Missed SEN assessment target sees resignation call

Fewer than one in 10 assessments for children with special educational needs (SEN) in Warwickshire, are being completed within the government's mandatory 20-week time frame, according to data from Warwickshire County Council.

A report presented to the council's cabinet stated that when the latest set of figures were compiled at the end of June, just 9.2% of education, health and care (EHC) plans were completed within the required period.

The average wait in the county was said to be 28 weeks.

The highlighted delays have seen some councillors call for the resignation of the authority's leader George Finch, who described the figures as "shocking", pledging to look into the issue personally.

An EHC plan is a legal agreement that identifies the educational, health and social needs a child or young person has and the additional support that a school and local authority needs to put in place, to enable the child's schooling.

Data provided by the council suggested that three years ago, the national average for achieving the 20-week target was 50%, with Warwickshire at that time only able to meet it in 37% of cases.

But the figures also suggest that since then, the national average has hit 46% while Warwickshire has seen a drop to 9.7% figure.

The report to cabinet contained a summary from the council's director for children and young people John Coleman which called the situation "unacceptable".

He cited as the reason for delays "increasing demand, national policy changes and capacity pressures".

The report has led to calls from Liberal Democrats at Warwickshire County Council for Finch and the portfolio holder for children & families, education and SEN Wayne Briggs to stand down.

Opposition leader Sarah Boad asked of the pair of Reform UK councillors at a meeting: "When are you two going to take some responsibility instead of blaming everyone else?"

Finch admitted the figures were "shocking" and that he and Briggs would "look at this personally".

However, the meeting descended into an exchange of insults when Boad applauded Finch, before he then suggested she had "gone mad".

"A recovery plan will be completed and shared with the corporate board and (councillors)," Finch said.

"The priority for the next quarter is to improve this performance, reduce backlogs and continue targeted work to improve timeliness."

This news was gathered by the Local Democracy Reporting Service, which covers councils and other public service organisations.

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