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Category Archives: SEND
Alderman criticises handing Heathfield to profit-making school
A private school that charges £81,000 per year for some of its pupils is accused of doing work on the ‘cheap’ with its proposals, including ugly 9-foot-high fencing around a listed Victorian building A Croydon alderman, and former cabinet member … Continue reading
Posted in Business, Croydon Council, Croydon parks, Education, Environment, Heathfield House, Planning, Property, Schools, Selsdon and Addington Village, SEND, Timothy Godfrey
Tagged Cressey College, Croydon, Croydon Council, Heathfield House, Horizon Care and Education Group, Labour, Timothy Godfrey
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SEND demand sees council education deficit grow to £22.5m
A report published today by the Bureau of Investigative Journalism has discovered a £1.3bn ‘financial black hole at the centre of the special educational needs and disability system – and it is growing rapidly’ The deficit in Croydon Council’s DSG … Continue reading
Mayor candidate Shawcross’s ‘new’ direction not so new at all
Any ‘clean break’ with the incompetence and graft of the past at Croydon Town Hall that is being offered by Labour Mayoral candidate Val Shawcross appears doomed by her own campaign’s deep-rooted connections with discredited Tony Newman and some of … Continue reading
Posted in 2022 council elections, 2022 Croydon Mayor election, Addiscombe East, Addiscombe West, Alisa Flemming, Brick by Brick, Broad Green, Business, Callton Young, Children's Services, Chris Clark, Clive Fraser, Croydon Council, David Evans, Fairfield Halls, Fly tipping, Hamida Ali, Humayun Kabir, Karen Jewitt, Maddie Henson, Manju Shahul Hameed, Meals on Wheels, Planning, Refuse collection, Sarah Jones MP, Schools, Sean Fitzsimons, SEND, Sherwan Chowdhury, Steve Reed MP, Stuart Collins, Stuart King, Tony Newman, Val Shawcross, Veolia
Tagged Addiscombe East, Addiscombe West, Alisa Flemming, Brick by Brick, Broad Green, Callton Young, Clive Fraser, Council Tax, Croydon, Croydon Council, Fairfield Halls, Karen Jewitt, Labour, Maddie Henson, Manju Shahul Hameed, Sean Fitzsimons, South Norwood, Steve Reed OBE, Stuart Collins, STUART KING, Tony Newman, Val Shawcross
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Sutton firm puts SEND children to back of lessons queue
Loss-making council company prioritises profit-generating clients over legal responsibilities for the education of some of the borough’s most vulnerable children. By CARL SHILTON Parents of Sutton children with SEND have been lied to by their local council, as it has … Continue reading
Child’s transplant delayed by council SEND decisions
As the Ofsted inspectors visit Fisher’s Folly this week, one family’s struggle to get the council to provide a decent standard of education for their son with SEND has forced them to write this open letter to the council leader … Continue reading
Midnight deadline to complete Ofsted’s SEND survey
By SARAH BOWELL It’s a big week for Croydon, and not just because of Thursday’s council governance referendum. For some families, the bigger news of this week is that Croydon’s SEND department is being visited for an Ofsted inspection. For … Continue reading
Posted in Children's Services, Croydon Council, Education, Health, SEND
Tagged Croydon, Croydon Council, Ofsted, Sarah Bowell, SEND
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‘Startling’ findings in Ombudsman report on children in care
CROYDON IN CRISIS: The council’s dilemma over cutting funding to the children’s services department has been highlighted by a report which says that youngsters in care are being let down by local authorities A report published by the Local Government … Continue reading
Council survey on cuts tries to pass the buck to residents
CROYDON IN CRISIS: The people running the borough, whether executive staff on sky-high salaries or elected councillors, have a well-earned reputation for failing to listen to the people they are supposed to serve. So why should residents expect any difference … Continue reading
Posted in Adult Social Care, Brick by Brick, Children's Services, Croydon Council, Hamida Ali, Katherine Kerswell, Libraries, Report in the Public Interest, Section 114 notice, SEND
Tagged Brick by Brick, Croydon, Croydon Council, Hamida Ali, Katherine Kerswell, Labour, London Borough of Croydon, Report in the Public Interest, RIPI, S114, Section 114
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SEND campaigners fight on after Panorama revelations
A worried mum who has been fighting for her young son to receive the education he needs, and to which he is entitled, says that despite an 18-month battle with her local council, the situation for families of children with … Continue reading
Negrini reshuffles executive pack to cope with Henderson exit
Town Hall reporter KEN LEE on the latest changes in the executive suites at Fisher’s Folly The council could be looking to shave £150,000 or more per year from its on-going costs by not replacing Robert Henderson as the exec … Continue reading
‘Strong and stable’? Henderson is third to leave department
It was 2.43pm when the publish button was pressed yesterday at Inside Croydon Towers for our exclusive report of the imminent departure from the council of Rob Henderson, executive director of children, families and education. Two hours later, the council … Continue reading
Parents crowdfund for Judicial Review of SEND services
There’s another group of angry parents who are preparing to take the authorities to court – Sutton EHCP Crisis. Sutton EHCP Crisis was formed by parents of children with SEND – special educational needs and disabilities – because of the … Continue reading
