The Isle of Wight is set to receive an indicative £14.4million funding allocation to help improve support for children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND), but parents and carers have raised ‘deep concerns’ over whether the Council’s newly approved reform plan can deliver what it promises.
The Government has approved the Isle of Wight Council’s 3-year SEND reform plan, paving the way for measures aimed at improving outcomes for children and young people who require additional support.
As a result, the Island is set to receive an indicative High Needs Stability Grant allocation of £14,460,532, intended to address historic SEND-related funding pressures and support improvements for children and families.
The plan sets out proposals for a more inclusive and preventative approach to SEND provision, with a greater emphasis on identifying needs and providing support at an earlier stage.
Among its key ambitions are improving school attendance, increasing support within mainstream schools, reducing exclusions and ensuring children and families can access help sooner.
However, Isle of Wight SEN Support, a community of volunteer parents, carers and people with lived experience of disability, has questioned whether the necessary staffing and resources are available to deliver the changes.
The group has also raised concerns about the potential impact of reform on children’s existing rights and entitlements.
A spokesperson for Isle of Wight SEN Support has said:
“Isle of Wight SEN Support is deeply concerned about the Isle of Wight Council’s SEND reform plans.
“These concerns are not confined to parents or to the Isle of Wight; schools and professionals are also raising questions, and concerns about the direction of SEND reform are being debated nationally.
“Whilst any additional funding into the SEND system is welcome and desperately needed, it should never come at the cost of disabled children losing their rights, protections or entitlement to support.”
The group has also questioned whether families have been sufficiently involved in developing the proposals, particularly those whose experiences may not be represented through established consultation groups.
The spokesperson continued:
“We are also concerned about claims of co-production with families. Meaningful co-production must reflect a broad and representative range of lived experiences, not simply the voices of those who are easiest to engage or already connected to existing forums.
“It seems that the plan’s ambitions don’t match the workforce and resources available to deliver them and we cannot reform SEND provision by reducing demand on paper when the underlying need remains.
“Children need the right support, from the right specialists, at the right time. Any reform must be judged against whether it improves outcomes and experiences for children and young people – not simply whether it reduces the number of education, health and care plans (EHCPs) or specialist placements being requested.”
Despite these concerns, the Isle of Wight Council has welcomed the Government’s approval, describing it as an important step towards improving the Island’s SEND system.
Beth Dyer, the Council’s Service Director for Education, said the decision demonstrated confidence in the authority’s proposed approach.
Ms Dyer said:
“The (government) assessment recognised many of the strengths within the plan, including our commitment to early support, mainstream inclusion, workforce development and investment in specialist provision.
“Approval of the plan is an important step, but the real focus now is delivery.”
Councillor Andrew Garratt, Liberal Democrat Vice-Chair of the Council’s Children’s Services, Education and Skills Committee, also welcomed the announcement.
He described the Government’s approval as an ‘important milestone’, but stressed that the plans must now result in meaningful changes for Island families.
Councillor Garratt added:
“We now need to ensure the commitments within the plan are translated into real improvements for children, young people and families.”
The Council will now move into the delivery phase of its 3-year plan, with parents and carers calling for improvements to be measured by the support children actually receive rather than reductions in demand for specialist services.
