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(UK) Suffolk: "Widespread systemic failings" in special ed

Feb 15, 2024, East Anglian Daily Times: Education chief's pledge to SEND children in Suffolk  https://www.eadt.co.uk/news/24120910.education-chiefs-pledge-send-children-suffolk/

E. England


The new head of education is pledging to tackle problems faced by special educational needs children in Suffolk following a damning Ofsted report, promising parents: "We can't fail."


Cllr Andrew Reid took over as cabinet member for SEND and education last week after several resignations which followed Ofsted’s damning report into the council’s provision of services for children with special needs.


The report, the third of its kind since 2016, found children with SEND in Suffolk needed urgent help and revealed widespread systemic failings within the service.


One week into the new job, Cllr Reid has spoken about the scale of the problem and what the future might look like.


He said: “The pace is strong because I want to find out exactly what’s been going on as soon as possible so that we can formulate some solid plans to take us forward — clearly there’s a lot to do. I’m not daunted by this, nothing is insurmountable. It just needs a little bit of time and resolve.” . . .


Currently, many families across the county are having to wait weeks and even months over the 20-week statutory timescale for completing new EHC needs assessments.


Cllr Reid added: “It’s important we get this right, and one of my focuses is to make sure we have the right level of resources to improve. The real test for us is the degree to which children and their families are feeling content and settled so their personal experience is very important.” . . .



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