Ofsted has highlighted the “frustration” caused by long waits for support with special educational needs and disabilities in its first main wave of SEND area inspection reports.
The area-wide reports also raise concerns that, while schools help to produce education, health and care plans (EHCPs), health and social care staff are less involved.
Ofsted and the Care Quality Commission (CQC) launched a new rolling inspection regime for education, health and care services for children with SEND this year.
Less than half of the local authority areas received a top rating
Under the new SEND area inspections, Ofsted and the CQC make one of three three judgements about the arrangements that each local area partnership has for the education, health and care provision for children and young people with SEND.
The best possible judgement is that the local area partnership’s arrangements “typically lead to positive experiences and outcomes for children and young people with special educational needs and/or disabilities”. In these cases, the next full area SEND inspection will be within approximately five years.
Published reports show that this judgement applies to four areas: Brighton, Hartlepool, Greenwich and Telford and Wrekin.
The middle judgement is for local area partnerships whose arrangements lead to inconsistent experiences and outcomes for children and young people with SEND.
In these cases, Ofsted and the CQC say the local area partnership must work jointly to make improvements. Areas with this rating face another full inspection within around three years.
Four areas received this rating: Cornwall, Gateshead, Southend and Warrington.
The lowest judgement means that inspectors found widespread and/or systemic failings leading to significant concerns about the experiences and outcomes of children and young people with SEND, “which the local area partnership must address urgently”.
In these cases, a monitoring inspection will be carried out within approximately 18 months and the next full inspection will take place within around three years.
Such areas must also prepare and submit a “priority action plan”.
Of the first nine inspection reports, just one local authority area - Nottinghamshire - received this rating.
Children waiting too long for health services and assessments
A recurring criticism is that children with SEND are waiting too long to access services such as speech and language therapy.
The report for Gateshead says that, in some instances, “children who have been waiting on one pathway have to wait again if professionals transfer them to another service”, meaning that “children and young people and their families experience further frustration and delay”.
Referring to Nottinghamshire, the inspectorates said: “Too many children and young people with SEND wait too long to access some health services, such as speech and language therapy and neurodevelopmental pathways.
“In addition, there are gaps in service provision. For example, in occupational therapy and some specialist equipment provision. This results in ongoing frustration for children, young people and families.”
Ofsted and the CQC provide some examples of how partnerships can mitigate the impact of long waiting lists.
For instance, the report for Warrington highlights how young people face waits to access child and adolescent mental health service (Camhs) but adds that leaders have introduced support and guidance for children, young people and their families while they wait.
Better participation in EHCPs needed from NHS and social care
Concerns over the implementation of EHCPs were regularly highlighted under Ofsted’s previous SEND area inspection regime, and this continues to be a focus in some of the new reports.
The report for Nottinghamshire says that children and young people wait too long to have their needs accurately assessed.
The Gateshead report highlights how contributions to EHCPs from different partners are variable, with health representatives struggling to attend meetings due to their workloads.
The report says: “Where children and young people have social care involvement, contributions from social workers are often limited and do not provide enough detail to be helpful.”
A similar concern is raised in the report for Southend, which says that schools routinely consult with children, young people, parents and carers as part of the EHCP review process, but health and social care services are often not involved.
Cornwall’s report says that delays in the annual review process for EHCPs result in plans not fully reflecting the changing needs of children and young people. It says that leaders are improving oversight in this area but that this needs accelerating.
Support for schools
Almost half of the area reports show that the arrangements for children with SEND typically lead to positive experiences.
For example, young people, their families and schools “especially value” the help and support provided by Brighton and Hove Inclusion Support Service (BHISS). This includes a wellbeing service offering advice on how to meet the mental health needs of children and young people.
In Greenwich, inspectors found that schools and nursery settings have access to a wide range of professionals to support them in identifying and meeting needs. It adds: “School leaders have swift access to support services for children and young people with SEND.”
In Cornwall, partnership leaders were found to be ambitious for children and young people with SEND, with particularly strong evidence that this is helping in early years and post-16 education.
Commenting on the first term of inspections an Ofsted spokesperson said: “This is an ambitious new framework that places the experiences of children and young people at the centre of our inspection process.
“We are still in the very early stages of inspecting under this framework, but we are pleased with how it has been received so far. With a very high level of participation in our inspection surveys, the views of children and young people and their families are shaping the focus of these inspections.”
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