Latest news with #SeanGaul
BBC News
20-06-2025
- Politics
- BBC News
SEND: Oxfordshire County Council says funding 'unsustainable'
A £100m black hole in the budget for children with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) in Oxfordshire has been highlighted in a written contribution to the Education Select Committee, Oxfordshire County Council said the current SEND system is "unsustainable".It called for immediate and comprehensive government previously allocated £1bn to SEND services in its first budget. Oxfordshire County Council has been criticised for its SEND services - with an Ofsted report in 2023 saying there was a "tangible sense of helplessness" among its submission to the committee, it pointed out that despite rapidly rising expenditure, official reports show that outcomes are not improving nationally for children with Sean Gaul, Oxfordshire County Council's cabinet member for children and young people, said there was a "national crisis" impacting families and children in Oxfordshire."The situation is unsustainable," he said."The SEND high needs block deficit is expected to hit £100million in Oxfordshire by March 2026, with many other councils across the country in similar situations. "The whole system is in urgent need of extensive reform."We're calling for clarity on funding and long-term sustainable reforms to ensure we have a system fit for purpose that will meet the needs of every SEND child and young person wherever they live, and whatever their individual needs."The Education Select Committee's "Solving the SEND Crisis" inquiry is looking at how to achieve stability in the SEND system and improve experiences and outcomes for children and young government has been contacted for a comment. You can follow BBC Oxfordshire on Facebook, X (Twitter), or Instagram.
BBC News
23-05-2025
- Politics
- BBC News
Oxfordshire SEND post scrapping described as shocking'
Parents have said they are "dismayed" at a council decision to no longer have a dedicated special educational needs and disabilities cabinet County Council created a SEND post in 2023, after Ofsted found "widespread and systemic failings" in its leader Liz Leffman said: "Recent feedback from inspectors has been that we are very much on the right track."But Claire Brenner, from the Oxfordshire's SEND Parent Action Group, said: "On the ground things are still getting worse… I frankly find it shocking." The Liberal Democrats won an overall majority for the first time in the county council's history in the local elections on 2 the new cabinet, the SEND brief will come under the portfolio of the new cabinet member for children and young people, Sean Leffman said: "We believe it is now the right moment to have the cabinet member for children's services focusing on SEND directly alongside all of the other hugely important services provided for children and young people by the county council."But Ms Brenner said the SEND cabinet role was already "huge". "SEND cuts across education, health, social care, transport," she said."And poor Sean [Gaul] has been given, not only that, but responsibility for all education and all of children's services. "The size of the job, for me, is too big for one person… unless the end result is less intense scrutiny." Ms Brenner said the group really wanted to work with Mr Gaul, adding: "We used to meet every month with the cabinet member for SEND."My only hope is that Sean Gaul has got a lot of energy and passion and that he's willing to roll his sleeves up and really get stuck in." You can follow BBC Oxfordshire on Facebook, X (Twitter), or Instagram.
