Brent to get 9.9% increase in core funding next year. Ear-marked to address Adult Social Care and Children in Care budget shortfalls

From Brent Council 

The government has announced its local government funding settlement, following the Fair Funding Review of how council funding is distributed. The settlement introduces an updated funding formula intended to better reflect councils’ relative needs, costs and service pressures. 

The settlement marks a welcome shift away from short-term funding arrangements and provides councils with greater stability through a multi-year framework. It also restores a stronger emphasis on deprivation and need, which is particularly important for councils like Brent that face sustained financial pressures across social care, housing and homelessness services. 

Against this backdrop, the settlement includes a welcome 9.9% increase in core funding for Brent next year, one of the highest increases in London.

We will now work through the detail of the settlement carefully to understand its full implications for Brent’s budget and medium-term financial strategy. Our focus will be on making every pound count, protecting frontline services by driving efficiencies behind the scenes, and using public money responsibly to support residents who need us most. 

Councillor Mili Patel, Deputy Leader of Brent Council, said:

Brent was one of many communities that were disadvantaged when funding moved away from a focus on deprivation and need and was instead driven largely by population alone.

I am pleased that this settlement reverses that approach and puts the principle of fairness back at the heart of local government funding.

We will use this funding responsibly and sensibly to begin addressing the shortfalls in our budgets, particularly in the social care we provide for older people, disabled residents and children in care. These vital but often unseen services account for around two thirds of what the council spends, and they have borne the greatest pressure in recent years.

Formal investigation and a move requested after vulnerable dementia resident goes missing from Care Home for a second time, resulting in his hospitalisation

 

Beechwood Court

 

The partner and primary carer of an elderly man, Glen Atkins has written to Brent Council Leader, Muhammed Butt, and local MP, Barry Gardiner, following what she terms a 'profound breach of care' at Sovereign Network Group's Beechwood Court care home in Wembley.

She wrote: 

I am writing to you as an elderly carer, deeply distressed and frightened by the repeated safeguarding failures at Beechwood Court that have now endangered my partners life for a second time. 

My Partner, Glen Atkins, who has dementia and significant health needs, went missing again on Saturday 22nd of November, due to  what appears to be the lack of security and supervision from the carers.
 

On this occasion, the consequences have been even more severe: he was found in a deteriorated condition and is now in hospital receiving treatment. 

This is not only unacceptable but it is a profound breach of care. 

Following the first incident, I was assured that measures would be taken to prevent this from ever happening again. Those assurances were clearly not upheld. As his main carer, and as an elderly woman myself, I rely on the council’s systems to keep him safe. Instead, we are now living through the trauma of repeated failures that could have cost him his life. 

I am requesting the following immediate actions: 

1. A formal investigation into how my partner was able to leave the premises again despite previous alerts and assurances. 

2. An urgent review of Beechwood Court’s safeguarding procedures, including door security, staff monitoring, incident reporting, and emergency escalation processes. 

3.Immediate support in securing a safer and more appropriate placement for my partner, as I no longer have confidence in the facility’s ability to protect him. 

4. A direct meeting or call with a senior safeguarding officer within the council, within the next 7 days. 

No family should ever have to go through this once, let alone twice. The physical, emotional and psychological impact on my  Partner and on the family is immeasurable. I am asking you personally to intervene, as this situation now represents a systemic and dangerous failure affecting vulnerable adults in your borough. 

I look forward to your urgent response. 

Patricia Bryan 

 

Barry Gardiner has not yet responded and Muhammed Butt's office has just sent an acknowledgement,

 

Asif Zamir has written to Cllr Neal Nerva and Brent CEO Kim Wright in support of Patricia Bryan calling for a firmal investigation

 

My name is Asif Zamir, and I am writing to you formally to request an urgent investigation into the care and safety of Mr. Glen Atkins, currently a resident at Beechwood Court.

 

I am supporting Mr. Atkins’ partner and primary carer, Patricia Bryan, who has expressed profound distress regarding repeated safeguarding failures. On Saturday, 22nd November, Mr. Atkins—who lives with dementia—went missing from the facility for a second time. He was later found in a severely deteriorated state and is currently hospitalised.

