Councillors step down after 'extraordinarily disappointing' report into Suffolk SEND failings

Three senior councillors have stepped down after an "extraordinarily disappointing" report into education for children with special needs and disabilities in Suffolk.

The trio said they felt their positions had become a distraction in the wake of the report, which warned some children had been "lost in the system".

The Ofsted report warned of "significant concerns" and families left at crisis point as they are forced to wait too long for services like autism assessment and diagnosis.

Suffolk County Council announced on Saturday that three senior councillors - Rachel Hood, James Reeder and Chris Chambers - had resigned as cabinet and deputy cabinet members.

Rachel Hood led response to the hard-hitting report which was published on Wednesday, appearing on ITV News Anglia to give the council's point of view and pledging to improve services.

A resignation letter from the trio said: “Over the course of this week, it has become apparent that our positions have become a distraction from the vital work of this council in improving outcomes for children and families within the Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) service in Suffolk...“The recent Ofsted report is extraordinarily disappointing, despite Ofsted and the DfE’s recognition of improvements in the service and we are determined that the Council will go further and faster in providing SEND children and their families with the outcomes, and positive experience, they need and deserve."

Claire Smith, from the Suffolk Parent Carer Forum, said it had been an intense week for parents.

She said: "The forum hopes the resignations will bring about a sharp change in culture and practices to quickly improve the experiences and outcomes of those with SEND.

The resignations follow the departure of the county council’s executive director of people services and director of children and young people late last year. 

Councillor Matthew Hicks, Suffolk County Council’s leader, thanked the councillors for their commitment and hard work, saying they had shown huge dedication to improving SEND services.

He added: "I would like to wish them well and reiterate Suffolk County Council's absolute commitment to ensuring more young people and their families receive the support they need and deserve."

Following an inspection by OFSTED and the Care Quality Commission, published on 30 January, the council and health partners are also setting up a new SEND Improvement Board to speed up improvements.

The three councillors who have stepped down said they felt the service had already been restructured and improvements had been made but that demand had risen "dramatically."

They said they were proud of the work they had done over the past two and a half years.The statement continued: “It has been a pleasure to serve in your administration and we now believe that to ensure the focus is where we all wish it to be – on improving the lives of children and families in Suffolk, collectively, we wish to step aside to avoid further distractions and so are tendering our resignations from our respective appointed roles."A restructure of senior leadership in children’s services is already underway, with the imminent recruitment of a new executive director of children and young people services.

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