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21
Jul
'Something needs to change': Harrogate mother criticises SEND assessment delays
A Harrogate mother has criticised the special education needs system in North Yorkshire which she says has left her “at her wits end”.
Sarah Williams, whose son Alfie is autistic, said she has been left waiting six months for North Yorkshire Council to amend a plan which would better reflect the nine-year-old's needs.
Mrs Williams said she has been left exhausted trying to resolve the matter and said something “desperately needs to change”.
North Yorkshire Council said it takes seriously its duties to accurately assess the needs of children.
Mrs Williams comments come at a time when the council has seen increased demand over SEND assessments, which the Stray Ferret has reported on extensively.
The extent of the crisis is such that Richard Flinton, chief executive of the council, told the Stray Ferret last year that he felt the system was “broken”.
However, Mrs Williams situation shows a human side to the ongoing crisis in SEND.
EHCP delays
Alfie, who is currently in primary school, has been diagnosed with level two autism, ADHD, sensory processing disorder, auditory processing disorder and ticks and verbal stims.
As a result, Mrs Williams applied to the council for an Education Health and Care Plan — the legal documents that set out the tailored support a child needs in school — ahead of him starting secondary school.
In December 2024, she took the council to mediation over the provision of an EHCP after the authority said it was unnecessary and that her son was supported enough.
However, when the day of the meeting came, the council reversed its decision. Mrs Williams said:
The local authority came onto the screen, after lots of planning and preparation from my family and also paying a professional to support us through this process, the local authority didn't want to speak to us. She just said they had made a mistake and Alfie can now have an EHCP.
A draft copy of the document was drawn up in January 2025. However, Mrs Williams’ father died on Christmas Eve and she asked for a grace period as she was travelling to and from Oxfordshire to organise the funeral.
But, Mrs Williams said the council issued the EHCP anyway — which she described as “very poor”.
She said:
The current EHCP Alfie has been issued is very poor. It does not reflect my son at all and does not highlight any of his needs or struggles.
We are planning for Alfie to attend a special school for secondary school as myself and his teachers believe Alfie will not succeed in mainstream secondary school and with the EHCP Alfie has been given this will not happen. He needs far more support.
Mrs Williams called and emailed the council to explain that the plan needed to be changed.
No closer to change
After the authority agreed to a review meeting with the school, she and Alife’s headteacher sat down to draw up a revised EHCP for the nine-year-old.
Since then, six months have passed and Mrs Williams said she is no closer to getting the plan changed.
She said after speaking with a case worker following numerous phone calls and emails to the local authority, she was told that another review meeting would have to be arranged with the school as so much time has past.
Despite having a meeting with the school recently, she said the EHCP is no closer to being amended.
Mrs Williams, whose family is involved in the armed forces and moves around a lot, said the whole process has left her at her “wits end and exhausted”.
She added that something “desperately needs to change” in the system for the sake of children.
She said:
There just isn't anywhere for children like my son to go. He is too much for mainstream school as he finds the classrooms and noises etc overwhelming at times, but he isn't enough to go to a special school.
I praise all mainstream teachers for being put in a position where they have to cope with disability and SEN children whilst teaching atypical children when actually these teachers are not specially trained in the areas which they face. The teachers will have training provided which covers SEN needs but realistically it must be a challenge having to cope everyday with neurodiverse children along with a classroom full of atypical children.
These neurodiverse children deserve and have the right to be in a setting with specially trained teachers which can care for them and give them the attention they need to be able to learn at a pace which is right for them. Something so desperately needs to change for our children's sake.
The Stray Ferret put Mrs Williams concerns to North Yorkshire Council for a response.
Amanda Fielding, assistant director for inclusion at the council, said:
While we do not comment publicly on individual cases, we take seriously our duties to accurately assess the needs of children and ensure their Education, Health and Care Plans (EHCPs) are informed by those professional assessments.
Demand continues to rise in North Yorkshire with more EHCPs being issued in 2024 than in 2023. In addition, we have increased the number of directly employed qualified education psychologists, which is ensuring the quality of advice is improving alongside the timeframes, with more plans being completed within the 20-week period.
She added:
Work is continuing across the local area special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) partnership with mainstream schools being supported to meet children’s needs, as well as increasing the number of places available in specialist settings.
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