On Thursday 9 October 2025 PACC attended a SEND round table event organised by Julie Buckley MP. The purpose of the event was to;
“To enable a discussion around what is and not working for SEND families and gather feedback from families and stakeholders to shape the Government White Paper which plans to introduce SEND reforms this Autumn.”
Julia Buckley opened the event by highlighting that the current Government had inherited a broken system, and they were committed to change and improvement, in particular making sure that support is provider earlier. She stressed that her briefing was clear that SEND legal duties will not be reduced. A report on the event and feedback given will be produced and sent to Bridget Phillipson, The Secretary of State for Education. A copy of the report will be shared with all those who attended the event.
The roundtable was attended by officers from Shropshire Council and the local Health system, Councillor Andy Hall (Portfolio Holder for Children and Education) and Councillor Ruth Haughton (Portfolio Holder for Social Care) were also present. Approximately 25 Parent Carers and education practitioners from a range of schools joined the event. You can read the agenda for the event here
David Shaw (Director of Children’s Services) outlined the work happening locally to improve the SEND system, including the SEND and Alternative Provision Change Programme activity. He talked about the significant increase in demand for EHCPs and the complexity of the SEND system, acknowledging how difficult it has been for many families and that things needed to improve. The new SEND strategy and Outcomes Framework were highlighted as positive steps in the right direction, allowing work to be done across all services, challenging how things had been done in the past. Other officers shared information about the work to increase the number of SEND Hubs in Shropshire, the increased staffing in the EHCP Team, and the success of the Early Language Support for Every Child (ELSEC) programme.
After senior mangers had provided updates, Julia Buckley asked for comments from the Parent Carers and school representatives present. The discussion included;
- The need for improved communication with SEND families, particularly about the progress of EHCP requests – can there be live updates?
- The lack of capacity in the system and the need for increased funding, particularly for rural areas like Shropshire.
- The conflict between Govt targets for attainment levels and delivering an inclusive environment where every child is valued for what they can achieve
- The need for EHCP’s annual reviews to have improved input from all practitioners supporting a young person
- Accountability in education, ensuring that needs are identified early and the right support is provided
- The development of SEND hubs linked to mainstream settings to allow children and young people to be educated in their local community – this doesn’t work for everyone
- Responding to the anxiety and trauma that the system has caused for some children and young people and Parent Carers
- Changing the measure of success in schools and colleges, giving greater choice and flexibility so that a strengths-based approach can be implemented
- The need to improve the willingness to work in partnership with Parent Carers and not blame them.
PACC also had an opportunity to share information about our work and support offer and to outline the key themes we hear in feedback from Shropshire SEND families about what isn’t working well in the SEND system. The feedback shared by PACC can be read here