‘We’ve had a wasted year’ – Oxfordshire parents protest outside county council, one year on from damning SEND report

SEND Parent Action members gathered outside County Hall in Oxford from 9.30am ahead of a full county council meeting.

This comes after an Ofsted report in September 2023 identified “widespread and systemic failings” with the council’s handling of SEND provision.

Protesters displayed signs with phrases such as “no one listened” and “OCC stop wasting time” as the main message from speakers at the meeting was “you must do better”.

Pete Nellist, who is father of Katie Nellist – a regular teenage speaker at council meetings, involved in the SEND system – said: “We’ve had a wasted year.

“What we need now is strong leadership from our elected representatives to overcome the heel dragging that we’ve seen over the past year.

“There is a lack of transparency.”

Claire, who did not disclose her surname, is mother of nine-year-old autistic son Zack who also turned out to protest.

Zack held a sign which said: “I cried for help, no one listened. Will you listen now?”.

His mum said: “I don’t think anything has improved and I think the culture has got to a point where they don’t think about the impact on children.”

Qualified teacher Cathy Coles-Clark-Willett, who currently acts as Zack’s tutor, said she had come out of mainstream education to become a private tutor as she thought it was “not reaching” the people who need it.

A few petitions were presented at the start of the meeting on the SEND subject, one of which had 669 signatures.

Oxfordshire County Council says they are “prioritising transforming the SEND system so that our children, young people and families are able to fulfil their potential”.

A spokesman added: “Since the Ofsted inspection in 2023, we have committed an additional £1m to support SEND services.

“There will also be an additional 300 special places available by 2028 as new schools are completed.

“A significant amount of work has taken place to make necessary improvements across the local area partnership.”

The council say this includes the production of a priority action plan, which was approved in December 2023 as well as an Enhanced Pathways initiative.