(UK) Plymouth: "Damning inspection report" on SPED support

Nov 9, 2023, CYPN: DfE issues council with improvement notice amid SEND concerns https://www.cypnow.co.uk/news/article/dfe-issues-council-with-improvement-notice-amid-send-concerns

SW England

Plymouth City Council has been issued with an improvement notice by the government after a damning inspection report noted “significant concerns” around the quality of support for young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) in the area.

Ofsted and Care Quality Commission (CQC) inspectors said that children and young people with SEND “are not placed at the centre” of health, education and social care services.

Their report into support offered by the council and NHS Devon Integrated Care Board, which is also responsible for commissioning and planning SEND delivery, found their leaders “are not working closely enough together” to improve services.

Children requiring a range of support across services are among the hardest hit, with their help blighted by delays, leaving some “stuck in the system”.

“These children’s difficulties become greater while they wait to get the right support,” warn inspectors in a letter to the council and care board.

“This is leading to poor outcomes for some children and young people.”

Those with complex needs “are not getting coordinated care and multi-agency support”, inspectors add, following their inspection in June.

Children and young people are also waiting too long for support from speech and language specialists, community paediatricians and to receive an autism assessment….

In addition, commissioning and overseeing support for “vulnerable children” living in residential special schools and children’s homes far from home “is weak”….

The Department for Education's improvement notice warns the council that its plans to improve need to be effective and take into account the views of children and their families, as well as school leaders.

The council and its partner also need to “work together” to reduce exclusion rates among pupils with an education, health and care plan (EHCP).

Ofsted and the CQC had found that delays in identification means some pupils are not having support in place until the end of primary school. This leads to a lack of preparation for moving to secondary school and “an increased likelihood of poor attendance and exclusion”, said inspectors.

Training for all care, health and education professionals in early identification of needs, is also called for in the DfE’s improvement notice….