Barking and Dagenham Council is set to enhance its services for children and young people with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND), following discussions at the Overview and Scrutiny Committee meeting on February 11, 2026. The committee reviewed data and pressures surrounding the Education, Health, and Care (EHC) process, highlighting a significant increase in demand and a commitment to improving support.
Jane Hargreaves, Commissioning Director of Education, and Denise Watts, Head of Statutory SEND Services, presented data indicating a 23% rise in referrals for EHC assessments over the past four years. While the number of EHC plans issued has also increased, the percentage of plans meeting the statutory 20-week timeframe has fluctuated, currently standing at 27.7%, below the national average of 46.4%. The council measures success in this area through weekly internal monitoring, case by case, with projections aiming to reach close to 40% by the end of the year. They are also learning from other authorities that have successfully increased their timely plan issuance rates.
The committee heard that the number of maintained EHC plans has grown substantially, with a majority of children placed in mainstream settings. However, there has also been a significant increase in placements in special schools, with both mainstream Additional Resource Provisions (ARPs) and special schools operating at capacity, necessitating expansion. Between 2023 and 2025, special school placements grew from 585 to 822, including the opening of Oxlade Bridge and expansions at Trinity, Riverside Bridge, and Pathways. Additionally, ARPs within mainstream schools have seen an increase of around 80 places.
Concerns were raised about the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and the erosion of school budgets contributing to increased demand. The lack of early intervention services was also identified as a factor. The council acknowledges that a reduction in educational psychologists in 2017 led to a cessation of non-statutory early years intervention work. To address this, the council is reinforcing multi-agency panels and increasing engagement with mediation services to resolve disputes earlier, with a commitment to investing in early years to ensure children can go into school able to flourish wherever they are.
Eroded school budgets have led to a greater reliance on EHC funding for mainstream schools to support children. The council's strategy to mitigate this involves delegated resources to schools
and providing additional monies
to ensure high incidence needs can be met without solely relying on the EHC system.
In response to these pressures, the council is implementing measures to strengthen its SEND services. These include a focus on early identification and intervention, reinforcing multi-agency panels for decision-making, and increasing engagement with mediation services to resolve disputes. The council is also working to build resilience within the SEND team and improve staff retention in what is described as a high-pressure environment. The primary reasons for high pressure and turnover are the sustained rise in demand for EHC assessments, with a significant percentage of the team considering leaving during the summer term. Concrete steps to improve retention include creating a specialist team for this work, strengthening staff capacity and resilience, and implementing weekly case supervision to manage expectations and support timely decision-making.
Looking ahead, the council is preparing for forthcoming government reforms to the SEND system, outlined in the Schools White Paper. These reforms aim to create a more inclusive system with early, local, fair, effective, and shared support, requiring local authorities to produce Local SEND Reform Plans and submit more regular data. Barking and Dagenham's existing commitment to inclusive mainstream provision is seen as a strong foundation for these reforms, which are expected to place additional expectations on local authorities and partnerships.
Further details on the council's approach and the committee's discussions can be found in the Public reports pack for the Overview and Scrutiny Committee.
