Primary schools complain about SEND provision

A group of headteachers representing over 300 primary schools across Surrey say "trust is diminishing" in the county council over its special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) provision.

SEND services in Surrey have come under scrutiny repeatedly in recent months and in July MPs described the provision as being in "crisis".

A letter to the government, signed by a number of headteachers, has flagged six key concerns and questioned the performance of Surrey County Council (SCC).

It reads: "We are not seeing many of the positive messages of support that the local authority are communicating about their support for children with SEND in our schools, and trust is diminishing."

A spokesperson for Surrey County Council (SCC) said the issues raised by the Primary Phase Council are "overwhelmingly related to the significant SEND challenges being faced by all parts of the country".

They said: "The national SEND system is in urgent need of funding and reform and we continue to lobby the government to confirm their plans for reform as soon as possible."

Among the concerns expressed by the Primary Headteachers' Phase Council is a severe lack of funding for supporting children with complex needs.

"Current funding allocations do not reflect the true cost of providing appropriate support, leaving schools to divert resources from other areas," the letter reads.

The group also claims that there is a "critical shortage of specialist settings for children with high-level needs".

In terms of provision more broadly, in October SCC announced the creation of nearly 500 new specialist school places.

Furthermore, the headteachers feel that the Education, Health and and Care Plan (EHCP) process "lacks consistency across the local authority".

In September it was revealed that SCC was forced to pay £480,797 in the 2024/25 financial year, with 93 percent of these payouts related to failures in processes for creating EHCP's.

The group say they have raised these issues with MPs and councillors over the last 18 months, with "little progress" seen in many areas.

"We see that it is the most vulnerable children in our schools who are being negatively impacted," they conclude.

The SCC spokesperson said the council had already made improvements, including "investing an additional £4.9 million to expand and restructure the SEND service".

They added: "Cumulatively we have delivered more than 1000 new specialist school places since 2021.

"And over 90% of our assessments for Education Health and Care Plans have been completed within statutory timeframes in 2025, nearly twice the national average."

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