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Your Weekly EHCP Newsletter | Volume 19

Plus: 🚨 Bracknell’s urgent action plan targets SEND failings

Author

Rafe Houston
May 15, 2025 • Estimated Reading Time: 15 minutes

EHCP

✨Welcome to the EHCP Community Newsletter. In our weekly newsletter you will find curated articles, thought pieces, success stories, and expert insights to help you understand how new types of technology and training can SEND services.

To ensure you never miss an edition, please add [email protected] to your contact list.

THIS WEEK’S RADAR🎯

  • BBC News: Stoke-on-Trent boosts EHCP timeliness from 43% to 83% using AI tool: Agilisys EHCP — a game-changing leap in service delivery.

  • Essex Council under fire for withholding the scale of EHCP delays, with only 1% processed on time.

  • IPSEA calls for systemic SEND reform, highlighting failures in law implementation and accountability.

  • Bracknell Forest issues urgent action plan to fix widespread failings in local SEND services.

Stoke-on-Trent City Council is leading the way with an innovative use of AI to transform how Education, Health and Care Plans (EHCPs) are produced – and the results are fantastic.​

​Faced with growing demand, the council had struggled to meet the national target of issuing 60% of EHCPs within 20 weeks – hitting just 43% in 2023–24. But thanks to a new AI tool that helps case workers quickly extract and structure information from reports, that figure has now jumped to 83% in April 2024.​

This is the future of EHCP Drafting – get your council involved now. ​

Learn more about Agilisys’s EHCP Drafting tool here. ​ Be sure to reach out to grab one of the last free trial spots!

PUBLIC SECTOR TECHNOLOGY

Stoke-on-Trent City Council has implemented AI tools to expedite the production of EHCPs in response to rising demand and delays, increasing timely reports from 43 to 83 within 20 weeks. While AI collates information, case workers ensure accuracy, addressing concerns over quality. For families requiring support, this approach promises faster access and improved scrutiny, though ongoing oversight remains crucial.

EDUCATION OVERSIGHT

Essex County Council failed to disclose the severity of delays in issuing EHCPs for children with special educational needs, with only one per cent processed within the 20-week legal timeframe for six months. This lack of transparency denied timely intervention, impacting families needing urgent support.

EDUCATION POLICY

IPSEA asserts that England’s SEND crisis stems not from inadequate legislation, but from the chronic failure to implement existing law and a lack of accountability at the local authority level. The charity urges MPs to mandate statutory SEN support, enhance Ofsted and Ombudsman oversight, and ensure fair provision without forcing families into legal battles. Without systemic change and reliable resources, vulnerable children remain at risk.

Press here to learn more👆

SPECIAL NEEDS IMPROVEMENT

Bracknell Forest Council has published a priority action plan in response to Ofsted and CQC findings of systemic failures in local SEND services, causing many children to miss substantial schooling. The plan outlines monthly board meetings, rigorous data review, and urgent reform of Education, Health and Care Plans. Immediate action is crucial for parents and families seeking assurance that children's needs will be properly identified, supported, and monitored in future.