Sheffield Council Leader: "We must be honest about where Sheffield needs to improve"
Fran Belbin, Leader of Sheffield City Council, talks about being honest about where Sheffield needs to improve
It is a privilege to write my first Sheffield Star column as Leader of the Council.
When I was elected Leader, I set out my priorities for a fair and thriving Sheffield – for neighbourhoods we can feel proud to live in, to support residents who are struggling with the cost of living, and for solid foundations that enable our children and young people to access great learning and employment opportunities in later life.
My own children have lived all their lives in Sheffield and today I want to focus on changes that are very close to my heart - providing better support to children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND).
When my son was young, he was referred for an autism assessment through Sure Start. By four he had a statement of special educational needs, and later an Educational Health and Care Plan setting out the support he would receive throughout his school years.
That support wasn’t always perfect, but it made an enormous difference, helping him to learn and to feel safe and included at school. He was allocated a secondary school six miles away from home that could best meet his needs at that time, and accessed independent travel training to give him skills he still greatly values.
Every child deserves that chance. But we know the system hasn’t been working for many years. The Star highlighted recently that children are facing waits of eight years for an ADHD assessment, and SEND parents will be familiar with long waits for assessments for other learning disabilities. Families and schools cannot be expected simply to cope while a child’s needs go unmet. This has been a problem brewing for years as SEND numbers increased while the previous government’s austerity cut into services.
Too often the system pits families, schools and health services against one another in a fight for scarce help. It encourages a scramble for a diagnosis or label before children can access support. Costs have risen sharply and, most importantly, outcomes for young people have got worse.
We must also be honest about where Sheffield needs to improve. Ofsted and the Care Quality Commission found serious failings across the local SEND system in 2025. In response Sheffield Council has strengthened oversight and put a SEND Improvement Plan in place.
Guided by our SEND Manifesto, that was co-produced with families and people working across the system, we have secured £4.3 million to strengthen earlier support and inclusion. Through our ‘Experts at Hand’ model, all schools will have regular access to specialist advice from education, health and care professionals. It will help staff and families to identify needs earlier, build their skills and provide targeted support without making children wait for a label, or travel miles to go to a school with specialist support. Phased implementation is beginning now.
We are also helping more young people develop the confidence and skills to travel independently and navigate public transport safely. This builds greater independence and prepares for adulthood. This will save money but most importantly deliver a better outcome for that young person.
My test for everything is simple: does it make life better? A child supported earlier. A parent no longer forced to battle the system. A young person leaving education with confidence, opportunity and greater independence. Those are the outcomes that matter.
That is why I welcome the Labour Government’s SEND reforms and investment. Their central principle mirrors the Sheffield approach: support should begin when a need is identified, not be held back until a formal diagnosis is secured. We will see more investment in staff training, education and specialist expertise closer to families.
I hope this explains what your council is doing in this important area, and for those of you who want to get in touch, please contact [email protected]. I’m always happy to hear your views on how we can improve our city together.