By Emily Dalton

local democracy reporter

Surrey County Council has responded to the outcry over a letter sent to parents of children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND), which appeared to give them just one month to choose their preferred school for the next academic year.

Parents of children with SEND were panicking after receiving a letter telling them they had until September 12 to decide their child’s placement preference.

The letter from Surrey County Council (SCC) was delivered on August 12 during the school holidays when many families were away and schools closed. Many parents say they were facing having to make a preference without having visited the school or attended an open day.

Secondary school place applications for pupils starting in September 2025 opened in Surrey on September 1 and are due to close on October 31. However the council is keen to ensure families with children with SEND submit their preferences as soon as possible.

But parents in Surrey have been left stressed and unsure about their school choices. “I feel the council has stolen some of our time,” said Sam, 45, who needs to make a school preference for her ten-year-old daughter. “Parents with SEND children already have a lot on their plate… and then SCC throws this at us,” she said. Sam, who has four children with SEND, is not new to the process. She said the other parents in her daughter’s class have been “horrified” by the new deadline.

She added: “It’s not a quick decision. It’s not like a pair of shoes – I can’t take it back if it does not fit.”

Children with SEND are reviewed by a panel as to what school setting will meet their needs. Rachel, whose son has special needs, said the SCC panel’s recommendations do not tie in with her own thoughts or wishes, or her son’s current school’s recommendation.

Despite the panic and stress caused, the letter was designed to remind parents of the national deadline and determine their school preference so the the consultation process could be on time. The Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS) understands that the SCC department appreciates the letter’s wording has inadvertently led to some confusion.

Tim Oliver – Leader of Surrey County Council

Cllr Tim Oliver, leader of SCC, said: “It should be made absolutely clear that there has been no change to any statutory deadlines in the process for allocating school places for children with an EHCP. Deadlines for local authorities are set nationally.

“We know that there are fundamental issues across the SEND system and that families with children that have additional needs do not always get the experience or outcomes that they should. We are working hard to improve services and our most recent Local Area SEND inspection noted the important actions we are taking are starting to make a difference.

“We are resolute in our ambition to continue to improve services and outcomes for children and young people with additional needs and disabilities so that they are happy, healthy, safe and confident about their future.”

Cllr Clare Curran

Cllr Clare Curran, Cabinet member for Children, Families and Lifelong Learning, said: “Receiving families’ preference in good time helps us to better understand demand and plan placements effectively, ultimately making it more likely that we will secure the school place they want for their child.”

Responding to parent criticism of school placements, Cllr Curran said: “Some of our appeals stem from our attempts to rely less on out-of-county and non-maintained independent specialist provision. We know that children’s outcomes are better when they are closer to home and part of their local communities, and we’re seeking to address this, but sometimes this means parents and carers are unhappy with the school their children have been placed in.”

The council has a duty to confirm school places for children with SEND by February 15 (for pupils coming into Reception, Years 3 and 7) and March 31 2025 (for pupils completing Year 11).

Six of Surrey’s new Liberal Democrat MPs wrote a letter to the leader of SCC, Tim Oliver, calling the change “an unacceptably short timeframe for parents to choose their child’s school”. The MPs called for the deadline to move back to March and criticised the council for “denying [parents] the right to make informed decisions about their child’s next school”.

SCC has been contacted for further comment.