30 Jun 2025
Has the change in administration at County Hall resulted in any major improvements to HCC’s SEND (special educational needs and disabilities) provision, or are the previous problems continuing in the wake of May’s elections?
The extent of the SEND crisis in Herts was identified following an inspection in July 2023 which saw Ofsted and the Care Quality Commission highlight widespread and systematic failures across the county which had “significant negative impact on the experiences and outcomes of children and young people”.
They pointed out the poor communication with families, lengthy delays in preparing education, health and care plans (EHCPs) for children, and the poor quality when these were produced.
A priority action and improvement plan was introduced following the report, which promised extra investment into SEND provision, more school places and a fresh approach to autism and ADHD assessments, but there were little obvious signs of improvement.
Now, with the Liberal Democrats having seized control of the administration in May, hopes have been raised among parents in the SEND community that we will finally see major improvements in the provision.
One of the first high-profile actions is a planned summit aimed at ensuring all stakeholders have an opportunity to be heard and to influence what happens next in terms of shaping the future of services for children and young people with SEND, their families, the schools they attend, and the professionals who support them.
It will also help inform Hertfordshire’s new SEND strategy for 2026–2031, which will be launched later this year.
Cllr Mark Watkin is HCC’s new executive member for education, SEND and inclusion, a revised job title which places responsibility for the provision front and centre of the role.
He said: “This summit will be an important moment in our drive to improve services for children and young people with SEND as well as their parents and carers, and everyone who works in the system.
“It will be an opportunity for people to share their ideas and experiences to inform the development of our new SEND strategy 2026-2031.
“There has been significant work by officers to make sure we are listening to a range of groups and acting on their feedback, but we know there is more to do and that people feel disengaged. I am determined that their voices will be heard in the next phase of our improvement journey.”
The summit will bring together parent and carer representatives, schools, professionals and partners to explore challenges, share learning, and build shared ownership of necessary changes. It will also spotlight national developments in SEND policy and how they affect Hertfordshire, alongside local progress and innovation.
But the years of failings are hard to ignore. One St Albans mother, who has a son with SEND and complex health needs, remains fearful of being publicly identified in case of a backlash from the local authority, but wanted to offer her thoughts on the current situation.
“I am too offended by the entry to the LGC Awards to engage with this. It feels like another gimmick. Entering ‘Making SEND Everyone’s Business Programme’ and ‘SEND Academy’ initiatives for a prize before they have shown any improvement for families was a shameless and misguided use of time, resources and finances by HCC.”
She is referring to how HCC was shortlisted in the Local Government Chronicle Awards 2025 for its workforce transformation programme and induction and training programme back in March, despite the lack of evidence that things were getting better.
She added: “However well-meaning this initiative is, local policy will not trump the national new policies suggested by the Department for Education. In my view they will make attending school harder for autistic, ADHD and children with mental health difficulties.
“Even now families are being fined, prosecuted or reported to social services rather than receiving meaningful, actually supportive interventions when their child has school attendance issues based in emotional issues or neurodivergence.
“I don’t feel optimistic about this as Herts will be subject to national draconian legislation, which I believe will negatively affect SEND children here. The initiatives are attempts to reduce welfare spending in the long run, with a ‘get them in school’ and ‘get them working’ attitude for young people who would need investments and tailored support (which are not available) to be able to do so.
“However, I would like to see HCC develop genuine co-production practices by ensuring parental involvement from the start of a child’s SEND journey, and update their SEND Code of Practice 2015 to include how teachers can better work with parents when developing a child’s support.
“I would also like to see the replacement of harmful anti-parent narratives with recognition of parents’ roles as partners in their child’s education and care.”
St Albans MP Daisy Cooper, who has been battling for improvements to Hertfordshire SEND provision for years, welcomed the announcement from County Hall.
“I was absolutely delighted that one of the first announcements of the new Liberal Democrat administration at Hertfordshire County Council (HCC) was to launch a SEND (Special Educational Needs and Disabilities) summit.
“This is a clear sign that, unlike the previous Conservative administration, Hertfordshire Lib Dems are determined to make improving SEND provision a top priority.
“I recently met with the new leader of HCC, Steve Jarvis, to hear more about their aims for the summit which will take place in September. Many families, schools, teachers and other professionals, have for too long told me that their concerns and solutions have been ignored so I hope the SEND summit will make a clear break with the past.
“Steve has also assured me that he will update all Hertfordshire MPs shortly after the summit about the outcomes and also about the changes that the county wants to see from the government too.
“I’ve always said that SEND families in St Albans have suffered from the worst of both worlds – local SEND services were left to fail by the previous Conservative administration at HCC, whilst the broken national funding formula was never fixed by the last Government. So whilst I look forward to seeing continued improvements in Herts, I also want to see the Government take bold action to improve children’s lives.
“I’m hopeful that this new administration – rather than sitting on their hands like the last one – will be a campaigning force, holding the Labour Government to account for fairer funding for Hertfordshire.”
