Young people with SEND are being forgotten, but not by us.

An Ofsted report assessing the provision of services to children with special educational needs and disabilities across Suffolk, identified “widespread and/or systemic failings” in standards of care for young people in 2023. It called for a priority action plan and re-inspection within 18 months. Now, with the second investigation complete, the education watchdog is looking to see if these demands for change have been taken seriously.

The 2023 report identified two key areas that required priority action:

• Urgent action needed to be taken to improve the “timeliness and quality” of Educational Health and Care plans. 
• Drive to improve collaboration and strategic planning across the Suffolk Local Area Partnership.

The new assessment has found that ‘effective’ action has been taken to address the former, but not the latter.

Suffolk Council has stated that: “In March 2026, 80% of EHCPs were issued within the statutory 20-week timeframe — a substantial rise from just 5% a year earlier”. Since December, improvements have sped up as the department managed to clear the waiting list. When it comes to strategic planning and cross-board coordination, there has been a lack of improvement. This is a common problem amongst many integrated care boards; a lack of integration.

SEND children are dependent on a system that often struggles to work together in order to support them.

Parents, schools, doctors and others involved in the care of SEND children are constantly filling out forms, letters, referrals and sending them across the county every day of the week. But if that system is “fractured”, forms get lost, letters get misplaced and referrals are put on the backburner. Ofsted has identified an effort to reorganise the process but it adds that progress is still not up to the level expected. 

“The experiences of some children and young people with SEND, and their families, remain poor.”

When asked how the council has measured the success of their changes in the last three years, Sarah-Jane Smedmor, Executive Director for Children and Young People’s Services at Suffolk County Council, said that from people newer to the service “we’re getting really good feedback from many families”. This was, however, met with the caveat that patients that have been trying for a long time to get help, are more cautious about the effectiveness of these changes. 

“We fully acknowledge that there is more to do.” 

Heidi Rzysko, a mum of three neurodiverse children, the youngest diagnosed with BCL11B, a rare genetic condition that affects development and the immune system, is a strong advocate for SEND families. “I don't feel like you’re treated as humans, I feel like you're treated as a problem to try and get rid of,” she said, discussing how families can feel neglected when their children are struggling.

“50% of the time is spent arguing with the local authority, trying to get things in place.” There is a feeling that care systems resist listening to what families ask for, because of lack of funding, practitioners and spaces for young people. It is vital now that Suffolk council makes a real effort to demonstrate change and communicates with families to assure them that they care for the outcomes of these children. 

“We need SEND reform.” 

Since 2023, the council has received over £9 million of capital funding from the Department for Education for investment into the creation of more specialist places in local schools. Investment has also been made into creating new vacancies within the system – more staff to spread the workload and reduce waiting times. Further, the creation of a SEND improvement board with an independent chair and a 20 week ‘transformation’ sprint was launched in June 2025 as a push to tackle waiting lists.

Unfortunately, a lot of these changes feel like a drop in the ocean to those who have struggled to stay afloat for a long time. 

A spokesperson for SEND services in Suffolk County Council said “What we know is the system still doesn't work for children, the national system”. Despite clear efforts, they feel that they need to “rebaseline” in order to make real change for young people. 

There is an obvious divide in the experiences of families vying for help; newer families seem to face changes with optimism, while those who have spent years navigating schools, clinics and social care often have a more cynical standpoint on reports like this.

“In many ways, accessing support feels like a full-time job for parents. Families are often expected to become experts in education law, healthcare systems and SEND processes simply to secure the basics for their children”. Ellen Widdup, a parent to three neurodivergent children with very different experiences of education and support in Suffolk, has been dealing with the service for over 15 years. 

“The biggest issue, in my view, is not necessarily a lack of care from individuals, but that the system itself is overwhelmed and struggling to meet the scale of need.”

“I’ve met dedicated teachers, SEND staff and professionals who clearly want better outcomes for children.”

Since 2016, the number of pupils with EHCPs in British schools has risen by over 80% and the traditional system is not equipped to deal with it. National reorganisation may be what is needed for care across the UK to see real improvement. Sufficient funding, meaningful conversations with families and training given to those on the frontline could deliver real change. But at the moment, most families feel that is not happening, so how will they cope in the meantime?

When services fail to come through for a young person, a multitude of things can happen. One of the worst scenarios is when a child reaches crisis point; their mental and physical health, or their education, is at immediate risk because they are no longer able to cope.

“There's also a huge sense of helplessness and guilt. You know your child needs support, but you can’t force systems to move faster” says Widdup. Parents are left feeling hopeless with children too emotionally exhausted to attend school, get education and create vital social connections, often leading to sped up deterioration of mental health and falling behind in school grades that are already lower on average than other pupils.

In the 2023 report, Ofsted identified the fact that “when the right help is put in place, it is often only at the point of crisis.”

“Rather than pre-empting issues, the local area partnership ends up firefighting.” Why should parents have to see children at their worst before their calls for help are answered?

“The system rewards crisis instead of preventing it.”

“We rely on these groups of people that we don't know to come around the table and decide what goes through… and there's no advocate for the child… you have no idea what's being said,” said Heidi. Parents are left out of key decisions; EHCPs can be approved without their satisfaction, the “right to choose” assessment providers is not given and crucial funding can be denied, all without a parent having their say. This leaves vulnerable children being left without an advocate, while people who do not know them make decisions about their lives.

“You start feeling like it’s personal.”

Because of a lack of effective communication between parents and local authorities, “you’re left, not ever getting a reply.” Parents feel they are ignored, when they are just trying to get help for their children, further creating a sense of mistrust in the system.

When it comes down to it, all families want is to know their children are cared for, not just another number, another statistic to tackle. These children are not problems, they are the future of this country, no less valuable than their peers.

Why are their education, social interactions and mental health less important? Suggesting that parents just homeschool is not a solution, it is sweeping young lives under the rug. SEND children are just as important to our society as any others, they are still aspirational, creative and intelligent young people that may one day make great change.

If this Ofsted report shows anything, it is that the people in charge need to take change seriously, before more children face crisis.

Widdup, at the end of our conversation said something that I feel sums up exactly why we need drastic change in the treatment of SEND children across Suffolk: “I hope children with SEND are seen not as problems to manage, but as individuals with enormous potential who deserve the same opportunities, dignity, and chances in life as everyone else,”