Nov 2, 2021, Malvern Gazette: Parents protest outside County Hall just as Ofsted inspection starts https://www.malverngazette.co.uk/awards/whsc-awards-2021/news/19688628.parents-protest-outside-county-hall-just-ofsted-inspection-starts/
Central England
A MUM who has faced repeated battles to secure the right education for special needs children in Worcestershire led a protest against the council on the day it was inspected by Ofsted.
Tracy Winchester, who has repeatedly called for more support for children like her two sons, both of whom are autistic, led a group of parents to County Hall ahead of an inspection….
"In some respects, things seem worse than in 2018, and the little improvements noted by some families seem to be completely overshadowed by the continued utter disregard of children’s needs in other cases….
The protest coincided with a visit from the Care Quality Commission and Ofsted, and saw a group of people with placards showing messages for the council.
One read: "My 14 year-old has autism and an EHCP (education and health care plan) but no education for two years, no suitable placement and no local authority caseworker."
In 2018, the CQC and Ofsted conducted a joint inspection in Worcestershire to judge the authority's effectiveness in implementing the special educational needs and disability (SEND) reforms as set out in the Children and Families Act 2014.
Identified failings included lack of strategic direction from leadership, children and young people who have SEN and/or disabilities are not provided with the quality of support and service to which they are legally entitled, overwhelmingly negative relationships with Parent-Carers and families, poor quality education, health and care plans (EHCPs), rising numbers of children with SEND school exclusions and inefficient and untimely referral and assessment process for autistic spectrum disorder….
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