Ofsted said children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) face ‘inconsistent outcomes’ in the borough, reports Sebastian Mann, Local Democracy Reporter

Parents and SEND children protest outside Waltham Forest Town Hall in February, Credit: LDRS

Special needs children in Waltham Forest are out of school due to delays and face long wait times for help, a report shows.

Children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) face “inconsistent outcomes,” according to Ofsted and the Care Quality Commission (CQC).

Waltham Forest Council, which oversees education in the borough, has vowed to improve following publication of the report this week.

The council and NHS North East London, who work together in partnership, were inspected by Ofsted in mid-February.

Inspectors found a string of issues with education, health and care (EHC) plans, which are legal documents outlining the needs of a child or young person, up to the age of 25, and any extra support they require.

EHC plans are produced “too late” for certain children, with some even receiving them after they have been permanently excluded from school or when they stopped attending due to mental health challenges.

“This means some children and young people are not accessing the right support across education, health and social care,” the report states.

They are also not consistently updated, despite significant changes or when a child moves to a different key stage. As a result, they “do not routinely reflect need or the circumstances of the child or young person”.

Additionally, the annual reviews of EHC plans “lack rigour and are not robust”. There is currently no multi-agency approach to moderate them, but this has been identified as a “priority”.

In other instances, children had to wait six months or more for a wheelchair, while others received equipment that was faulty or unsuitable for their needs.

“These issues impact on all aspects of children’s and young people’s daily lives and limit their opportunities and outcomes,” the inspectors wrote.

Claire Bithell, a local parent and member of Waltham Forest SEND Crisis, said the council’s “many failures” had made “our children’s lives harder now and will harm their futures”.

She told the Local Democracy Reporting Service: “The headline of the report is that staff turnover and changing leadership has caused a negative impact on the experiences of children and young people with SEND and their families.

“This strikes a chord with the families in our campaign group – and we are pleased that Ofsted/CQC has recognised the risk these failures pose to our children.”

Councillor Kizzy Gardiner, the cabinet member for children and young people, said: “We are on an improvement journey – we take these recommendations fully on board and are determined to implement them effectively.

“We will create and consult on an area improvement plan addressing, amongst other things, the quality of EHC plans, transition to adulthood pathways, and improving communication across the SEND system.”

Waltham Forest SEND Crisis was formed in February 2018 to protest against what it called serious problems with support for SEND children in the borough. It is made up of around 400 parents and carers.

The group held a protest outside the town hall in February, telling councillors their children – who “simply deserve an education” – had “slipped through the cracks” for years.

Despite the acknowledgements in the Ofsted report, Waltham Forest SEND Crisis feels “not all of our views” were represented – and it had been “much too forgiving” of the council in some areas.

Claire said the group “expected these promises to be kept,” but said “they appear to have been a spur of the moment reaction” to the inspection.

The report was not entirely critical of the partnership, with inspectors saying it was effective at identifying needs early.

Many children and young people also attend inclusive schools, where “appropriate arrangements are put in place to enable them to achieve well academically”.

Additionally, the transitions to adulthood services were “positive” and there are “clear processes” to ensure young people live in quality-assured residential educational and care placements.

Cllr Gardiner continued: “We are pleased that the Ofsted report was positive about how we work with young people and families to co-produce the changes they want to see, such as involving young advisors in developing our mental health support services and in recruiting staff.

“We were also pleased that the inspection team highlighted the shared ambition of the Local Area SEND Partnership to improve services for SEND children.”

The council is currently consulting on its SEND strategy for 2025 through 2028, which outlines how children and young people will receive the right support. The consultation closes on Wednesday, 14th May.

Zina Etheridge, chief executive of NHS North East London, said she was “pleased to be working with the council to help implement the priorities outlined in the improvement programme”.

She said the report “shows the strength and effectiveness of our partnership” and “recognises the proactive steps we are taking together to continue improving services”.

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