Posted in Community associations, Education, SEND, Sutton Council
Tagged Sutton, Sutton EHCP Crisis Campaign Group
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SEND is ‘system in crisis’ according to Ombudsman report
Children with SEND – special educational needs and disabilities – are increasingly being failed by the system designed to support them. That’s according to no less an authority than the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman. In its latest report … Continue reading
Posted in Children's Services, Education, Health, SEND, Sutton Council
Tagged Croydon, Croydon Council, SEND, Sutton Council
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Council issues false information as they cover their FoI tracks
Following our exclusive report last week on how Sutton was cynically trying to frustrate public questions submitted through a widely accepted online platform, the council quickly issued a statement. But what they claimed was not entirely true. CARL SHILTON picks … Continue reading
Posted in Helen Bailey, Ruth Dombey, SEND, Sutton Council
Tagged Helen Bailey, Liberal Democrats, Ruth Dombey, Sutton Council, WhatDoTheyKnow
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Sutton’s efforts to block public FoIs back-fires for Bailey
CARL SHILTON on the latest blunder in efforts to block public accountability at the LibDem-controlled council A blatant attempt by a south London council to shut down transparency and close off a well-respected and well-used online tool for putting Freedom … Continue reading
Posted in Helen Bailey, Ruth Dombey, SEND, Sutton Council
Tagged Helen Bailey, Liberal Democrats, Ruth Dombey, Sutton Council, WhatDoTheyKnow
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Official figures show Croydon is capital’s worst for complaints
Our Town Hall reporter, KEN LEE, crunches some numbers and finds that according to the annual report from the Local Government Ombudsman, our council does not compare well, however you dress it up Official figures from the Local Government Ombudsman … Continue reading
Posted in Adult Social Care, Bromley Council, Children's Services, Croydon Council, Education, Jo Negrini, Lambeth Council, Merton, Planning, SEND, Southwark Council, Sutton Council, TfL, Tony Newman
Tagged Bromley, Conservative, Croydon Council, Haringey, Jo Negrini, Labour, Lambeth, Liberal Democrats, Local Government Ombudsman, London, London Borough of Croydon, Merton, Ombudsman, Southwark, Sutton, Tory
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Parents group want Sutton’s head of SEND to be sacked
A parents campaign group has backed a call for the sacking of Sutton Council’s head of SEND, Councillor Jenny Batt. The parents issued a statement this morning in which they said that they have found Batt’s “complete failure to engage … Continue reading
Sutton Council sacks Cognus MD over their SEND shambles
Our Sutton investigations editor, CARL SHILTON, on an inevitable development in the council’s struggles over its special educational needs services Tracey Burley has been sacked as the managing director of Cognus, the Sutton Council spin-off company which is responsible for … Continue reading
Posted in Marian James, Ruth Dombey, SEND, Sutton Council
Tagged Cognus, Marian James, Ruth Dombey, SEND, Sutton Council, Sutton EHCP Crisis Campaign Group
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Council’s sorry performance after Ombudsman’s dozen rulings
One reason that rulings by the Local Government Ombudsman against local authorities, such as Croydon, attract so little attention is that the Ombudsman’s office never insists that the offending councils should publish the findings in full on their own website. … Continue reading
Sutton’s Bailey moves over Cognus as SEND pressure mounts
A crisis over provision of SEND services has forced the council’s chief exec to take urgent action, appointing a director to the company in charge Sutton stages a full council meeting tonight at which the borough’s provision of services for … Continue reading
Posted in Helen Bailey, Marian James, Ruth Dombey, SEND, Sutton Council
Tagged Amalia Banon, Helen Bailey, Marian James, SEND, Sutton Council
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Call for resignations over ‘devastation’ to SEND children
EXCLUSIVE: One of Sutton’s senior councillors is under pressure over continuing failures to provide legally required services for hundreds of vulnerable youngsters. CARL SHILTON reports It is becoming increasingly apparent that Marian James, one of Sutton Council leader Ruth Dombey’s … Continue reading
Scully goes in to Batt at PMQs for Sutton’s SEND families
Sutton’s failing SEND service looks set to get an early return visit from the inspectors of Ofsted, this time accompanied by officials from the Care Quality Commission. At least, that’s what Theresa Mayhem, the lame duck Prime Minister, indicated yesterday … Continue reading
Posted in Education, Paul Scully MP, Ruth Dombey, Schools, SEND, Sutton Council
Tagged Jenny Batt, Paul Scully MP, Ruth Dombey, SEND, Sutton Council
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Council tries to ‘hoodwink’ families to opt out of SEND services
Croydon Council is trying to save £100,000 from its SEND budget for every teenager currently receiving help from the local authority, under services which it is supposed to provide by law. Youngsters with SEND – special education needs or disability … Continue reading
Posted in Children's Services, Croydon Council, Education, Schools, SEND
Tagged Children's Services, Croydon Council, EHCP, SEND
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