You Said, We Are Doing: June
The conversations at June’s Cuppa and a Chat event at Active Hyde were very insightful and valuable and Tameside Council’s Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) team got to hear about important perspectives on which to reflect. The input from parents and carers really helps shape future work, continuing to improve support for children and young people with SEND.
‘You Said, We Are Doing’ outlines the key discussions and next steps.
1) EHCP and Legal Processes
You said:
Parents/carers expressed distrust in the system and reported feeling emotionally drained when going through the statutory process. Concerns about the EHCP process, including inconsistencies and errors (e.g. misspelled names in legal documents). It was raised although this may seem small, this contributed to the lack of trust.
Parents/carers also raised that communicating and reaching members of the SEN team was an area for improvement. Parents/carers raised they felt communication with members of the SEN team sometimes felt negative.
They raised that there is a need for clearer communication (e.g. when caseworkers change to ensure continuity) – expressing they felt that some SEN team members were perceived as having insufficient knowledge of their child.
Parents/carers raised that they felt some schools selectively implementing strategies outlined in EHCPs.
We did or are going to do:
It was raised that the SEN team have invested in different areas of the team to support meeting need within Tameside (e.g. there are 23 case officers, compared to 7 in the past)
The SEN panel has recently changed (as of April 2025), the following changes that have taken place are:
- SEN case officer verbally presents the child/young person at panels to ensure this represents your child/ young person. The SEN team offer parents/carers a 1-hour appointment with a case officer for statutory cases to discuss key information prior to presenting at panel.
- More admin staff have been employed to paint a more accurate picture of panel.
The SEN team are looking at ways of refining communication processes. With that, they ask parents/ carers to be patient as the SEN team are not always able to respond to enquires immediately due to the volume of communications received.
It was discussed that the ‘Cuppa and a Chat’ events were continuing academic next year, and there would be evening sessions to increase accessibility for parents/carers.
It was acknowledged by the SEN team around administrative errors. To mediate this quality assurance (QA) processes are being implemented to QA EHCPs before they are distributed to reduce any errors.
- It was also highlighted that errors were sometimes due to referral forms not being filled out.
The SEN team are supporting expectations of the statutory process to support parents/carers going through the process.
The SEN team explained several challenges that stem from a SEN system which is no longer fit for purpose, which goes beyond Tameside. Also, they encouraged parents/carers to attend the DfE inclusion in education working group to provide feedback on systems and what they think new processes need to be (contact the Umbrella parent carer group for more information).
The SEN team explained that it would be unfeasible to contact every parent/carer if the caseworker changed, but that any changes can be communicated through schools.
It was discussed the ongoing challenge around making EHCPs too specific makes it challenging to implement in schools and professionals are trying to find the ‘middle ground’.
2) Knowledge and Information Gaps in External Professionals
You said:
Parents/carers raised that some external professionals in areas such as health demonstrated limited awareness of current processes.
It was raised that there is a reliance on parent/carers knowledge to navigate SEN systems, and without prior experience or knowledge, leading to misinformation and delays.
Concerns were raised about the pressure of the amount of paperwork on parents/carers. Parents/carers raised there is a sometimes reliance on external professionals to initiate referrals.
We did or are going to do:
It was recognised that this an area to improve and we are looking at improving information sharing (e.g. the local offer) so all information is in one place and easily accessible for all.
The Educational Psychology service are working closely with schools and other educational/health/social care practitioners to develop a graduated response website which signposts and support schools around supporting children with SEN.
It was raised that the ‘cuppa and a chat’ events tend to have professionals from health and social care, but this would be feedback to them, and we will look at ways to triangulate information regarding processes involving children/young people in Tameside to promote a joined-up approach and shared understanding.
Parents/carers were reminded of Umbrella Parent Carer Forum as a form of support for those going through SEN or statutory processes.
3) Importance of Support in the Early Years and Early Support
You said:
Parents/ carers highlighted the importance of investing in early years support to improve long-term educational engagement.
Parents/ carers raised concerns about the practice of “waiting to see how children/ young people get on” when starting school from nursery, which may be impact their development.
They also raised that the system is perceived as reactive rather than proactive, placing the burden on parents/carers to push for support.
We did or are going to do:
Education and health are working more closely together to think about how support could be improved, including around diagnostic pathways.
It was noted that, although the local authority wants to support and help schools develop their practice, they have a limited role in determining how funding and resources are allocated.
4) Support within School
You said:
Parents/carers felt their perspectives are often overlooked, with schools not fully considering external advice. They raised that they would like to see an improvement in communication between homes and schools, as many parents/carers feel unheard.
Parents/carers expressed anxiety about being labelled as “difficult” when raising concerns. Concerns were raised about schools not teaching students how to use learning resources or reasonable adjustments effectively. Concerns regarding children/young people who do not meet thresholds for specialist support may “slip through the gaps.”
Parents/carers expressed frustration around comments such as “there are other children/young people who have more needs,” as it was felt to disregard their families’ circumstances.
Parents/carers explained they face challenges as the school they would like their children/ young people to attend might be slightly further away than their home.
Parents/carers voiced feeling conflicted about sending children/young people to school when they are facing significant challenges during the school day. This then was linked to concerns around attendance.
We did or are going to do:
It was discussed the importance of parents/carers visiting school and getting a feel for a school very early within a visit. In addition, that different children/young people may have a better fit in another school compared to siblings.
To support parents/carers who have difficulties around getting their children/young people with SEN to school the possibility of funded transport would be provided.
The local authority will continue to provide and develop its whole school training offer to support schools. Including the development of the graduated approach website (mentioned above).
There is a large amount of work being done across Tameside around the language when discussing SEND, in line with neuroaffirmative practices.
There is input would be available for schools and supporting families of children/young people who experience emotional barriers to education. The Educational Psychology service have and will continue to provide workshops in this area for parents/carers – the next workshops will be released in September.
5) Resource Bases and Planning
You said:
Parents/carers expressed confusion about the purpose and approach of resource bases. They explained there is a lack of clarity and communication around planning, with even schools appearing uncertain.
Parents/carers raised whether it would just be a ‘quiet space’ in school.
We did or are going to do:
It was discussed that there is a lot going on behind the scenes to support the effective implementation of resource bases and reassured parents/carers that it would be more than just a ‘quiet space’.
There are going to be two parent/carer engagement sessions in collaboration with the Tameside Umbrella Parent Carer Forum to discuss the opening of new resource bases for September 2025. This is following the discussion of these at cabinet on 25th June 2025.
They will take place on:
- 1st July at 11am in person at Hyde Town Hall
- 1st July at 7pm on Teams
Meeting ID: 347 763 877 394 6
Passcode: mS2Ht7wf
