News
Suffolk has been allocated nearly £9.5 million to create more specialist places for children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND), as part of a national funding package for councils across England.
Feature
The government has unveiled its most ambitious overhaul of the special educational needs and disabilities system in a generation, but for the thousands of families in Suffolk already navigating a system under severe strain, the practical changes remain some years away.
News
Schools Standards Minister Georgia Gould MP visited The Willows Primary School to hear directly from staff and parents about special educational needs provision in Suffolk
News
Suffolk County Council says the Government's decision to cancel 90 per cent of its £168 million special needs funding gap will make a real difference, but warns it does not remove financial pressure completely as the deficit continues to grow.
News
The partnership responsible for SEND services in Suffolk has been acknowledged for making important improvements by the Department for Education, but warned it must translate activity into measurable impact for families who still experience frustration with statutory processes and communication.
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Parents and carers in Ipswich and across Suffolk have nine days left to apply for primary school places for September 2026, with demand remaining high across the county ahead of the Thursday, 15 January, deadline.
News
National care provider Keys Group has bought CF Social Work, an Ipswich-based provider of children's social care and education services that operates four residential homes across Suffolk, caring for vulnerable children with social, emotional and mental health needs.
Feature
With suicide rates significantly higher among autistic people, Suffolk's three-year assessment waits aren't just frustrating – campaigners say they're potentially fatal.
News
A record 2,110 students in Suffolk were severely absent from school in the 2024-25 autumn term, missing at least half of their lessons, even as overall absence rates improved across the county.
Feature
Record absence rates in Suffolk are not just about truancy. Parents here say pressure, unmet SEND needs and rigid rules are pushing children out of classrooms and, for some, into home education.
News
The government's decision to delay long-awaited special needs reforms until 2026 comes as Suffolk faces a £161 million deficit in its schools budget, while grappling with soaring demand that has seen the county deliver 2,289 more education and health care plans than the previous year.
News
Suffolk County Council paid out more than £340,000 to families during the past year as complaints about children's services increased by 40%, with most relating to special educational needs.