 

Despite previous assurances following a similar incident, it is clear that the security and supervision protocols at Beechwood Court are insufficient.

 

I am formally requesting that you initiate a senior-level investigation into this case, specifically addressing:

 

The systemic failure of security measures that allowed a vulnerable resident to go missing twice.

 

The breach of previous safeguarding agreements made with the family.

 

An immediate review of the facility's fitness to provide care for residents with complex dementia.

 

To the Ward Councillors (Cc’d): I am copying you into this correspondence to formally request that you raise Member Enquiries on behalf of Patricia Bryan and Glen Atkins. We require your support to ensure transparency, accountability, and an urgent resolution to ensure Mr. Atkins is moved to a safer, more appropriate placement upon his discharge from the hospital.

 

 Given the severity of this situation and the fact that a vulnerable resident’s life has been endangered, I look forward to your acknowledgment of this email within 24 hours and a detailed response regarding the investigation steps.

 

Wembley Matters sough further information about the context of Mr Atkins'  going missing from the care home. Asif Zamir said:

 

It's alleged that CCTV was not working at  Beechwood house. Mr Atkins had been missing for approx 7.5 hrs. A contributing factor on the delay in finding him was that the staff  allegedly could not pin an exact time of when he had disappeared or the events leading up to his disappearance. 

 

When he returned he was out in bad weather and returned with wet clothes. The staff took him to the communal area and left him there unsupervised even though he was already disorientated.

Had the staff carried out their duty and provided accurate statements, there is a chance Mr Atkins could have been found earlier and prevented harm to him. There is a chain of failings.

He is in poor health in hospital; Beechwood Court have effectively evicted him whilst he is in hospital as they cannot meet his needs. The local authority must carry out their duty in helping find him a new home that meets his needs.

 

A complicating factor is the triple involvement at the care home. It is run by Sovereign Network Group, the caring service is provided  by Westminster Homecare Limited  who have several contracts with Brent Council, and Brent Council deals with allocations via the Adult Care Service and provides oversight.

 

A Stage 1 complaint was made to SNG on behalf of Mr Atkins and and investigation undertaken. This consists of a catalogue of many issues with the entrance door and a suggestin that he exited after the door was made insecure during a power outage, The conclusion has a sting in the tail: 

 

My Decision 

I am not upholding the complaint on the grounds of service failure. However, I want to be clear that this does not diminish the seriousness of the incident or the distress it caused. I fully acknowledge the impact this has had on Mr Atkins, including the deterioration in his condition and the concerns raised by Beechwood staff and social workers.

I would like to extend a further apology to you for the delay with your response. I wanted to ensure I had full scope of the situation at hand as well as tangible information/ updates to provide before responding to you. With that being said, I understand how important timely communication is and regret any additional frustration this may have caused. To compensate for this delay and in line with our policy, I will be awarding you £20 for delayed response. In line with our policy this will be credited to your rent/service charge account and visible on your statement within the next 28 days.

 

Cllr Mitchell leader of the Brent Green Group speaks out on leaving Labour

 

“We want to represent a party that believes in a radical overhaul of our systems to tackle the cost of living crisis and rising inequality.” Our five new councillors on why they left Labour to join the Green Party! 💚

[image or embed]

— The Green Party of England & Wales (@greenparty.org.uk) 16 December 2025 at 19:02

New Green Group on Brent Council: We are proud to be part of the Green Party's vision of hope and providing a real alternative to the status quo

Left-Right: Tony, iman, Erica, Mary and Harbi

A statement from the newly formed Green Group of Councillors in Brent Council: Cllr Tony Ethapemi, Cllr Erica Gbajumo, Cllr Harbi Farah, Cllr Iman Ahmadi Moghaddam, Cllr Mary Mitchell. 15.12.25

 

Like thousands of others, we joined the Labour Party because we believed in building a fairer society. As councillors, we took that mission into Brent, determined to stand up for the people who placed their trust in us.

