The Department for Education has acknowledged progress in Suffolk’s services for children and young people with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND), while setting out clear expectations for further improvement. The recognition comes following a stocktake visit assessing governance, quality assurance, leadership, timeliness, and multi-agency working.
Suffolk’s SEND services are delivered through a partnership between Suffolk County Council, the NHS Suffolk and North East Essex Integrated Care Board, NHS Norfolk and Waveney ICB, the Suffolk Parent Carer Forum, and local education providers. The DfE highlighted a shared commitment across these organisations to improving outcomes for children and young people with SEND.
The department’s letter, addressed to Sarah-Jane Smedmor, Executive Director of Children & Young People’s Services at Suffolk County Council, and Dr Ed Garratt OBE, Chief Executive of the Suffolk and North East Essex Integrated Care Board, noted progress in clearing the backlog of Education, Health and Care Plans (EHCPs). It also reported that plans are now being delivered above the national average for timeliness, though further work is needed to ensure they reflect families’ views and provide timely, appropriate support.
Despite these improvements, the DfE cautioned that many families have yet to feel the benefits, with ongoing frustration around statutory processes and communication. Some planned initiatives, including preparation for adulthood, are still in early stages. Concerns remain regarding waiting times and assessments for neurodevelopmental needs.
Sarah-Jane Smedmor said: “We welcome the Department for Education’s recognition of the progress made across Suffolk, while being clear that we must go further and faster to ensure families genuinely feel the difference. Scrutiny from the Department for Education is extremely important as it holds a mirror to every area of reform, offering expertise and sharing best practice from across the country. We know that progress is being made and we are heading in the right direction, but it is doubly reassuring that colleagues at the DfE agree. Our priority now is translating those improvements into real, measurable impact for all children and young people with SEND and their families.”
Dr Ed Garratt OBE added: “Improving outcomes for children and young people with SEND depends on strong, joined-up working across education, health and care. The progress highlighted in the stocktake reflects the benefits of closer integration, shared leadership and clearer accountability across the system. We are committed to continuing this work, particularly in strengthening mental health and neurodevelopmental pathways and ensuring that children, young people and families receive the right support at the right time.”
Sue Willgoss, chair of trustees for the Suffolk Parent Carer Forum, said: “Some parents and carers appreciate that there has been progress in some areas, but many families are still not experiencing the consistent, high-quality support they need. It is vital that improvements in process are driven by genuine co-production, matched by quality and better lived experiences for families. Once meaningful change is established, it needs to be embedded so the same old problems don’t appear again.”
The DfE has set out next steps for Suffolk’s SEND partnership. These include producing a Local Area Inclusion Plan by 29 January 2026 to replace the Priority Action Plan, delivering a strategy for preparing for adulthood and transitions, clearing the EHCP backlog and maintaining national average timeliness, completing a SEND sufficiency strategy by December 2025, and strengthening communication, co-production, and use of lived experience. The next review of SEND services by the DfE is scheduled for the end of the spring term.
