Shropshire Council admits 'work to do' on SEND support after parents' protest but claims 'tremendous progress'
Shropshire Council has admitted there is "work to do" to improve support for children with special needs and disabilities after parents staged a protest outside its headquarters.
Families from across the county gathered outside the council’s Guildhall offices in Shrewsbury on Monday, placing children's shoes on the ground to express their frustration at failings by the education system and their local authority.
Responding to the demonstration, the council has acknowledged that the national SEND system is "chronically under-funded and in dire need of reform", citing the National Audit Office findings that the system "is in crisis".
It added that while local authorities are awaiting national policy changes, current challenges are "impacting families and children, causing delays and lost opportunities," highlighting the "urgency for early intervention."
However, Shropshire Council said it was "proud of the significant strides" it has made in improving its SEND provision, describing "tremendous progress".
The cash-strapped authority said it has increased SEND top-up funding for mainstream schools, improved staff training, and created new roles to support children.
A Shropshire Council spokesperson said: "Despite these improvements we fully acknowledge that there is still much work to be done to secure the very best outcomes for Shropshire children and young people.
"We continue to lobby government to recognise the unique challenge of Shropshire and the need to ensure increased funding to meet the rising demand for services.
"We are committed to further strengthening our communications with parents and ensuring clarity and certainty in decision-making.We are also amplifying the voices of children, young people, and families through our new outcomes framework.
"We continue to recognize the need for timeliness in our processes, and our staff are dedicated to improving our systems to better support children with EHCPs and provide additional specialist support to schools.
"We hear the voice of angry parent carers and share in their frustration. We are determined to make the urgent changes necessary for the benefit for all."
Shropshire Council said it has increased SEND top-up funding to mainstream schools by 65 per cent in the past year and has focused on enhancing staff training to support the development of more inclusive schools.
The council added that it has seen a "notable increase" in Education, Health and Care Plans (EHCPs), rising from 2,500 in May 2024 to 3,188 in October this year.
As part of the Department for Education's SEND and Alternative Provision Change Programme, the council said Shropshire is "at the forefront of national improvements" and is further developing its Local Inclusion Support Offer.
This includes new initiatives including enhanced continuing professional development for SEND and inclusion, an Alternative Provision Specialist Taskforce, specialist outreach services, and an Assistive Technology Lending Library.
To manage growing demand, the council said it has restructured teams and created new posts - including education quality advisors, early years transition officers, and outreach workers to support pupils with social, emotional and mental health needs.
The council said its new approach focuses on early intervention, better support for schools, and improving the timeliness of EHCP processes. It also pointed to a reduction in parental complaints, improved Ofsted outcomes, and a drop in permanent exclusions - with Shropshire now ranked third lowest in the West Midlands.
"Pupils are being well-supported in increasingly inclusive schools," the council added. "Shropshire is increasingly being used as a model of good practice by the Department for Education.
"We continue to build capacity and infrastructure to meet the needs of children and young people, including the creation of 13 new specialist provisions and plans to ensure easier access to special school places.
"Additional capital investment includes sensory rooms and other resources, which are providing valuable support to Shropshire pupils in their local schools."