Between us we have over 80 years membership of the Labour Party and over 30 years experience as local councillors representing our communities and advocating for residents. We have now come to the realisation that we can no longer play that role effectively while remaining within the Labour Party.

We always knew being a party of government would put the principles and values of the party to the test, but we have watched as on every issue this government goes further away from the founding Labour Party principles of democracy, social justice and equality.

We have a huge amount of respect for many of our hard working Labour colleagues and party members in Brent, but we don’t feel that the party represents the values we hold any longer.

We want to represent a party that believes in radical overhaul of our systems to tackle the cost of living crisis and rising inequality, including wholesale reform of our tax system to ensure that the richest pay their way, rather than tinkering around the edges.

We want to represent a party that recognises that there is a not just a conflict, or even a humanitarian emergency, but a genocide taking place in Gaza, one with British roots and one that we are supporting through arms sales and criminalising peaceful protest.

We want to represent a party that recognises that people and planet are inextricably linked and that we need to do much more to tackle the biodiversity and climate crises. That this is not something that will only affect our children, but is a case of national security here and now.

We want to be members of a party that has a real and open conversation about national identity & community cohesion and that doesn’t scapegoat immigrants, a party that maintains its international obligations to asylum seekers and stands firm against racism.

We want to be members of a party nationally and locally that values diversity of opinion rather than a top-down structure with no space for difference, that silences and expels members who speak out against the party line. We want to shape politics differently in Brent.

We did not enter public life to serve a party machine - we entered it to serve our residents and we will not abandon that duty. That is why we are today resigning our membership of the Labour Party, and joining the Green Party, becoming the first Green Group of Councillors in Brent.

We are proud to be part of the Green Party’s vision of hope and to be providing Brent residents with a real alternative to the status quo. Because there is an alternative. An alternative to austerity. An alternative to a politics that tells you “there’s not enough money” whilst billions keep flowing into the pockets of the wealthy and we continue to chase economic growth at all costs.

Today marks a new chapter in local politics in Brent, rooted in accountability and a commitment to environmental and social justice.

We invite all who share this vision to work with us in offering Brent a real alternative. Together, we can build a Brent that puts people before profit, public good before private greed and hope before fear.

 

Flu is early this year - and it's nasty! GET VACCINATED!

 

I can tell you from personal experience! 

Message from Brent Council

 

Flu season has come early this year, and the NHS is bracing itself for what could be a tough winter. Brent Council and our NHS partners are urging residents to support the NHS during this period of high strain on our health service. 

 

Eligible residents can get a flu vaccine at the same time as a COVID-19 vaccine, making it as easy as possible for those most at risk to stay protected. Due to the severity of this year’s Flu Season, even close contacts of someone with a weakened immune system are eligible for jabs. If you are visiting elderly family during this holiday period, we urge you to get your jab and protect your loved ones and the NHS.

 

It is easier than ever to get vaccinated. Brent Council and the NHS have been going out into communities to deliver the vaccines and provide health check-ups. Pop-up vaccine clinics are available at our libraries, our health buses will be located at local supermarkets, and at your local pharmacist. Visit the North West London NHS page here, to book your vaccination or find your local walk-in vaccine clinic.

 

This approach was just one of the things outlined at a recent Health and Wellbeing Board Meeting to address winter pressures on the healthcare system. Preventing hospital admissions and supporting patients to be discharged as soon as possible will also be crucial to protecting communities this Winter.

 

Councillor Neil Nerva, Brent’s Cabinet Member for Adult Social Care, Public Health and Leisure said: 

 

Together the council and local NHS have been working hard through Brent Integrated Care Partnership to ensure the system works as efficiently as possible during the difficult winter months.

 

I know residents are also keen to do their bit to protect their NHS, which is why we have been making a real effort to explain all the ways they can do that. Getting your jabs if you’re eligible and making sure you only use emergency services for life-threatening situations all makes a huge difference.

 

Bhavna Patel, from Chana Chemist, was one of the team helping with the vaccinations at the health bus. She said:

 

Residents can arrange their jabs through their GP or at their local pharmacist, but we also make the effort to come out into the community to offer the vaccines and other health checks like blood pressure.

