Improving Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) services for children, young people and families across Derbyshire
News update – September 2025
Introduction from Deborah Glassbrook, chair Derbyshire SEND Improvement Assurance Board
Deborah Glassbrook
Independent Chair of Derbyshire SEND Improvement and Assurance Board
It has been two months since the Derbyshire Local Area Partnership had its ‘stock take’ to review progress on our plans to improve services and outcomes for children and young people with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND).
So where are we? What have we done? And what has been achieved?
Derbyshire faces significant challenges. It is not alone. In England 20 of 69 areas inspected so far have been found to have widespread or systemic failings. The size of the county, the demographics and the sheer amount of work that needs to be done has meant we have had to spend a lot of time putting in the building blocks to enable improvement.
One of the major challenges is that services have often been too late, when problems have become more serious. We know that supporting at the earliest point is better for children and families, and it avoids costly and more intensive help.
Leaders came together quickly through the board that I chair and set up the systems, scrutiny and support to undertake the major changes that are needed. They have focused on the causes of what's wrong – not just the symptoms. This has meant they can take the action and make the improvements that will lead to sustainable change and positive outcomes for children, young people and their families. And the partnership is benefiting from support, challenge and advice being provided by the Department for Education and NHS England Advisors.
There is a strong commitment to sharing information about what is being done and where improvements are being made. At the same time it is really important to be honest about what will take longer to change and about the challenges. Progress is being made, but there are big challenges. For example, there are financial constraints nationally and locally for the Council, schools and education providers, and for NHS providers. Councils and NHS organisations are going through major change and restructuring, while the whole SEND system is under review by the government. A ‘white paper’ – proposing changes to legislation on SEND – is expected soon.
There is a great commitment to involve children, young people, families and carers in the changes and improvements. We were delighted to welcome the new Derbyshire young people's group and it was a pleasure to hear from them at the Board meeting in August. Your voice counts and will help to shape plans and service improvements.
Through all this the leaders are retaining their commitment to do their best for children, young people and their families and to hear their voices. Thank you to everyone who is supporting the improvement journey in whatever way.
Please do find out more through this newsletter, please look out for opportunities to get involved through Derbyshire Parent Carer Voice (DPCV) and keep up to date with information on the Derbyshire Local Offer.
Priority Impact Plan progress update
It is the whole partnership (parents and carers, children and young people, education providers, NHS and Council) which is responsible for providing and improving services for children and young people who have SEND. This partnership has made a lot of progress – but we know there's a long way to go, too.
The partnership's "priority impact plan" was published in January and we reviewed our progress in July.
The plan is split into six "priority impact" areas. Here we give a brief review of progress and next steps for each:
Priority 1 – Identify need and develop a strategy to meet those needs
We are analysing information we have about the needs of children and young people with SEND in our area.
This data is in a document called the Joint Strategic Needs Assessment. That highlights key issues including:
- how many children and young people are affected, and how complex their needs are
- if they are affected by health inequalities
- their educational outcomes
- how services support them
- the role and impact of parents
Using this information, we are developing a SEND and Inclusion strategy.
We have been allocated some additional support to help do this and are working together with an organisation called the Council for Disabled Children to help us.
They are listening to children and young people, and their parents and carers as part of this work through a series of workshops over the autumn.
Their views on "what makes a good life" will be central and will be aimed at improving education, social and health outcomes.
The plan is to complete the draft strategy by the end of the year.
Priority 2 – Create a partnership commissioning agreement
Derbyshire County Council and NHS Derby and Derbyshire Integrated Care Board have agreed they should create a partnerships commissioning agreement.
Commissioning is about understanding people's needs, identifying what services should be provided to meet those needs, "buying" those services and ensuring they are of good quality.
The county council commissions services such as schools, while the NHS commissions services such as mental health support.
The priority is to create a joint partnership agreement for commissioning that meets both the health and education needs of children and young people.
This strategy will link to priority area 1 by putting in place the services to meet the needs that have been identified.
Priority 3 – Assess and provide for the needs of children and young people who have SEND
This priority is about ensuring that individual needs are assessed, that a plan is put in place and that the plan is reviewed annually.
The assessments may result in an Education and Healthcare Plan (EHCP). Children should receive support appropriate to them and their level of additional need.
Assessment should be made jointly by health and education specialists and they should be individual and of high quality.
