report, the council welcomed its recommendations, both nationally and locally, and labelled it 'refreshing'.

Cllr Andrew Reid, the county's lead for education and SEND, said partners and families looked forward to Ms Riddell-Carpenter pushing the Government to deliver national reform.

He said: “We welcome the fact that this report calls for a national conversation about the scale and nature of SEND provision across the country.

“It urges Government to no longer dodge difficult questions over the rapid increase in both demand and need.

"As an example, Suffolk’s SEND budget has doubled in five years, now exceeding £100 million annually. Growth at such a scale cannot be absorbed into council finances indefinitely."

What's next?

In her report's recommendations, Ms Riddell-Carpenter focused on what should be done both locally and nationally.

She renewed calls to convert the former SET Saxmundham Free School, in Seaman Avenue, into a new special school after it closed in August last year due to dwindling pupil numbers.

The council said the site was already earmarked for a SEND school and was waiting for a project restart date from the Department for Education, after it was delayed for a review of all special free school projects.

In April, the county council approved a £18.6 million package last month to deliver an extra 200 specialist SEND places over the next two years, half of which could open as early as this year, ahead of the September intake.

The county council welcomed a further recommendation for clearer communication and planning.

Other nationally-focused suggestions within the report include sustainable Government funding commitments for SEND services, a national review into the scale of the crisis and working with primary schools in rural locations where capacity will increase as a result of declining populations.