Somerset Council has admitted it does not monitor or sign off part-time school timetables for pupils with special educational needs — even as every affected child is marked as persistently absent.

New figures show 75 SEND pupils are on reduced hours across 26 schools in Somerset, including in Wells, Glastonbury and Shepton Mallet. All have attendance rates below 90%. But the council says it does not authorise or track individual timetables, which are managed by schools alone.

A council spokesperson said: "Schools must follow statutory guidance when using part‑time timetables, and responsibility rests with them. Somerset Council receives automatic attendance data updates but is not required to authorise or monitor individual timetables."

All schools named in the data

Council figures show the following schools have pupils with SEND on reduced hours:

• Bridgwater College Academy – 13 pupils
• Brymore Academy – 4 pupils
• Burnham-on-Sea Infants School – 1 pupil
• Court Fields School – 2 pupils
• Creech St Michael CofE Primary School – 1 pupil
• Evercreech CofE Primary School – 1 pupil
• Fiveways Special School – 1 pupil
• Hambridge Community Primary School – 1 pupil
• Huish Episcopi Academy – 1 pupil
• Huish Episcopi Primary School – 1 pupil
• Kilmersdon CofE Primary School – 1 pupil
• King Ina CofE Academy – 3 pupils
• Kingsmead School – 4 pupils
• Martock CofE Primary School – 9 pupils
• Pawlett Primary School Academy – 1 pupil
• Pen Mill Infant and Nursery Academy – 2 pupils
• South Somerset Partnership School – 5 pupils
• St Andrew's CofE VC Junior School – 1 pupil
• St Benedict's CofE VA Junior School – 2 pupils
• St Joseph's Catholic Primary and Nursery School – 1 pupil
• St Mary's CofE VC Primary School – 3 pupils
• Taunton Deane Partnership College – 7 pupils
• The Blue School, Wells – 1 pupil
• The Kings of Wessex Academy – 3 pupils
• Tor School, Glastonbury – 7 pupils
• Wadham CofE VC Community School – 1 pupil
• Walton CofE VC Primary School – 1 pupil

Every child listed is officially recorded as persistently absent. The council has not confirmed when the data was collected, only that it is the most recent available.

'This is informal exclusion in disguise'

Education solicitor Samantha Hale, of HCB Widdows Mason, said the figures show a system operating with no accountability — and warned it risks pushing SEND children out of education altogether.

"There are only two legal reasons to put a child on a part-time timetable: they genuinely can't manage full-time due to need or illness — or there's a clear, short-term reintegration plan," she said.

"What's happening in Somerset looks a lot like informal exclusion. If schools are placing pupils on reduced hours to manage behaviour or because they don't have provision — and the council isn't monitoring it — that's unlawful."

She said the data shows a clear red flag: "All 75 children are recorded as persistently absent. That's unacceptable. For many SEND children, non-attendance is rooted in school-related anxiety — it should be authorised, not treated as truancy.

"If it's unauthorised, parents face threats of fines or prosecution. We've supported families who've been taken to court, when the real issue is the school or council failing to meet a child's needs."

She added that if pupils have Education, Health and Care Plans (EHCPs) — or clearly need one — the local authority must be involved.

"If a child can't access suitable education, even without an EHCP, the council may have a legal duty to step in. What we're seeing here is a complete abdication of that duty."

New council protocol coming

Somerset Council said it is bringing in a new Part-Time Timetable Protocol, which will set expectations for schools, include safeguarding checks, and require risk assessments.

A spokesperson said arrangements are currently reviewed through Targeted Support Meetings, but schools are not obliged to notify the council when they put a child on reduced hours.

No individual pupil details were released.

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