11% increase in number of education, health and care plans for SEND children in Hertfordshire
The number of education, health and care plans (EHCPs) created for children in Hertfordshire with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) in the 12 months to September rose 11% increase.
A meeting of Hertfordshire County Council’s education, libraries and lifelong learning committee was presented with a report of the council’s “SEND Inclusion Performance Quarter 2”. Q2 relates to the three-month period July to September.
The report summarised the data surrounding ECHPs – one of the biggest causes of complaint by parents of SEND children, with reports of backlogs throughout the country.
It said: “Requests for assessment continue to fluctuate monthly… although the overall trend is an upward trajectory.”
Three-quarters (75%) of requests for EHCPs for children have been agreed to proceed to assessment in 2024 compared with two-thirds (67%) in 2023.
According to the report, 1,699 new plans were finalised in the year to June, up 54% on the same point in 2023.
It said: “The overall increases in assessment activity is creating capacity pressure for both professional advice givers across health, social care and education as well as the statutory assessment service.”
It said 56% of EHCPs completed were issued within 20 weeks (to the end of September), which is higher than the latest national figure of 50%, in line with “statistical neighbours” (56%) and on course to meet the council’s 60% improvement plan milestone for 2024. “This is not a ‘ceiling’ target: it represents an incremental milestone based on performance in 2022-23.”
Councillors were told that audits completed in the second quarter showed “continuing signs of quality improvement of new EHCPs, with 36% audited judged as good or outstanding: performance has improved each quarter over the last year, in line with the investment through Making SEND Everyone’s Business”.
There has been a 4.5% rise in the number of appeals lodged over EHCP decisions in the 2023-24 academic year. Of the 610 appeals, 375 related to the contents of the EHCP and 235 to statutory processes.
The number of ‘refusal to assess’ appeals lodged in the second half of 2023-24 was 70% lower than in the first half.
In 2023-24, 6.3% of requests for EHCP needs assessment led to an appeal for a ‘refusal to assess’ compared to 5.8% in 2022-23.
The report said: “Nationally, the numbers of appeals lodged overall have increased significantly since the SEND reforms (400% since 2015): Hertfordshire has a higher appeal rate (4.5% in 2023) compared to the statistical neighbour (3.1%) and national (2.5%) positions. The majority of appeals relate to placement.
“The majority of appeals lodged continue to be resolved without the need to proceed to hearings.”