 

In addition to getting out and about around the borough, Cllr Nerva has also appeared in a recent video made to promote the key messages and the council has printed posters to appear in parks, housing estates, shops and other community settings to spread the word far and wide.

 

The video that Cllr Nerva made with the Brent Borough Medical Director, Dr Rammya Mathew, is available on Brent Council’s YouTube channel, explaining how residents can use local pharmacies, NHS 111 and out-of-hour appointments via GP Practices to get the help they need.

 

Dr Rammya Mathew advised;

 

As Winter approaches, our NHS is always under extra pressure. We all have a responsibility to try to look after the NHS. The best way to do that is by keeping safe, and there are a number of ways we can do this.

 

The first thing to do is to get vaccinated if you are eligible. The early public health data is showing us that we have had a spike in flu much earlier than usual. Because of that, it is very important for people to get their vaccines early.

 

To support our NHS, residents are advised that if they feel unwell, they should first visit a pharmacy, where they can be advised on treatment or be referred to their GP. By visiting pharmacies first, residents help free up our GP capacity for those who need it most. 

 

To find out whether you are eligible for a flu or COVID-19 vaccination and to book a slot or find out where to access a walk-in clinic, go to the North West London NHS webpage. You can also find out further information there about where to get the most appropriate medical help for any health issues you develop over winter. 

To see all the support we offer over the Winter period in Brent, visit our Winter in Brent page here.

 

 

Failings in Brent Council's social landlord duty continue

 

This morning's Brent Cabinet discussed progress on addressing the improvement plan demanded by the Social Housing Regulator after the Council's self-referral.  'Historic failings' on repairs and maintenance were condemned.

Lead Cabinet member Donelly-Jackson said that the progress report was 'necessarily frank' but the council was now aiming to be easy to contact, quick to respond and with clear communication.

Leader of the Council, Muhammed Butt, said, 'Even one failing for one resident is a reflection on all of us...we are the only ones they can come to. They can't go anywhere else.'

Summarising he said, 'We hold ourselves accountable for all our failings.'

Fine words but the entrance door on a South Kilburn block above, reported on November 14th if not before, has still not been repaired. It is not a fire door as first thought, but is a security door. Despite a council claim that it has been 'made safe' pending repair, it is still open.  This is way byond the 8-10 days promised and well outside the new regulations for urgent safety issues. 

Just yesterday in Harlesden I spoke to a tenant in a Brent Council block where gound floor sewage leakage had been reported frequently for months but never effectively irradicated. 

Clearly there is much to be done before the Council can claim to have solved its long-term 'historic failings.' 

Chalkhill Estate infill at Planning Committee next week. 105 garages and car park replaced by 61 social rent homes

 

Metropolitan Housing Trust who run the Chalkhill Estate as Metropolitan Housing Thames Valley have submitted an application for the demolition of 105 garages and re-use of other space to build 61 infill homes on the 'science blocks' site on Chalkhill Road.

The estate was designed with a considerable amount of green space and there are many trees, some of which will be removed. Of the 105 garages 71 are currently unused and the application claims only 18 are used for car parking.

 

The garages are quite close to existing blocks and will be demolished and replaced by housing

 

Existing garages and car park in blue above

The planners point out that Forty Lane has been designated an 'intensification corridor' that allows for building heights of up to 5 storeys. The site is between Forty Lane and Chalkhill Road but with some buildings between the site and Forty Lane itself.

 

Building heights:

 

Terrace A - 3 storeys

Block B -3 storeys

Block C - 4 storeys

Block D - 5 storeys

Block E -3 storeys

 

There are CGIs of some of the buildings in the application papers:

Block C above

 

Plenty of trees are shown in the CGIs. There are currently 69 trees on site with 17 covered by Tree Protection orders and 10 will be removed to make way for the building of the new blocks:

 

 51 new trees will be planted to compensate for the loss but this is not sufficient to make up for the reduction in canopy cover provided by the mature trees on site that predate the estate. The developer will contribute £26,292 for mitigating the loss through new planting in the vicinity of the development.

