Purpose

Demand for Education, Health and Care Needs
Assessments (EHCNAs) has risen sharply. Requests have increased by
approximately 35 percent and the number of children awaiting
assessment has risen by around 31 percent.
The Educational Psychology (EP) service completed 1,418 advices in
2025, representing a 53 percent increase on 2024. The SEND
assessment team finalised 1,069 EHCPs in 2025 (a 37 percent
increase on 2024). Despite maximising recruitment, overtime and use
of associates, the EP service cannot meet the operational target of
170 advices per month (during term time) without additional
commissioned capacity.
This decision provides temporary commissioned capacity to ensure
statutory performance continues to improve and that the backlog is
reduced at pace which will minimise the time families spend waiting
for the outcome of their assessment.
•Stakeholders (health and social care partners, Bristol Parent
Carer Forum) recognise progress in productivity and
collaboration.
•The Department for Education has noted the coherence of the
SEND and Inclusion strategy and the collaborative way agencies
work.
•Statutory performance remains under close scrutiny with a
likely Ofsted SEND inspection within the next 12 months.

Content

To allocate additional funding to commission
approximately 40 agency-delivered Educational Psychology advices
per month for 7 to 8 months to meet statutory assessment
requirements and reduce the backlog.

Alternative options considered

Internal capacity has been maximised through
increasing internal efficiency, and the use of overtime and
associate EPs, but this still leaves an unmet gap of around 40
advices per month. No other option would enable statutory timelines
to be met.