New minibuses won't help parents and children still waiting for SEND support
A missive from County Hall in December hailed the 'quiet revolution' in SEND support since May - but is it too soon to declare victory?
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In December, Lancashire County Council hailed the ‘quiet revolution’ taking place inside Lancashire’s SEND service. So quiet in fact, that parents and children aren’t yet feeling the benefit.
Lancashire’s SEND record does not fall at the door of Reform UK - who have been in charge since May 2025. There’s no reason to doubt their claims that they have made progress since a damning inspection in April said there were ‘unacceptable delays’ and ‘systemic’ flaws in how parents and children are supported.
But one parent and campaigner has told us that she doesn’t feel like it’s time to declare victory just yet - and her child waiting at home for a decision on a specialist placement is clear evidence of that.
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New minibuses won’t help parents and children still waiting for SEND support
By Luke Beardsworth
Claims of a ‘quiet revolution’ of Lancashire’s SEND services miss the mark for parents whose children remain in limbo due to County Hall failing to meet its statutory obligations.
That is the message from one parent who said that while she appreciates change is starting to happen, a ‘celebratory tone’ from Lancashire County Council has not yet been earned.
Jenna Higson is from Chorley and helped to organise a SEND Sanctuary protest outside County Hall in November 2025 - in itself part of a national campaign.
Jenna’s daughter Lily is nine and has been without a school place for two years. She applied for a Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP) in May 2024 but has not yet received a final plan.
In the meantime, Lily is not in school and she is not being provided alternative provision or support despite requests to Lancashire County Council.
And so as the family waits for a decision on a specialist school place for Lily, she misses out on vital school time.
Jenna told The Lancashire Lead: “It feels out of touch. You read something like that and it talks about numbers and percentages.
“I don’t want to come across as ungrateful or unappreciative to the change happening because I do feel that there’s change happening and I know that they realise there’s changes to be made.
“But you see the picture of the minibus and you think: “How many families are actually going to feel the benefit of that?”
“How are these changes actually affecting families and young people on the ground?
“We have spent a lot of time having traumatic experiences in mainstream schools where we weren’t supported and then so long out of school where we also weren’t supported.
“Extra minibuses, to my family - that doesn’t have any impact on us whatsoever.
“That’s the thing that’s quite hard to read - it looks quite celebratory and it’s missing the mark.
“It’s difficult because they want to share things that they think are making a difference but actually there are so many families who are waiting and not getting emotional and practical support with the way the school system is.
“That’s where we want to see real change - it’s not an extra minibus unfortunately.”
An Ofsted inspection of Lancashire’s special needs services published in February this year found that families in the county face unacceptable delays in getting the support they require.
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