 

£53,804 will be contributed to the carbon off-set fund. 

 

The provision of 61 new homes at social rent is positive. No intermediate product such as shared ownership is planned. As these are not generally considered affordable to local people, this is a plus. There are a number of larger family homes planned.

 

 

 B=bedrooms P=Persons

 

 There are 8 objections to the plans on the Brent Planning Portal. Behind the conflict is planners' treatment of the application as one in an urban context designated for'intensification' and residents' enjoyment of a site originally designed with plenty of light and green space. 

 

 Einstein House

 

Residents of Einstein House are particularly affected and have put in an objection. Note that a contributionof £30,000 to a CPZ is now included and a daylight assessment completed (covered in detail for each property in the Officers' Report HERE) that concludes the harm to exising residents is outweighed by the benefits of the new housing.

Einstein House Objection

 

I am writing to formally object to the above planning application, specifically the proposal to construct Block E directly behind Einstein House. My objection is based on the following planning concerns:

1. Loss of Light (Daylight and Sunlight Impact)

The proposed Block E will significantly reduce the amount of daylight and sunlight received by residents in Einstein House. The block is approximately three times the height of the current garages and will be located in close proximity to habitable rooms, including bedrooms and living rooms.

During consultation, we were informed that a daylight/sunlight report was conducted. However, no such report assessing the impact on existing homes has been included in the planning documents. The only report presented appears to relate to light within the proposed new blocks. This is a critical omission, as the council must be satisfied that BRE guidelines regarding adequate light to habitable rooms are being met. The height and massing of the proposed development will cast significant shadows over Einstein House, especially during winter months, severely affecting the quality of life for residents.

2. Loss of Privacy and Overlooking

Block E will be positioned approximately 12 metres from Einstein House. This is well below the 18-21 metre standard separation distance typically recommended between directly facing windows of habitable rooms. The proposed design includes balconies and windows that will directly face into the bedrooms and living rooms of existing residents. These rooms are considered habitable spaces and therefore deserve protection from unreasonable overlooking. No mitigation measures (e.g. frosted glass, angled balconies, or screening) appear to have been proposed to reduce this impact.

3. Noise Pollution and Anti-Social Behaviour - New Footpath

The plans propose the removal of the current secure gated area at the rear of Einstein House and its replacement with a public footpath. This significantly impacts residents' privacy, safety, and wellbeing.

Opening this area to public access may encourage anti-social behaviour, especially during evenings, and will create ongoing noise and disturbance. The proposed new lighting for the path while necessary for safety will further affect residents in ground floor flats through light pollution and reduced sleep quality. There is also no detail in the application on how this new public space will be managed or maintained to ensure current resident's safety.

4. Parking Pressure

There are already major parking constraints in the area. The proposed development does not include a robust parking strategy. While a small number of designated spaces appear in the plans, there is no clarity on whether new residents will be restricted from using existing street or estate parking.This will almost certainly exacerbate existing pressures, especially as no Controlled Parking Zone (CPZ) or traffic management scheme is proposed. The application also appears to lack a comprehensive Transport Assessment to evaluate local capacity.

5. Poor Site Planning - Disproportionate Impact of Block E

While the wider development includes some open and green space, the positioning of Block E raises serious concerns. Unlike the other proposed blocks, Block E has been placed extremely close to existing homes in Einstein House just 12 metres away and at a height that is significantly taller than the current garages it replaces.

This placement creates an unbalanced development where one group of residents (in Einstein House) bears a disproportionate burden of the scheme's impact, including loss of light, privacy, and increased noise.

The council should require a review of the mass and siting of Block E to reduce its uniquely high impact and ensure a fairer and more sensitive design approach, especially when other blocks in the proposal do not create similar issues.

6. Lack of Transparent Consultation

Residents were not meaningfully consulted on key elements of the proposal. Several important documents such as the daylight/sunlight assessment for existing residents and detailed traffic or security plans were not shared during the consultation period.
This raises serious concerns about the transparency and fairness of the process, especially considering the significant impact this proposal will have on existing residents' lives.

