Targets
What the law requires, what the council has committed to, and where no target has been set.
What the law requires
| Duty | Deadline | Latest Waltham Forest figure | Law |
|---|
| Tell the family whether the council will carry out an EHC needs assessment | 6 weeks from the request |
84.9% of decisions on time (2025, DfE) | legislation.gov.uk, The Special Educational Needs and Disability Regulations 2014 (September 2014), regulation 5 |
| Health and social care bodies provide advice for an assessment | 6 weeks from being asked |
"65-90%" (October 2025, council) | legislation.gov.uk, The Special Educational Needs and Disability Regulations 2014 (September 2014), regulation 8 |
| Issue the final EHC plan | 20 weeks from the request |
25.7% on time (2025, DfE) | legislation.gov.uk, The Special Educational Needs and Disability Regulations 2014 (September 2014), regulation 13 |
| Review every EHC plan | At least every 12 months |
49.1% of reviews due in 2025 completed (DfE) | legislation.gov.uk, Children and Families Act 2014, section 44 (Reviews and re-assessments) (September 2014), section 44(1) |
| Decide the outcome of an annual review | 4 weeks from the review meeting |
23.4% on time (2025, DfE) | legislation.gov.uk, The Special Educational Needs and Disability Regulations 2014 (September 2014), regulation 20 |
The law allows a few exceptions to the 6 and 20 week deadlines, for example when a school is closed for 4 weeks or more. The DfE timeliness figure leaves those cases out.
Measures with no target
The SEND Local Area Improvement Plan lists "measures of success" with March 2025 baselines. For the measures parents ask about most, it sets no numeric target or trajectory.
| Measure | Latest council figure | Target |
|---|
New EHC plans issued within 20 weeks (council monitoring)
Improvement plan measure 3b |
12% (July 2026 report)
London Borough of Waltham Forest, Schools Forum report pack, 8 July 2026 (DSG outturn 2025-26; SEND Reform Plan) (July 2026), p. 178 |
None published |
Annual reviews completed on time (council monitoring)
Improvement plan measure 3c |
40.8% (August 2025)
London Borough of Waltham Forest, SEND Local Area Improvement Plan - Highlight Report (September 2025) (October 2025), p. 15 |
None published |
Year 9 annual reviews (preparing for adulthood) completed on time
Improvement plan measure 5.01 |
12% (August 2025)
London Borough of Waltham Forest, SEND Local Area Improvement Plan - Highlight Report (September 2025) (October 2025), p. 17 |
None published |
EHC plans graded "good" in quality audits
Improvement plan measure 3a |
82.3% (December 2024)
London Borough of Waltham Forest, SEND Local Area Improvement Plan - Highlight Report (September 2025) (October 2025), p. 15 |
None published |
SEND complaints received per month
Improvement plan measure 2.08 ("Fewer complaints received") |
25 (August 2025)
London Borough of Waltham Forest, SEND Local Area Improvement Plan - Highlight Report (September 2025) (October 2025), p. 14 |
None published |
The SEND Reform Plan submitted in June 2026 lists "improving statutory timeliness for EHCP processes" as one of five priority goals. The Schools Forum summary gives no number or date for it (London Borough of Waltham Forest, Schools Forum report pack, 8 July 2026 (DSG outturn 2025-26; SEND Reform Plan) (July 2026), p. 178).
The SEND Strategy 2025–2028 says the partnership will "develop a local area plan with clear targets that measure if we are realising our vision" (London Borough of Waltham Forest, Waltham Forest SEND Strategy 2025 - 2028 (Appendix 1 to Cabinet report) (December 2025), p. 4). If you know where those targets are published, please get in touch.
Commitments with a number and a date
These are the improvement plan commitments that do include a number and a deadline. The status column is our reading of the latest published figure, not the council's own RAG rating.
| Commitment | Due | Latest published position | Status |
|---|
SEND Reform Plan - cut projected annual growth in EHC plans from 11.3% to 9.8% from 2027/28, and raise the share of children on SEN support from 12.5% to 14%
London Borough of Waltham Forest, Schools Forum report pack, 8 July 2026 (DSG outturn 2025-26; SEND Reform Plan) (July 2026), p. 178 |
From 2027/28 |
Plan accepted by the DfE on 2 October 2026. EHC plans grew by 201 (5%) between March and August 2026. The plan's other priority goals (attainment, exclusions and attendance, parental confidence, statutory timeliness) have no published numbers.
