"This is just not good enough": say families of SEND children after Ofsted calls for 'urgent' changes at SEND provision

An Ofsted report published on November 14 shows that the Derbyshire County Council SEND provision failed children with special educational needs and their families across the county.

The report, based on an inspection carried out in September, states that ‘ widespread and systemic failings’ have led to ‘significant concerns’ and must be ‘addressed urgently’.

One of the children affected by the SEND department's failings, is Phoenix Ray, 5 from Chesterfield who has cerebral palsy, bilateral hearing loss, hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy (HIE) and relies on a peg-j feeding tube.

Despite relying on a wheelchair, a standing frame, a walking frame and a specialist bed, Phoenix was offered a place in a mainstream school where his equipment did not fit in the classroom.

Nikki Hewer, 43, Phoenix’s aunt who has been helping with his special needs paperwork, said: "After our story was covered by the Derbyshire Times the council has given us a new case worker, who was much better and responding to our emails.

"They have now said Phoenox will have a space at special needs in September 2025 and we are very happy about it. However if the council had not failed him, he would have been in school now. Instead, he will have missed two years of education by next September.

"I think we all knew this kind of report was coming after hearing about all the children struggling with getting school places and support they needed. We are happy that Ofsted inspectors listened to the families. We hope that now moving forward, the council can make those changes because they need to happen. The report shows how long this has been going on and how many children and families are affected."

Kayley Chadwick, a mum of four from Staveley, was less optimistic about the potential impact of the Ofsted report.

Her daughter Heidi, 13, who has autism, severe sensory issues and social anxiety, was promised a place at a special needs school in September 2024, but just before the school holidays, she was contacted by the council and told that a space won’t be available for her until at least February 2025.

Commenting on the report, Kayley said: “This is just not good enough. Why has it taken the Ofsted report for the local authority to apologise and want to make changes? How and when will these changes come into force? What happens to all the vulnerable children who they are failing while they make these changes happen?

"It could be months and SEND children more than any other children need stability, routine and a sense of worth. It’s just not fair. It’s also adding a lot of pressure on parents. Every child deserves a right to education and children should not have to wait or miss out on learning or social interactions with peers.”

Another child affected is Mason Davis, 11, who has autism, severe anxiety and severe sensory issues. He relies on one-to-one support in his current primary school in Brimington, but he was denied a place in a secondary school for children with special needs.

Elizabeth Davies, Mason’s mum, said: “I don’t think there will be much change after the report. There are several other parents in similar situations that I am in contact with, and they said they want the service to change but they don’t think it is going to. I agree with them.

"You have to keep pushing and pushing and pushing but no one seems to be getting anywhere. I am getting passed from pillar to post between different people at the council. It’s just waiting and nothing changes or gets done. There’s only so much waiting you can do and it’s quite stressful and has affected my health. My GP said that the stress caused by all of this is what’s causing my hair to fall out and made my anxiety worse.”

Kelly Green, from Tibshelf, has been fighting to get her son Dylan back into education after the council said he should attend a mainstream school – in spite of the school stating they would not be able to meet his needs or keep him safe.

Dylan who has ADHD and no road sense or stranger danger, was forced to stay at home for a year before being able to get back to school.

Kelly said: “The report is not surprising at all. But I think nothing will change after the report. They're not bothered about the SEND children, their education or about the parents and the the effects this has on them and their work.

"My son was not able to go to school in September 2023 as he was supposed to because he was failed by the local authority. He was not able to get home tuition until March 2024 even though it was agreed in October with the council that he should receive it.

"It took me going to tribunal to finally get them to say my son will have a place at the special needs school. He was all excited about it just to hear he can’t start on the first day of the term, because the local authority did not sort out the transport for him. They also did not send the updated EHCP to the school so they did not even know Dylan’s needs when he was supposed to start school.

"I had to threaten the council to leave my son in the council building and go to tribunal to get him the education he deserves.

“I can’t see the Ofsted report changing much. My advice to all the parents in the same situation is this – the fight is hard, the fight is long, but you will succeed. You just have to fight.”

Apologising for the disastrous report, the council director for children’s services, Alison Noble, said “We know we need to do better”.

She added: “We fully accept the findings of the report and apologise to the children and families who have been affected by Derbyshire Local Area Partnership SEND services not responding in a timely way and being of the quality they should expect.

“We know we need to do better and we continue to work hard with our health, education, private, public and voluntary sector partners to offer a service these children deserve. It is our joint responsibility and we take it extremely seriously.”