7. Impact on Mental Wellbeing and Quality of Life

The combined effect of reduced daylight, increased noise, loss of privacy, and general overdevelopment will severely affect the mental wellbeing and quality of life of residents in Einstein House. These concerns should be taken seriously in line with Brent Council's Local Plan objectives and commitment to high-quality, healthy living environments.

Objections raised here fall in line with Brent's Local plan policies, London Plan policy and BRE daylight and sunlight guidelines.

For the reasons set out above, I respectfully urge Brent Council to refuse this application in its current form, or at the very least, require significant redesign and another consultation to mitigate its serious impacts on existing residents.

Einstein House Residents

The Planning Committee takes place at 6pm on Wednesday December 10th in the Conference Hall of Brent Civic Centre or can be observed online HERE.

 

Chalkhill Estate Centre (Google Earth)

 

When visiting the site I heard fears expressed that further infill proposals from Metropolitan will be made on the estate if this application is successful. Nearby on King's Drive the freeholder is consulting on infill plans for Kings Court (Kings Estate Improvement Programme) and Carmel Court and there are longer term plans for redevelopment to high rise of the ASDA, Kwik Fit, Torch corner site.

 

PETITION: Brent Council MUST consider the impact on residents of proposed reduction in hours at Central Middlesex Urgent Treatment Centre

 Urgent Treatment Centres deal with non-life threatening health issues nd relieve pressure on hosptal A&Es. With the latest CQC report on Northwick Park Hospital revealing waits of up to 12 hours the important role of the UTC at Central Middlesex is highlighred.

The NHS has proposed that the current hours at Central Middlesex Hospital  UTC (below) are reduced by 3 hours a day despite these pressures and the increase in the local populations from the new developments taking place locally. This means the UTC will close at 9pm with the last patients registered at 8pm. See LINK

 The petition below has been launched to urge Brent Council's Scrutiny Committee to consider the impact on local people of the proposal. Sign the e-petition here: 

https://tinyurl.com/protect-urgent-care

Brent Council Community and Wellbeing Scrutiny Committee must consider proposals to reduce the opening hours of Central Middlesex Hospital Urgent Treatment Centre

We the undersigned petition Brent Council’s Community and Wellbeing Scrutiny Committee to convene an urgent meeting of the Community and Wellbeing Scrutiny Committee to consider NHS proposals to cut the opening hours of the Urgent Treatment Centre at Central Middlesex Hospital by 3 hours a day, 21 hours a week.

 

In 2014, Central Middlesex Hospital A&E Department closed following a decision from the then Conservative Heath Secretary Jeremy Hunt. At the time, we were told that the opening of an Urgent Care Centre at Central Middlesex hospital would mitigate the loss of the A&E department. However, in 2019, the hours of the Urgent Care Centre were reduced when the overnight Service Centre was withdrawn. Six years down the line, we are faced with yet another reduction of the renamed Urgent Treatment Centre (UTC). The Centre currently closes at midnight but, if London NW University Healthcare Trust go ahead with their proposal, it will close at 9pm.

We the undersigned are therefore firmly opposed to a further reduction of NHS services that will undoubtedly put more pressure on Northwick Park Hospital A&E and UTC and will lead to fewer people getting the required medical attention as quickly as necessary and call on the current plans to reduce the UTC hours by 3 hours each evening to form the agenda of a specially convened Community and Wellbeing Scrutiny Committee to be held as soon as possible.

We note that the 2019 proposals were considered by that Committee in July 2019 setting a precedent for the views of the Council and residents to be represented.

 People who live, work or study in Brent can sign the petition here: 

https://tinyurl.com/protect-urgent-care

Brent' Council's efforts to address the local manifestation of the national SEND crisis

 

This image from the House of Commons Education Committee Report 'SOLVING THE SEND CRISIS' Easy Read sums up the issue faced national and in Brent in providing for the rising number of children with special needs and disabilities.

