What we shared at the Local Area SEND Inspection review meeting
On 9th October 2025, ESPCF took part in a review meeting with the Department for Education (DfE) and NHS England to discuss progress on the SEND inspection implementation plan for East Sussex. We used the opportunity to reflect what families have been telling us, highlight where things are improving, and be honest about where things still aren’t working well enough.
Our presentation mostly focused on the areas identified in the improvement plan. We began by addressing the challenges of this type of meeting: we want to make sure we can work together as well as possible, and good relationships are a big part of that, but ultimately our job is to present what we are hearing from parent carers, even when that is difficult to hear.
How we represent families
Everything shared comes directly from parent carers in a variety of ways: through strategic groups, operational workstreams, focus groups, surveys, events, one-to-one conversations, written feedback, and more. Parent carer voices shape every message we take into discussions.
Co-production: signs of improvement but remains inconsistent
There are some positive steps toward better co-production in East Sussex, for example the idea to include a co-production element in the Education Division team plans. We have also produced a co-production video to try to improve awareness and genuine understanding of the practice. We highlighted examples such as the Autism in Schools project, where parent carers and practitioners have been able to work together constructively.
However, co-production is still far from consistent. A power imbalance remains, with services choosing whether, when, and how families are included. Key pieces of work – including the ASEND Improvement Plan – were not co-produced.
About the ASEND Improvement Plan
We shared our ongoing concerns that much of the reporting focuses on processes rather than what life is actually like for families. Sometimes statistics may look positive, but without understanding family experience and the quality of support, they don’t give a full picture. Evidence of impact and success measures are related to processes, rather than evaluating tangible outcomes and impact for families. The ‘so what?’ question persists.
What parent carers are telling us
EHCPs (education, health, and care plans)
Families are still experiencing delays, including waiting for/chasing school consultation responses. Tools like the Invision audit can help improve clarity and language, but they can’t reflect the individual child. Many families also describe inconsistent or rushed annual reviews, with paperwork not shared in advance or outcomes not meaningfully discussed. This is an example of where statistics might look positive – with annual reviews being completed on time – but don’t reflect whether or not they are done properly.
We also raised the issue of accountability for delivery of provision, and the difficulties families have when raising that the provision isn’t happening.
Neurodevelopmental (ND) pathways
Long waiting times, gaps in pathways, and children ageing out of waiting lists continue to have a huge impact on families. While improved information and signposting are welcome, these cannot replace the need for real support at the right time. The lack of understanding and support frequently manifests in lost education, which is the biggest impact we hear about.
Mental health support
It is positive that there has been work done co-productively around improving information, advice, and signposting, and we’re grateful to the commitment to parent carer participation.
There is still a significant gap between mental health support teams (MHSTs) in schools and CAMHS support, and many ND children find neither service suitable.
Wheelchair service
We’re really pleased to have seen this addressed following the inspection with some investment to start to reduce longstanding delays. The recent Family Fun Day was a great example of engagement with parent carers and a powerful opportunity to listen directly to families. It was also a positive co-production opportunity: the commissioners took on board ESPCF feedback about how to do the engagement in a more accessible way, and heard from families at the event about how they would further like to be involved.
Universally Available Provision (UAP)
Parent carers continue to tell us about challenges in this area with it often being described as ‘just words on a page’ . We hear about the lack of reasonable adjustments affecting attendance, attainment, and overall confidence in SEN support in schools.
We also stressed the importance of involving families in work to improve tools like ESQMI (the East Sussex Quality Mark for Inclusion), which currently feel confusing or unhelpful.
Alternative Provision (AP)
We welcomed the progress on the LSEAT (London South East Academies Trust) transfer and the work underway to support transitions, and we look forward to seeing the impact of this. However, families get caught in the middle of school and the local authority and face barriers around clarity of eligibility, communication, and knowing who has responsibility for what when a child cannot attend school. Too many young people remain without appropriate education or support.
16+ NEET (Not in Education, Employment or Training)
It is not uncommon for us to hear feedback from families whose young person has an EHCP, with a placement named, but not attending. We are not clear how this is captured in datasets.
Transport is a common concern we hear about which results in some young people being unable to access suitable provision. We know this is an area of increasing financial pressure, as well as a gap in statutory duties.
We continue to hear from families whose young people are not attending named placements, often linked to transport issues. This remains a significant concern, and we look forward to working more closely with the local authority on this area.
Looking ahead
At ESPCF, our commitment remains the same: to listen to families, to represent your experiences honestly, and to work constructively but firmly to influence positive change. We will continue to push for a SEND system in East Sussex that genuinely understands and values the voices of parent carers, children, and young people.