Ofsted Warns Hackney: Cut SEND Exclusions Now

Key Points

• Ofsted has urged Hackney Council to act quickly to reduce the high number of pupils with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) being permanently excluded from secondary schools in the borough.​
• The report, published on Thursday, February 5, 2026, found mixed experiences and outcomes overall for children and young people with SEND during a November 2025 inspection.
• Permanent exclusion levels for SEND pupils in Hackney secondary schools have been high for “too long,” according to inspectors.​
• The council accepts the need to significantly cut permanent exclusions over time, but Ofsted stated it is too early to see the impact of the local partnership’s work.
• Some children’s social, emotional, and mental health needs are being identified “too late.”​
• Parents reported that some secondary schools were not identifying children’s needs quickly enough or using reasonable adjustments to support pupils properly; inspectors verified these claims with evidence from Hackney’s SEND services.​
• Ofsted praised the council’s strong performance in key areas, including local leaders’ knowledge of the area, quality of speech and language therapies, and positive support for families of newborns with SEND from Homerton Hospital’s neonatal unit.
• Hackney’s Local Area Partnership, including the council and North East London Integrated Care Board, received the middle inspection outcome: inconsistent experiences and outcomes, requiring joint improvements.​
• Inspectors recognised progress in SEND support, such as higher school attendance and achievement for SEND children, leaders’ understanding of local diversity, co-produced services, and the role of the Hackney SEND Parent Carer Forum.​
• Recommendations include extending dashboards for key performance indicators, partnering with secondary schools to reduce exclusions and suspensions, improving alternative provision and post-16 offers to prevent NEET status, and enhancing EHC needs assessments.​
• Cllr Antoinnette Bramble, Deputy Mayor and Cabinet Member for Children’s Services and Young People, and Cllr Anya Sizer, Deputy Cabinet Member for SEND and Early Years, welcomed the report, noting robust plans are in place.​
• Historical context shows Hackney’s permanent exclusion rate (0.1%) is twice the inner London average (0.05%), with suspension rate at 8.2% vs 5.3%; SEND pupils and Black/Global Majority children are disproportionately affected.

Hackney, East London (East London Times) February 6, 2026 – Ofsted has issued a stark warning to Hackney Council, demanding urgent action to slash the persistently high rates of permanent exclusions for pupils with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) from secondary schools. The regulator’s report, stemming from a November 2025 inspection of SEND services across schools, nurseries, and social care, highlights mixed outcomes for children and young people, with particular concern over delayed identification of needs.

What Did Ofsted Find in Hackney’s SEND Services?

Inspectors conducted a joint inspection with the Care Quality Commission under the updated Area SEND Inspection Framework from June 2025, evaluating support for 0-25-year-olds with Education, Health and Care Plans (EHCP) or SEN Support. As reported in the MyLondon article, Ofsted noted that the number of SEND pupils permanently excluded from Hackney secondary schools had remained high for “too long.” The council has acknowledged the imperative to “significantly cut permanent exclusion levels over time,” yet inspectors deemed it “too early to see the impact the local partnership’s work was having on the issue.”

Parents voiced frustrations during the inspection, claiming some secondary schools failed to identify children’s needs swiftly or implement reasonable adjustments for proper support. Ofsted verified these parental accounts using evidence from Hackney’s SEND services. Furthermore, the report pinpointed that some children’s social, emotional, and mental health needs were being identified “too late,” exacerbating exclusion risks.​

Hackney’s official response, published on its news site, aligns with these findings while emphasising progress. The Local Area Partnership achieved the middle-tier outcome:

“The local area partnership’s arrangements lead to inconsistent experiences and outcomes for children and young people with SEND. The local area partnership must work jointly to make improvements.”

This matches the experience of 38 out of 74 local authorities inspected in the last three years, per Association of Directors of Children’s Services data.

Why Are Exclusion Rates So High for SEND Pupils in Hackney?

Historical data underscores the crisis. As detailed by the Hackney Citizen, Hackney’s permanent exclusion rate stands at 0.1 per cent—twice the inner London average of 0.05 per cent—while suspensions reach 8.2 per cent against a regional 5.3 per cent. “Persistent disruptive behaviour” drives most cases, rather than severe incidents, with SEND pupils and those from Black and Global Majority backgrounds disproportionately impacted, echoing a 2021 report.

Cllr Anntoinette Bramble, Hackney’s education chief, stated in related coverage:

“No challenging context mitigates why Black and Global Majority children, children with SEND, are more likely to be excluded than any other child.”

The Education Policy Institute (EPI) analysis, cited by councillors, links high exclusions to delayed SEND identification in academised areas with high free school meal uptake—prevalent in Hackney. Whitney Crenna-Jennings, EPI’s associate director for wellbeing, mental health and inclusion, highlighted a spike in “managed moves,” where pupils switch schools without formal exclusion records.

In the Ofsted context, late identification of social, emotional, and mental health needs directly fuels this trend, as parents and inspectors confirmed.​

What Positive Aspects Did Ofsted Praise?

Despite concerns, Ofsted commended several strengths. Local leaders demonstrated deep “knowledge of the area,” with services co-produced sensitively to Hackney’s diversity, fostering trust and tailored support. The quality of speech and language therapies received high praise, as did the “positive support” for newborns with SEND from Homerton Hospital’s neonatal unit.

Hackney’s SEND children “achieve well and have higher school attendance than average,” inspectors noted. The Hackney SEND Parent Carer Forum plays a “strategic and valued” role, welcoming children’s views. Councillors Cllr Antoinnette Bramble and Cllr Anya Sizer remarked:

“We want to thank the inspectors for their positive and fair assessment… Our improvement journey does not start, nor does it end here.”​

What Recommendations Has Ofsted Made to Hackney Council?

Ofsted’s report mirrors Hackney’s own November 2025 SEND self-assessment, urging extensions to performance dashboards with key indicators. Key actions include building secondary school partnerships to curb exclusions and suspensions, enhancing local alternative provision, and bolstering post-16 offers to avert NEET outcomes. Leaders must ensure consistently positive EHC needs assessment experiences for children and parents.​

The council plans service updates within weeks to address these, committing to advocate for every SEND child. This follows a February 2025 council launch of an “in-depth review” of school behaviour policies, targeting Hackney’s second-highest inner London exclusion rates.​

How Is Hackney Responding to the Ofsted Warning?

Hackney Council views the inspection as a milestone.

“We are glad to see the inspectors recognise our progress so far… We are looking forward to sharing our progress three years from now,”

stated Cllr Bramble and Cllr Sizer. Robust plans predate the report, focusing on mainstream provision, specialist places, and a new SEND strategy.​

Broader efforts include a SEND and Inclusion 3-Year Strategy for 0-25-year-olds with EHCPs or SEN Support. The council aims for zero exclusions of identified SEND pupils, clarifying responsibilities via Hackney Learning Trust services.

What Is the Broader Context of SEND Exclusions in Hackney?

Permanent exclusions in Hackney secondary schools peaked at 39 in 2012/13, with ongoing highs despite Education Act 2011 changes. A scrutiny report found 78% of exclusions involved SEND pupils, those in need, or free school meal eligible children. Provision gaps persist, especially for SEND, amid rising rates.

Advocacy groups like Educating Hackney decry harsh practices risking “lost learning” for neurodiverse pupils.Ofsted’s intervention aligns with national pushes for inclusion over exclusion.

When Will Improvements Be Seen?

Hackney anticipates measurable change through sustained partnerships, with the next inspection in three years. Councillors stress a “collegiate effort” with schools. Persistent monitoring via dashboards and self-assessments will track progress on exclusions, attendance, and outcomes.