Agenda item

Report of the Director: Children and Families

The Director: Children and Families submitted a report presenting the outcomes detailed in the North Lincolnshire Ofsted/CQC Special Educational Needs and/or Disabilities (SEND) inspection letter. The letter details the many strengths of the local area and identifies some areas for further development, notably, there are no significant weaknesses identified and no Written Statement of Action was issued. The excellent inspection outcome should be noted and celebrated.

The report explained that between 6 December and 10 December 2021, Ofsted and the Care Quality Commission (CQC) conducted a joint inspection of the local area of North Lincolnshire to judge the effectiveness of the area in implementing the SEND reforms as set out in the Children and Families Act 2014. During the inspection week, inspectors spoke with children and young people, parents and carers, local authority and NHS officers. They visited a range of providers and spoke to leaders, staff and governors about how they were implementing the special educational needs reforms.

Inspectors looked at a range of information about the performance of the local area, including the local area's self-evaluation. Inspectors met with leaders from the local area for health, social care and education. They reviewed performance data and evidence about the local offer and joint commissioning.

Ofsted reported on the outcome of the inspection in a published letter with judgements in narrative form rather than a 4-point grading scale. The letter outlined areas of strength and key priorities for improvement. Where inspectors have significant concerns in how a local area is meeting its duty to children and young people with SEND, a Written Statement of Action was issued.  At the time of the North Lincolnshire local area inspection, of the 11 local areas inspected since the resumption of inspections in June 2021, 10 (91%) had received a Written Statement of Action.  Similarly, the outcomes of 13 local areas in the Yorkshire and Humber region were known and of these 13 local areas, 8 (62%) had received a Written Statement of Action.

The report stated that the inspection outcome was a positive assessment of the high quality of North Lincolnshire’s services across the early years, education, health and social care.  Inspectors praised the suite of strategies that were in place in North Lincolnshire to help young people achieve better outcomes, access opportunities and lead better lives.  Inspectors recognised the strong partnership working that existed across the local area between the council, health partners, our schools, early years services, colleges and other professionals to enable early identification and continuing support for children and young people with SEND and their families.  Inspectors also acknowledged the effectiveness of the support provided by all agencies at key transition points and the range of opportunities available to develop independence and life skills.  Also highlighted were the quality of leadership, the strength of partnerships, a clear commitment to co-production and the dedication of the teams within North Lincolnshire which clearly helped children, parents and carers in our local communities.  A summary of the statements from Ofsted were summarised in the report.

Resolved – (a) That the excellent inspection outcome, which is a testament to the hard work and commitment of everyone working in local services across North Lincolnshire for children and young people with SEND be noted and celebrated, and (b) that the Cabinet thanks the Director and her team, together with all partners for their hard work and support during the inspection, and for their ongoing work and commitment to improving and enhancing the offer provided to young people with SEND/and or disabilities.