July 13, 2021, BirminghamLive: Birmingham gets 'second warning' for still failing thousands of special needs kids https://www.birminghammail.co.uk/news/midlands-news/breaking-birmingham-gets-second-warning-21046038 Central England
Birmingham has today been given 'a second warning' for failing thousands of children with special needs and disabilities after a damning report by education and health watchdogs. Regulators Ofsted and the Care Quality Commission have ruled the city is STILL letting down SEND families and has not m
anaged to improve in 12 out of 13 'areas of significant weakness' identified in a critical judgement three years ago.
Services are 'hit and miss', academic outcomes are poor, waiting lists for vital therapies can stretch back years and hundreds are not in school at all.
Education Secretary Gavin Williamson could order national intervention if he is not persuaded
that Birmingham City Council and Birmingham and Solihull Clinical Commissioning Group can together sort out the failures.
The council leadership - leader Cllr Ian Ward and his children's wellbeing cabinet member Cllr Kate Booth - said they did not intend to stand down over the issue.
Cllr Booth apologised to the families of the city's 35,000 SEND families for the failings but said she would 'not take the easy way' and quit despite the damning findings.