Tower Hamlets SEND crisis: Staff shortages threaten reforms

Tower Hamlets council's efforts to reform its special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) system are under threat from a critical shortage of specialists, council documents reveal. Parents and children are experiencing lengthy delays in accessing essential support, while the local authority faces a multi-million-pound education deficit.

Financial Pressures and Delays

The council's plan to overhaul the SEND service highlights concerns that a lack of necessary specialists makes the reforms unlikely to succeed. This situation arises as demand for SEND support has surged nationally, placing a strain on budgets. In Tower Hamlets, 8.6 per cent of schoolchildren have an Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP), the third-highest rate in the country. However, approximately 40 per cent of these plans were issued beyond the legal 20-week deadline in recent months. The high-needs element of the council's schools budget is currently £35 million in deficit, a figure that has accumulated over several years. Council documents state that rising demand continues to create financial pressures and a high-needs deficit, with waiting times for therapies and assessments remaining excessively long.

The 'Experts at Hand' Initiative

The government is encouraging councils to adapt their SEND services to enable more children to be educated in mainstream schools, reducing the need for EHCPs. As part of this initiative, councils and health services are expected to increase the availability of specialists, such as speech and language therapists and educational psychologists, within mainstream schools through a scheme called 'Experts at Hand'. Lisa Fraser, Tower Hamlets' director of education, described this scheme as 'absolutely critical' for the success of the reforms. Despite this, the council's plan acknowledges that it is 'very likely' there will not be enough specialists available to implement the 'Experts at Hand' programme effectively. An analysis by Schools Week magazine of 40 council SEND reform plans found that 28 warned of specialist shortages.

Tower Hamlets' own plan stated that 'limited workforce capacity to meet increased demand for specialist roles' would have a 'critical impact' on the reforms' success. The plan also noted that 25 per cent of community occupational therapist roles at Barts Health NHS Trust were vacant in April 2026. The trust has since reported that this vacancy rate has fallen to 14 per cent between April and August 2026, attributing the earlier vacancies to staff departures, maternity leave, and broader workforce challenges. The council indicated it would 'consider' strategies to address staffing shortages and develop its existing workforce.

A spokesperson for Tower Hamlets council stated that the 'Experts at Hand' programme was designed to align with local workforce needs and that the council is collaborating with the North East London ICB. This partnership includes a dedicated workforce development strategy focused on recruitment, retention, skills enhancement, and long-term service sustainability. The council has not specified the consequences for children and young people with SEND if the reforms fail to be implemented.

What Happens Next

The council plans to 'consider' how to cut staffing shortages and train up its existing workforce. Further details on the implementation of the 'Experts at Hand' programme and its impact on specialist availability are expected.