Statement on the increase in demand for children with SEND

07 September 2023

Please see our statement below on an increase in demand for children and young people with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities:  

We are continuing to see a rise in the number of children and young people with special educational needs and/or disabilities who need support and we know how extremely challenging this situation is and the daily impact it is having on families in West Northants – this is a priority for us.

There is still much to do to deliver better outcomes for our young people, however we are working hard with parents, carers and partners to create real solutions for this, with the involvement of over 800 people, including families, helping to co-produce a new three-year strategy for improving these services.

Thanks to their ongoing support, involvement and understanding, we have been able to implement solutions in the last year that are steps in the right direction, that will enable us to not only increase SEND places across our area but also address the growing demand for EHCP plans and support. An example of this is the significant investment into educational psychologists from this September to support with completing overdue assessments.

We are aware of the planned protest from a small group of parents taking place today and would encourage them to join the many other SEND families who are working together with us and our partners on tackling these challenges.