London Borough of Waltham Forest, Schools Forum report pack, 21 October 2026 (DSG forecast 2026-27; SENIF extension) (October 2026), p. 29 |
No data published |
Locality-based model to cut the rate of growth in EHC plans by 10% a year
London Borough of Waltham Forest, Schools Forum report pack, 11 December 2024 (December 2024), p. 22 |
Not stated |
No progress figure published. Plans grew 11.2% in the year to January 2025 and 7.7% to January 2026 (DfE). |
No data published |
Clear the backlog of EHC needs assessments and annual reviews
London Borough of Waltham Forest, SEND Improvement Plan - Progress So Far (October 2025), p. 4 |
End of 2025 |
In October 2025 the council said the "historic backlog for EHCPs has been cleared". In July 2026 it reported timeliness "remains 12% within 20 weeks".
London Borough of Waltham Forest, Schools Forum report pack, 8 July 2026 (DSG outturn 2025-26; SEND Reform Plan) (July 2026), p. 178 |
Behind |
Health visitor development checks at or above the London average
London Borough of Waltham Forest and NHS North East London, SEND Local Area Improvement Plan (July 2025), p. 10 |
April 2026 |
94% of 2-year-olds reviewed by 2.5 years in July 2025, against a London average of 65.4%.
London Borough of Waltham Forest, SEND Local Area Improvement Plan - Highlight Report (September 2025) (October 2025), p. 12 |
Met |
Short breaks taken up by 10% more children than the 783 currently using them
London Borough of Waltham Forest, SEND Local Area Improvement Plan - Highlight Report (September 2025) (October 2025), p. 4 |
September 2026 |
864 children on 19 September 2025 (target about 861).
London Borough of Waltham Forest, SEND Local Area Improvement Plan - Highlight Report (September 2025) (October 2025), p. 12 |
Met |
90% of new EHC plans and annual reviews include documented input from children, young people and families
London Borough of Waltham Forest, SEND Local Area Improvement Plan - Highlight Report (September 2025) (October 2025), p. 6 |
January 2026 |
No baseline yet. It will be set from Invision360 audits.
London Borough of Waltham Forest, SEND Local Area Improvement Plan - Highlight Report (September 2025) (October 2025), p. 14 |
No data published |
90% of EHCP-related data available within 5 working days of a request
London Borough of Waltham Forest, SEND Local Area Improvement Plan - Highlight Report (September 2025) (October 2025), p. 4 |
December 2025 |
No progress figure published. |
No data published |
100% of SEND staff in all settings complete at least one accredited training module a year
London Borough of Waltham Forest, SEND Local Area Improvement Plan - Highlight Report (September 2025) (October 2025), p. 4 |
June 2026 |
Training attendance has been published (2,393 attendees in 2024), but not as a percentage of staff.
London Borough of Waltham Forest, SEND Local Area Improvement Plan - Highlight Report (September 2025) (October 2025), p. 12 |
No data published |
Publish a graduated response framework, with 100% of schools trained on it
London Borough of Waltham Forest, SEND Local Area Improvement Plan - Highlight Report (September 2025) (October 2025), p. 5 |
September 2026 |
Due to go to the SENCO forum "next academic year". |
No data published |
VERBO speech and language programme in 25% of schools by December 2025 and 90% by July 2026
London Borough of Waltham Forest, SEND Local Area Improvement Plan - Highlight Report (September 2025) (October 2025), p. 11 |
December 2025 and July 2026 |
0 schools in August 2025, with 5 schools lined up as early adopters. Delayed by NHS contract signing.
London Borough of Waltham Forest, SEND Local Area Improvement Plan - Highlight Report (September 2025) (October 2025), p. 18 |
Behind |
50 children use Spectrum Gaming in its first year
London Borough of Waltham Forest, SEND Local Area Improvement Plan - Highlight Report (September 2025) (October 2025), p. 18 |
First year |
0 referrals by August 2025.
London Borough of Waltham Forest, SEND Local Area Improvement Plan - Highlight Report (September 2025) (October 2025), p. 18 |
Behind |
Bring CAMHS waits down from an average of 48 weeks and end waits of more than 52 weeks
London Borough of Waltham Forest, SEND Local Area Improvement Plan - Highlight Report (September 2025) (October 2025), p. 18 |
Not stated |
39 weeks once on the pathway in August 2025.
London Borough of Waltham Forest, SEND Local Area Improvement Plan - Highlight Report (September 2025) (October 2025), p. 18 |
Improving, no end point |
Progress on the improvement plan
In September 2025, the council reported the 46 actions in the plan as:
6 completed, 29 on track, 8 at risk of delay, 3 delayed or significant risks, 0 not started (London Borough of Waltham Forest, SEND Local Area Improvement Plan - Highlight Report (September 2025) (October 2025), p. 2). These ratings describe whether actions are happening, not whether outcomes for children have improved.