Delays to special needs help 'acute concern' - Ofsted

Delays to enactment for children with peculiar acquisition needs successful England are an "acute concern", Ofsted's main inspector has told the BBC.

Half of section authorities inspected successful the past schoolhouse twelvemonth had "significant weaknesses" successful their peculiar needs provision, the regulator said.

Ofsted's yearly study besides says children's acquisition post-pandemic is being held backmost by unit shortages.

The Department for Education said it volition acceptable retired betterment plans successful 2023.

Ofsted's yearly report, which is owed retired later, looks backmost astatine inspections carried retired implicit the erstwhile world twelvemonth crossed children's societal attraction and acquisition providers.

More than fractional of the section authorities inspected by the regulator were required to nutrient a written connection of enactment implicit "significant weaknesses" successful their peculiar needs provision.

Nearly 1.5 cardinal schoolhouse pupils are presently identified arsenic having peculiar acquisition needs oregon disabilities successful England, an summation of astir 77,000 since past year.

Of these, astir 355,000 children person an education, wellness and attraction (EHC) plan. These plans are legally binding documents to marque definite children with the astir analyzable needs get the enactment they're entitled to.

It should instrumentality section authorities a maximum of 20 weeks to determine whether to contented an EHC program erstwhile a schoolhouse oregon genitor has applied.

But Ofsted says lone 60% of each EHC plans are being issued wrong that 20-week limit. Twenty section authorities are peculiarly slow, with conscionable 1 3rd of plans were being issued successful that time.

Ofsted main inspector Amanda Spielman told the BBC these delays were her "most acute concern".

"Childhood is short. A kid who intelligibly has immoderate important problems, the faster they tin beryllium understood, the faster the close enactment tin beryllium successful place, the greater the accidental determination is of minimising the effect that those problems person connected that child's acquisition and their big life," she said.

"A punctual effect is the captious happening for me."

Abi Horsfield's archetypal exertion to get an EHC program for her lad Casey was rejected, contempt Casey having a diagnosis of Autism spectrum upset and Dyslexia. She applied again and was yet successful, but lone aft waiting astir 8 months for the process to complete.

Abi said it was a "really hard and truly affectional process".

"When you get your rejection missive it intelligibly states that you're connected your ain arsenic a genitor now, that adjacent if the schoolhouse person applied initially, you person to instrumentality it guardant arsenic a parent.

"The process needs to beryllium much idiosyncratic friendly... and enactment should beryllium retired determination for each kid that needs it."

Ms Spielman said the peculiar acquisition needs and disabilities (SEND) strategy is struggling to header with accrued request since the pandemic.

"Delays and backlogs person built up. It's hard getting children assessed, it's hard getting them the close specializer services," she told the BBC.

"Families are getting frustrated and immoderate of them are turning to backstage assessment. Schools are sometimes picking up the gaps themselves retired of their ain budgets with things similar code therapy. It's a strategy that's leaving a batch of radical unsatisfied astatine the moment."

Ofsted is changing the mode it inspects peculiar needs proviso for section areas jointly with the Care Quality Commission from January adjacent year. Ms Spielman said it volition absorption much sharply connected the experiences of children and young radical "to marque definite we truly crystallise who is liable wherever improvements request to beryllium made - truthful determination is nary uncertainty coming retired of these inspections who needs to bash what".

Education Secretary Gillian Keegan has said the authorities volition people updated plans to amended the SEND strategy aboriginal adjacent year.

The Department for Education said it's investing £400m successful high-needs budgets adjacent year.

A spokesperson added: "We are providing implicit £30m to bid 600 caller acquisition psychologists, who assistance make education, wellness and attraction plans, and backing up to 5,000 caller aboriginal years peculiar acquisition needs co-ordinators."