The report states:

The evidence shows a lack of standardisation in both ordinarily available provision and Special Educational Needs (SEN) support, with no clear, consistent understanding of what these should involve in practice. We heard from parents and carers that this inconsistency leads to variable quality of provision, which in turn is driving more families to seek support through specialist placements or by securing an EHC plan. It is unacceptable that aclear definition of inclusive education is still lacking.

The numbers are striking:

Since the introduction of the Children and Families Act 2014, the number of children and young people identified with special educational needs (SEN) has surged from 1.3 million to 1.7 million.1 Today over 1.2 million children and young people receive SEN support, and nearly half a million have an Education, Health and Care (EHC) plan. Behind these numbers are families navigating a system that too often feels adversarial, fragmented and under-resourced.

In Brent LINK the numbers  have increased significanty leading to the need for additional  provision and the Council paying for places in other boroughs and in the private sector:

As of August 2025, there are 4025 children and young people living in Brent aged 0-25 with an Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP). Of these, 2414 are statutory school age, or 5.5% of the school population (similar to national levels, which currently sit at 5.3%). 12% of pupils are identified with additional needs that can be met at SEN support where a need is identified but does not meet threshold for an EHCP (compared to 14.2% nationally).

In the last year, the number of EHCPs has increased across all age groups, but not consistently.

The age groups with the highest increases in EHCP numbers were the 5-10 and 16-19 age groups, which saw increases of 8.2% and 7.4% respectively. Table 19, below, gives the EHCP % increases between 2024 and 2025 broken down by age group. It should be noted, though, that in 2024, EHCNAs for children aged 0-5 accounted for 41.3% of all new requests to assess, children aged 5-10 accounted for 39% of new requests and children/young people aged 11- 25 accounted for the remaining 19.7%.

 

The national pattern of need  is indicated by this chart from the House of Commons Report:

 

The Brent report just lists EHC Plan pupils (Blue in the above  national chart)

Communication and interaction (Including autism spectrum condition) 58.33%*

Cognitive and Leaning needs 24.06%

Social, Emotional and Mental Health 10.34%

Senseory and/or physical needs 6.73%

Other needs 0.55% 

* This has increased by 2% in just one year.

 

Brent note The predominance of Communication and Interactions as the most commonly occurring primary need in Brent’s EHCP cohort looks set to continue with the Early Years SEND team reporting 75-85% of their referrals over a 12-year period being for concerns regarding CI development. This is a national trend and is not unique to Brent.

 

London Borough of Brent provision 

 

You will notice that with the exception of The Phoenix Arch all the special schools are academies. It is significant that there is a strike over reduced wages for learning support assistants at Woodfield School currently following last year's strike at The Village School.

Wembley Manor, part of the Rise Academy Trust, a new school in London Road, Wembley has staggered its entry, not rising to its full capacity until September 2027.

In addition to the schools above there is additional provision in some other schools, often in spaces freed up by a reduction in primary pupil numbers:

Expansion of some schools is planned for 2025-2027 including on the Strathcona site in South Kenton that was once suggested as the site fro Islamia Primary, now moving to the Leopold Brentfield road site.:
 

Extracts from the Brent School Place Planning Document

 

Ongoing targeted work to support schools and settings to better meet the needs of children with SEND has seen an increase in the number of children remaining within mainstream education in Brent. However, despite increasing confidence in the mainstream sector to meet the needs of children and young people with SEND, and significant investment by Brent to increase the capacity within special educational settings and ARPs in the borough, additional special school places are required. Key numbers are as follows:

 

 48% of all children with an EHCP in Brent attend a mainstream school provision. This is an increase of 1% since this time last year.

 However, in terms of age-groups, 37% of primary aged children and 49% of secondary aged children with an EHCP require a special school place. Numerically this is expressed as 634 and 587 children respectively.

 Communication and Interaction is the area of need most strongly correlated with placement in special for both primary and secondary aged children with an EHCP in Brent, followed by Cognition and Learning for both age groups.

