Tower Hamlets Council is set to investigate the underlying reasons for the disproportionately high number of Education, Health and Care Plans (EHCPs) issued to children from Bangladeshi backgrounds.
The call for an investigation came during a meeting of the Children and Education Scrutiny Sub-Committee, where Councillor Iqbal Hossain highlighted statistics showing that 45.6% of children with EHCPs are from a Bangladeshi background, compared to 12.4% from a White background. Councillor Hossain described these figures as staggering,
even while acknowledging that the Bangladeshi community constitutes approximately 34% of the borough's population.
Councillor Sadiqur Rahman clarified that while the number of EHCPs might appear high, it is in proportion to the larger Bangladeshi child population in the borough.
Tower Hamlets has high levels of deprivation
and ranks 23rd out of all local authorities in the country for income deprivation, 14th in the country for income deprivation affecting children.
However, the report does not explicitly link these socioeconomic factors to the EHCP figures for the Bangladeshi community.
Lisa Fraser, Director of Education, confirmed that the council is investigating the specific needs driving these figures. She stated that the primary areas of need identified are speech-language communication, autism, and social, emotional, and mental health (SEMH). While the meeting information does not specify the underlying reasons for these higher rates within the community, Ms. Fraser noted that the figures reflect the proportion of the Bangladeshi population in the borough.
The council's strategy for ensuring equitable access to early identification and support for all children, regardless of background, is centered around the SEND reform program. Key aspects include earlier intervention, stronger mainstream inclusion, and improved multi-agency working.
Nationally, reforms aim for earlier, needs-led support,
with a tiered system of support
and an 'experts at hand' service to strengthen early support in schools.
Locally, Tower Hamlets is developing an 'Experts at Hand' model involving Local Area Partnerships supported by multi-disciplinary teams. Early years provision will be aligned with Best Start Family Hubs. Ms. Fraser emphasized the focus on earlier identification and earlier intervention, with the aim of ensuring that children, particularly young children, receive help as soon as those needs emerge, rather than waiting for difficulties to escalate.
To address the identified needs, the 'Experts at Hand' model will involve multi-disciplinary teams comprising specialists such as Speech and Language Therapists, Educational Psychologists, and Occupational Therapists, to be deployed across Local Area Partnerships. Additionally, a new autism provision, Athena, has opened at Hermitage Primary School to support up to 12 pupils. The report does not specifically detail support services tailored to the Bangladeshi community or assess whether current services are adequately resourced for this specific demographic.
Further information on SEND reforms and co-production can be found in the Public reports pack for the Children and Education Scrutiny Sub-Committee meeting.
