Norfolk's SEND survey highlights progress and urgent need for national reform

The results of Norfolk's latest survey of Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) show both encouraging progress and ongoing challenges, reflecting national concerns about the SEND system.

Carried out by Norfolk County Council in January and February and published by the Local Inclusion Partnership (LIP), the survey drew 2,386 responses, almost double the 1,235 received in 2023, from children, young people, parents, carers, and professionals.

Cllr Penny Carpenter, cabinet member for Children's Services at Norfolk County Council, which jointly chairs the Local Inclusion Partnership, said: "We're incredibly grateful to everyone who took part. Their voices matter deeply, and we've listened carefully.

"Their insights are an important part of the wider SEND picture in Norfolk, alongside national and local data in the SEND Joint Strategic Needs Assessment (JSNA) and the priorities in our co-produced Norfolk Area SEND and Alternative Provision Strategy (NASAPS). 

"It's clear many parents and carers feel the system isn't working well enough, and we agree and we're already making improvements. The challenges we face in Norfolk: unprecedented demand, insufficient funding, and a fragmented system, are mirrored nationally." 

Co-Chair of the Local Inclusion Partnership and Co-Chair of parent carer forum Family Voice Norfolk, Mark Knight said: "As co-chair of the Local Inclusion Partnership, Family Voice Norfolk is witness to and appreciative of the work taking place to improve services within the county. 

"As an organisation, families tell us consistently of the fight, the struggle, the confusion and the resulting exhaustion that comes from trying to find their way through the SEND system. This situation must change. 

"Family Voice Norfolk will continue to work alongside the Local Authority and health services trying to make improvements and will ensure parent carers' views and experiences are always in the forefront of service development. We are pleased that the published results show improvement in some areas but know there is a long way still to go." 

Children and young people reported high satisfaction with support: 

• 83% were happy with their learning help 
• 93% felt able to make choices about their future (up from 86%) 
• 86% get to enjoy a range of activities with other children in their free time 
• 79% had received help from a medical health service, with a rise in those receiving help with their mental health 

Parents and carers also noted improvements: 

• 64% said schools were making reasonable adjustments (up from 48%) 
• But many felt more needs to be done to identify needs earlier, strengthen SEN Support Plans and improve EHCP communication and how EHCPs are kept up to date. 
• They also asked for more support and information about transitions between different schools and into Post-16 and adult life. 

Professionals said: 

• they have increased engagement with parents with more feedback opportunities 
• 82% of those working in schools said they had a good understanding of SEN Support   
• 50% raised concerns about insufficient school funding and unrealistic EHCP expectations.  

The survey coincided with the rollout of Norfolk's new SEND and Inclusion Support Model aimed at strengthening mainstream school support. 

Cllr Carpenter added: "This shows we haven't stood still. We've launched new support, improved how needs are identified, and expanded access to specialist expertise. While national reform is urgently needed, Norfolk is already delivering more early help, stronger inclusion, and expanded specialist provision to improve the experience of children, families and schools. 

"Our ambition is simple: for every child with SEND in Norfolk to flourish — and we'll keep working with families, schools and health partners to make that happen." 

Key actions include: 

• Teams Around the School in every mainstream school, offering more access to SEND expertise and specialist support 
• A new framework to help schools better identify, understand, and support needs creating individualised profiles for 21,400 children and support to improve SEN Support Plans 
• 3,400 group sessions and 1,400 one-to-one interventions focused on early help, emotional wellbeing and transitions 
• A successful trial of Enhanced SEND Provisions (ESPs) which are teacher-led small group provisions, in 23 schools, supporting 472 children. 
• A fall in EHCP assessment requests from 2,559 in 2024-25 to 2,336 in 2023/24 indicating growing confidence in SEN Support 
• A new SEND and Inclusion Support Line, which has handled 5,200 calls to date, resolving 93% of queries improving communication and support for families and professionals 

There are currently 12,100 active EHCPs in Norfolk, a 177% increase since 2016. The council is issuing around 170 each month. Despite this demand, 56% are issued within 20 weeks, outperforming regional and national averages (40% in the East of England and 46% in England), and 91% of annual reviews are completed (compared to 86% nationally). 

The Norfolk Local Inclusion Partnership remains committed to building an inclusive, welcoming, and flexible education system to ensure all children and young people can flourish. The next SEND survey, planned for 2027, will help measure progress toward this ambition: for every child with SEND in Norfolk to flourish.