One of the country’s largest councils has been accused of “passing the buck” after asking school SENCOs if they will volunteer to clear a bulging backlog of special needs (SEND) support reviews.
In an email to schools seen by Schools Week, Kent County Council said it was an “exciting” and “behind the scenes” opportunity for special educational needs co-ordinators.
The council asked for staff who could commit up to one day a week for 12 weeks to clear its logjam of “several thousands” of annual reviews of education, health and care plans (EHCPs).
In a damning inspection last year that found “significant weaknesses” in Kent’s SEND provision, Ofsted and the Care Quality Commission said that only half of annual review meetings happened on time.
