Redbridge Council's Children and Young People Policy Development Committee has reviewed a report detailing significant progress and ongoing work in improving services for children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND).

The committee met on Monday, March 16, 2026, to discuss the Draft Final Outcome Report, which addresses findings from a previous Ofsted inspection that identified structural changes as key areas for improvement within the borough's SEND provision. While the inspection did not directly criticise safeguarding or individual children's wellbeing, the council has responded with an ambitious and collective priority action plan to address these structural weaknesses.

Councillor Dudridge, Cabinet Member for Children and Young People, highlighted that the council has secured the necessary funding for this priority action plan. We managed to allocate the amount of money that we needed to put towards the plan, which wasn't a given, he stated, acknowledging the current financial pressures on local government. But because we had made some prudent decisions, I would say, around children's, we had the money to go straight into the plan and allocate that. The specific amount of funding was not disclosed.

Significant improvements have been made in several key areas. ECHP (Education, Health and Care Plan) timings are showing progress, although not as rapidly as desired, with additional senior staff being brought in to help address backlogs. Data management and review processes have also seen substantial improvements, with better liaison with families regarding both children's and health data.

A crucial aspect of the reform has been the rebuilding of relationships with parents through co-production. The council has been actively engaging with the EPT (the primary parents' group) and a wider base of SEND parents. While acknowledging that these meetings are never easy and should be spaces for critique and challenge, they are now described as far more productive meetings. Acknowledging past defensiveness in SEND, the council has worked to rebuild trust, with members of the EPT now included on the Improvement Board.

The committee also received an update on the national SEND White Paper, which signals a shift towards inclusive education, early intervention, and collaboration between schools and health services. Redbridge is preparing to develop a local area plan in response to this, which will align with the existing priority action plan. This forthcoming plan, with an 18-month lifespan for the Priority Action Plan (PAP) and a longer reform period of 3 to 10 years, will see the PAP sit at the core. The focus is on making sure there's no duplication. Making sure it is one plan and the work streams align. The SEND Improvement Board will oversee both the PAP and the local area reforms.

Discussions also touched upon workforce challenges, particularly in recruiting educational psychologists and therapists. While acknowledging these national issues, Redbridge is focusing on ensuring its current teams are efficient and utilized effectively. For educational psychologists, the council is examining how they target schools. For therapists, a mapping exercise is underway to understand where all therapists are, what their work entails, and where gaps exist to ensure a joined up system. Beyond efficiency, the council is looking at repurposing roles for specialist teachers and ensuring EPs are targeting schools effectively. The report also emphasized the importance of quality over quantity in staffing, with a focus on strong strategic leadership and a cultural shift within the service.

The committee reviewed its own recommendations for the SEND provision, which were found to align perfectly with the council's priority action plan and the forthcoming local area reforms. The report, containing 9 recommendations on page 3 of the report, is intended to add value and work constructively alongside ongoing work.

The report will be presented to the Overview and Scrutiny Committee in May. The committee's draft minutes from January 15, 2026, can be found here. The full public reports pack for the March 16, 2026 meeting is available here, and the agenda frontsheet can be accessed here.