Special education needs provision ‘requires improvement’

Educators in North East Lincolnshire have been told they are falling short of the required standards for special needs and disabled children.

Ofsted and the CQC recently published findings highlighting that the Special Educational Needs and Disability (SEND) institutions in the area require further improvement.

Inspectors conducted a joint investigation between July 2 to 6 2018.

They spoke with children and young people who have special educational needs (SEN) and/or disabilities, parents, cares and local authority authority and NHS officers.

They visited a range of providers and spoke to leaders, staff and governors about how they are implementing the disability and special educational needs reforms.

The inspection raised significant concerns about the effectiveness of the local area.

Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector (HMCI) has determined that the local area is required to produce and submit a Written Statement of Action to Ofsted to explain how certain areas of significant weakness will be tackled.

This includes local area leaders having a limited understanding of the needs of children and young people who have SEN and/or disabilities and the education, health and care outcomes they achieve.

A letter was sent by HMCI Nick Whittaker to the Director of Children’s Services at North East Lincolnshire Council Mr Steve Kay.

Report highlights

Among the main findings highlighted in the letter was the North East Lincolnshire local area making too little progress in implementing the disability and SEN reforms since 2014.

The report also states that leaders have failed to translate their ambition for children and young people, who have SEN and/or disabilities, into a clear and coherent strategy for improvement.

The outcomes achieved by these children and young people vary too much and there are gaps in the local area’s analysis of this.

There are some strengths highlighted in the report, which includes a list of areas for development to be addressed.

According to the report, the local area’s joint strategic needs assessment provides a poor starting point for planning and commissioning the services children, young people and families need.

The healthy child programme for children aged 0 to five is also not delivered in an effective way.

There is an unacceptable delay for children allocated to the child development centre’s communication and interaction pathway, which is used as the main diagnostic assessment of autism for children under five.

To read the full report click here.