Parents demand action as OFSTED inspectors review Central Bedfordshire's SEND services

  • Watch a report by ITV News Anglia's Claire McGlasson

Bedfordshire families who have children with special educational needs say the system has been too slow to change following a highly critical report into services.

Parents protested outside Central Bedfordshire Council's Offices on Monday where Ofsted officials inspectors were inside re-assessing the county's Special Education Needs and Disability (SEND) provision.

In 2019 an OFSTED inspection found, "significant areas of weakness in the local area’s SEND practice."

Since then parents said nothing had changed: they were not getting the help they needed and their children remained unable to go to school.

Maddie Roberts, left, and fellow parents protesting outside Central Bedfordshire Council, Credit: ITV News Anglia

Maddie Roberts' son, Harley, 8, has been out of education since 2017. He has ADHD, autism and struggles to cope in school.

She said: "We've been fighting the system for five years."

Ms Roberts' concern was that families whose children were unable to be in school were threatened with fines and prosecution for the poor attendance.

Another mother who joined the demonstration, Lisa Therkildson, had similar worries about how the system was dealing with students who could not be in school.

She said: "It's being treated as truancy and that's why the parents end up getting fined or threatened with fines.

"The children's absence is marked as unauthorised when they have a very valid medical reason for not being able to get into school and it's either not understood or its being ignored."

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Central Bedfordshire Council said improving services for children and young people with special educational needs was a top priority.

In a statement the council said: "We are not complacent; we know there is more to do to ensure every child has the best support possible to meet their individual needs, and in turn, have the best chance at a happy and fulfilling life.

"The revisit is a welcomed opportunity for an independent and objective review of our progress to date."

The OFSTED re-inspection report of Central Bedfordshire Council's SEND provision is due in August.