Missing from school: Yorkshire's SEND crisis

We're investigating the crisis in special educational needs across Yorkshire, with families telling us they’re at breaking point.

In our documentary we hear from parents across the region, some who’ve lost their jobs due to their children being out of school, and one whose son spent 14 months with no access to education at all.

We hear from a support service which raises concerns about the increasing use of ‘exposure therapy’ in some areas, and we uncover some of the shocking statistics showing just how much strain the system is under.

We also hear from the Education Secretary who explains how the government is tackling the issue.

In response to some of the issues raised in the documentary, some local councils sent us statements.

A Leeds City Council spokesperson said: “Like many councils across the country, Leeds City Council has seen increases in both the number of children with additional needs and the complexity of those needs, which in turn has impacted our ability to keep up with the demand now presented.

“In response, we have invested additional resources to help manage the immediate situation but also recognise that more fundamental change is needed given the scale and complexity of the challenge. Therefore, we are currently reviewing how the EHCP process is undertaken, and we are committed to working with all stakeholders, including children, young people, and their families, to bring improvement to the timeliness for the issuing of EHCPs.”

A spokesperson for Bradford Council said: "There has been a rise in requests for EHC plans across the country and Bradford is no exception, the requests are rising, and we acknowledge waiting times are difficult for families. The Council invested in a team to clear the historical backlog we had in 2019/2020, where waiting times unfortunately were long. Since clearing the backlog in 2020 we have seen large improvements in waiting times. We continue to work hard to minimise waiting times, in a time when requests are increasing.”

North Yorkshire Council’s assistant director of inclusion, Janet Crawford, said: “We know that the vast majority of the 1,600 children and young people with additional needs in North Yorkshire are happy, settled and making progress. But like all local authorities, we have seen a rise in the number of applications for children with Education, Health and Care Plans (EHCP). Despite this increase in demand, our timeliness with completing EHCPs overall showed significant improvements between 2021 and 2022.

“Over the past few months, members of the children and young people’s overview and scrutiny group have been listening to parents and carers in the Scarborough and Whitby area to understand their experiences and build on the ambitions of the North Yorkshire Local Area SEND strategy for 2023 to 2026.

“We recognise there is still work for us all to do together – in schools and other education settings within our council, with partners in health and also in the voluntary and community sector to complement the already significant work taking place across North Yorkshire."

Barnsley Council said it is working with Talkin’ Tarn as well as a number of other groups to develop a parent carer consortium in the town.

At the time of recording, Sheffield Council had not responded to our request for a statement but it did previously tell us: “We want to make sure that every student with special needs in Sheffield receives an education that meets their needs.

“We encourage anyone who has any questions or queries about the SEND provision they or their child are receiving to contact the head teacher and the Special Educational Needs Co-ordinator (SENCO) at the school, or the local authority.

“When special school places are allocated, the local authority provides funding to the school for the school place and provision. Schools are required to ensure that children eligible for free school meals are able to receive them, even if they are not attending the school for a time.”

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