I have joined with my colleague Blake Stephenson, MP for Mid Bedfordshire, to call on the Government to distribute more resources to SEND services across Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire during a debate in Parliament.
Last year Hertfordshire County Council received the lowest rating possible by Ofsted and the Care Quality Commission for time it took children to be assessed and helped, with some children found to have been waiting more than 78 weeks for help. And Central Bedfordshire Council was ordered to pay a fine after failing a student with special educational needs.
Speaking in a Westminster Hall debate on provision across the two counties, I highlighted the importance of working cross-party and that the Government should improve funding and support for our local councils, families, and children.
This issue is very important to me. I have a brother and a sister who have special educational needs, so I have grown up in a family on the frontline.
Hertfordshire deserves the right funding to deal with SEND issues, which will help us to increase the workforce and deal with the capacity issues in the county.
Whilst summing up the debate, Schools Minister Catherine McKinnell, commented: “We are acting as quickly as we can to respond to the cost pressures in the SEND system because they are causing real financial problems in some local authorities, including in Hertfordshire and Central Bedfordshire.”