Progress has been made in reducing the backlog of EHCP assessments that had been caused by the larger numbers of requests and a difficulty in getting Educational Psychologists' advice.
The aim is to clear the backlog and return to normal nationally-agreed timescale for an assessment which is 20 weeks.
Extra staff have been put in place to deal with complaints and to process the backlog.
A new process is also being introduced when a decision is taken not to carry out an assessment, so children and young people and their families can receive support at an appropriate level. This "moving on together" meeting provides support to families, where an EHCP is not appropriate.
Priority 4 – Reduce the number of children missing education
Too many children are missing education.
This is because:
- not enough provision is made in mainstream schools for children with lower levels of need
- children are waiting too long for assessments, so they are not getting support quickly enough
- children are not getting the mental health support they need quickly enough
- there are not enough special school places
Derbyshire County Council allocated £7m earlier this year to develop specialist "alternative provision" school places for children who require a more specialist placement.
Schools across the county were invited to apply for a portion of this funding and submit an application. This has resulted in 20 schools so far being allocated a total of £4.8m.
Applications are now being assessed to allocate the remaining funding.
Priority 5 – improved communications and engagement
There is a need to improve communication between families and the teams that provide support to families. This includes hearing the voice of children, young people, parents and carers and shaping services using their views.
Progress in this area includes:
A new contact form for the EHCP team has been introduced, which is available on the Local Offer website. This system allows better case management and contact with families.
Systems have also been introduced to update MPs and councillors about cases where they are representing parents and carers.
These changes are helping lead to a reduction in complaints about communication with the service.
Derbyshire Parent Carer Voice is involved with all major improvement projects and is providing input informed by the experiences of families.
This monthly newsletter has also been introduced to help share progress on what is happening.
Priority 6 – meeting health needs in a timely way
The health needs of children and young people need to be identified early, waiting times for assessment and support must be cut and help needs to be provided while waiting.
Progress in this area includes:
- NHS Derby and Derbyshire is considering options to commission additional neurodiversity assessment services
- a new wheelchair provider – Blatchford – took over this service and it has reduced the waiting list it inherited by 30%
- investment of £1.5m in children's mental health services has been agreed and staff will be recruited later this year
- ongoing work with schools to train teachers and other staff in providing support to neurodiverse or autistic children
More school places created for pupils with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities
Students with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) have started learning at a new site as part of a £5m investment by Derbyshire County Council.
An extra 70 school places have been created at Brackenfield SEND School, Long Eaton, in a refurbished building called The Orchard which houses new teaching facilities for young people starting their secondary education.
A former county building just metres from the existing school has been renovated to support young people with SEND using £320,000 funding provided by the county council.
Cabinet Member for Children and Family Help Councillor Sam Redfern joined school leaders, governors, pupils, parents and carers for the official opening by students Meyra, Ashton and Szymon.
This is the first of six school developments to be completed using the £5m funding, part of an overall investment by the county council of £11m to create 300 additional places at special schools across the county.
Read more:
Derbyshire County Council - More school places created for pupils with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities
New residential service supports young people with high care and support needs
A specialist residential service has opened, supporting young autistic adults who also have a learning disability to gain greater independence.
Waverley House, in Alfreton, offers bespoke accommodation for young people aged 18 – 25 who have high care and support needs enabling them to live as independently as possible while ensuring they are part of their local community.
Previously, some of the young adults were accommodated and cared for outside Derbyshire, making it harder for families and friends to remain involved. This new development offers the opportunity for young people to stay connected to their local support networks, creating a positive environment for growth and independence.
And young people and their families have been at the heart of the process, being actively involved in the design of the accommodation to meet their individual needs. This not only ensures a smooth transition but also reinforces the importance of personalisation, with each young person’s preferences and aspirations being prioritised.
Read more:
Derbyshire County Council - New residential service supports young people with high care and support needs
Building Better Together: SEND and Families First Partnership Reform Session
Professionals from across Derbyshire’s education, health, social care, corporate and commissioning services recently gathered for a powerful and collaborative session focused on reforming the way we support children with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities) through the Families First Partnership Programme.
The session opened with a call to action: to improve the lived experience of children and families navigating complex systems.
Drawing on findings from Derbyshire’s recent SEND inspection, the session acknowledged the challenges families face—particularly those with overlapping statutory processes such as EHCP reviews and child protection plans.
Read more:
LinkedIn - Derbyshire County Council - Reimagining Support for Children and Families in Derbyshire