 

Manstream school pupils waiting for a special school place 

 

Brent currently has 136 children in mainstream schools awaiting a place in special (an increase of 16% since this time last year). Of these 136, 128 are primary age and 8 are secondary age.

 

Additionally, Brent currently has 16 children unplaced and receiving home tuition whilst a placement is sought (a 6% decrease since this time last year). Of these 16, 8 are primary aged and 8 are secondary aged. The primary need of the majority of these children is communication and interaction (most commonly ASC), accompanied by cognition and learning needs. 

 

The cost of out-of-borough and private provision is c£23m

 

199 Brent pupils with EHCPs attend out-of-borough maintained special schools (an increase of 2% since this time last year), at a cost of £5.6m per annum. This represents 8% of Brent’s school age children with an EHCP. Additionally, 197 children attend independent schools (an increase of 1.5% since last year), at a cost of £11.9m per annum. This also represents 8% of Brent’s school age children with an EHCP. The use of independent places has increased along with the cost of each place meaning that cost pressures associated with independent places have increased disproportionately to the percentage increase in places used. The transport costs for Brent children with an EHCP attending out of borough and independent provisions is circa. £6m per annum.

 

Total places requirement

 

Given the above, if all Brent children were to access a place at a maintained, in-borough special school, Brent would require a total of 1221 places (634 primary and 587 secondary), with the majority of these places being for children who have either communication and interaction or cognition and learning as their primary area of need. Brent currently has 480 places in primary age special school classes and 497 places in secondary age special school places. Of these places, 12% are occupied by children from other boroughs, leaving 422 primary places available and 437 secondary places available. Given this, Brent has a current shortfall of 212 primary places in special and 150 secondary places in special. 

 

As outlined above, to prevent Brent children with EHCP being unplaced, the independent sector, home tuition, out of borough schools and the mainstream sector are all currently being utilised.

 

The number of forecast primary special places required is similar to last year’s predictions. The latest forecasts for secondary special places are, however, higher than last year’s predictions by 50 places. This means that additional secondary places may be required sooner than previously anticipated due to increased demand:

 In August 2024, 42% of secondary age pupils were described as requiring a place in a special school. In August 2025, that percentage has risen 7% to 49%, representing a difference of circa. 41 children. 

 The increase in secondary aged children requiring a place in special is attributed to rising levels of need in Brent’s younger children as they reach secondary age. 

 Permanent exclusions in the last academic have had a disproportionate impact on children with SEND, reflecting pressures in capacity and mainstream schools’ ability to meet pupil’s needs.

The reasons for the increase in special need applications are still being debated and include better diagnosis, the impact of Covid and the school closures, and less communication between parent/carers and children in an age of mobile phone. Another article would be need to fully explore this.

There are now no local authority secondary schools in Brent. They are all stand alone academies, part of an academy chain or free schools. Anecdotally, some are more reluctant to take SEND pupils than others. 

The variety of provision, some seemingly quite ad hoc, its privatised aspects, and its cost, all have led to  Brent Council's plans to provide more in-borough provision. The privatisation and profit-making entering the arena are also reflected in very expensive private provision Child Social Care.

The National Education Union has set out is demands regarding SEND:

The NEU wants the Government to address these 5 immediate challenges on inclusion:

• Needs led funding – for SEND support, Education, Health and Care (EHC) plans and local SEND and mental health services. 
• A strategy to reduce Special Educational Needs Coordinator (SENCO) workload. 
• Support staff numbers must be maintained and increased. 
• Time for staff planning, family liaison and CPD. 
• DFE must support knowledge exchange and professional skills around inclusion across all curriculum subjects.  

The following goals can build positive experiences for learners with SEND:

• Every child/young person attends a school/college with an inclusive ethos. 
• Every student is assessed early and regularly for learning and social and emotional needs and appropriate support can be provided. 
• Every child/young person has a strong relationship with a trusted adult in school/college. 
• Parents/carers are engaged partner

 

The question of what is truly inclusive mainstream provision is one considered by the House of Commons Education Committee:

It would be really usesul to have a meeting or conference  in Brent open to young people, parents and educators to discuss the current SEND crisis and solutions.