The Surrey Heath MP has addressed the county’s SEND (Special educational needs and disabilities) provision at a council committee meeting and in parliament.

Dr Al Pinkerton appeared in front of the External Partnerships Committee of Surrey Heath Borough Council, to answer questions from local councillors and establish a partnership. According to Cllr Rob Lee, Dr Pinkerton is the first MP for the constituency to appear in front of the committee.

Amongst the questions was what can be done about SEND provision in Surrey.

Cllr Richard Wilson said: “Some of the worst provision in the country for SEND is in Surrey and it’s controlled by Surrey County Council (SCC).

“Is there anything we can do about that and how do we see that going in the future?”

Dr Pinkerton replied: “This is the single biggest item that fills my post bag and that’s true after the election and it's also true before the election.

“One of the things I have been able to do is to immediately develop a network or at least put the framework in place. For parents who have written to me, who are looking for mutual support and information sharing.

“When you suddenly see hundreds of emails coming at you from hundreds of people who are being uniquely told that they are the ones being unreasonable.

“You realise they are not being unreasonable or not necessarily so, but they are being told that.”

The MP added that he is setting up regular meetings with SCC’s special educational needs team, to try and better understand the challenges they face.

He also said that he had submitted a question to the Department of Education (DfE) about what is being done to improve the county’s SEND provision. Minister of State for School Standards, Catherine McKinnell responded, but Dr Pinkerton said he was “disappointed” with the answer.

“The last local area special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) inspection by Ofsted and Care Quality Commission for Surrey was in September 2023,” McKinnell stated.

“The department’s regional team has put in place systems to track outcomes against the areas for improvement found by inspectors and the progress made by children and young people with SEND.

“Surrey County Council are committed to working closely with the department to improve services. A new special school, Hopescourt School, will open in Walton-on-Thames in September 2024.”

McKinnell also mentioned SCC’s Safety Valve agreement with DfE and how it aims to “improve the effectiveness of local authority high needs systems and ensure their long-term financial sustainability”.

However, Dr Pinkerton claimed at the meeting that Safety Valve forces SCC departments to reduce their deficit. If successful and by meeting set targets, the department will receive more money.

He added: “It is only meeting its targets by being so brutal in its application of new rules that people are being told that there is no care.”

After the discussion had ended, Cllr Lee thanked Dr Pinkerton for addressing the issue and described Surrey’s current SEND provision as “shambles”.