Safety Valve Legacy Looms Over SEND Reforms

Plus: Several Families Offered Payouts Over SEND Failings

Author

Avinash Duggempudi
August 21, 2025

Special Educational Needs

Here's what's happening this week in the world of SEND:

  • Safety Valve report signals EHCP access pressures.

  • Ombudsman orders payouts over EHCP delays.

  • Leeds approves 40-place SEN school conversion.

  • Derby MP crowdsources SEND experiences for review.

  • Weymouth ASDA offers EHCP-backed supported internships.

⏱️THE MINUTE READ

We have just learnt that Northumberland County Council is the latest local authority to adopt the Agilisys EHCP tool. We have been tracking AI’s use in SEND and we are intrigued to see more councils using AI in critical parts of the SEND process! ​

By integrating GenAI into their EHCP drafting process, Northumberland is joining a growing network of forward-thinking councils focused on improving quality, reducing time pressures, and enabling teams to prioritise children and families.​

Want to learn more, explore Agilisys’s EHCP tool here - Agilisys EHCP Tool | Agilisys

📌WEEKLY MUST-KNOWS

A DfE-commissioned Isos Partnership report finds EHCP growth and special school placements slowed in Safety Valve areas, heightening concerns about perceived demand suppression. With high needs deficits still rising and reforms on the table, the findings underline a core tension between financial sustainability and legal entitlements. This matters for councils, school leaders and parents as ministers weigh changes that may reshape access to statutory support.

Leeds has approved a 40-place SEND school at the former Sunfield Medical Centre, capping staff at 14 to address transport and parking constraints. The decision shows how estate repurposing can add targeted capacity, though infrastructure limits shape scale and operations. Commissioners and planners should note the balance struck between local need, traffic impact and deliverability.

The Ombudsman ordered Wirral Council to pay nearly £8,000 after delays in issuing an EHCP and securing provision, citing staffing gaps and poor communication. Beyond immediate redress, the cases spotlight legal exposure and reputational risk from process failures and capacity shortages. Leaders should consider strengthened casework resourcing, EP availability and proactive communications to mitigate repeat findings.

Educators and SENCOs report resigning due to unmet needs, funding pressures and inclusion challenges, warning of escalating risk if early intervention lags. Workforce attrition threatens mainstream and specialist settings’ capacity, with knock-on costs and service instability. Leaders should factor recruitment, retention and workload planning into any inclusion strategy or capital expansion.

⚡QUICK READS

Derby Mum Backs Review As MP Seeks Evidence: Derby South MP Baggy Shanker is gathering lived experience from families and staff to inform a local SEND review, signalling potential shifts in prioritisation and funding asks.(More)

Former Church Could Become SEND Provision: A certificate of lawful proposed use has been filed to convert St David’s Church in Newton-le-Willows into a SEND day school, signalling a quicker planning route that still requires operational scrutiny.(More)

Hull SEND Providers Earn Modeshift STARS Status: Bridgeview and Whitehouse secured Approved Travel Plan accreditation, showing adapted active travel strategies for SEND cohorts that can reduce carbon and boost wellbeing.(More)