County SEND services show improvement - but council 'cannot rest'

AN education official says Nottinghamshire County Council “cannot rest” in its improvements to special educational needs services.

- By LAUREN MONAGHAN Local Democracy Reporting Service

The improvements were highlighted in a report discussed by the council’s children’s and families select committee on Monday.

The meeting updated on progress in improving the experiences and outcomes for children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) in the county.

In early 2023, education and health watchdogs Ofsted and the Care Quality Commission (CQC) carried out a local area inspection of the Nottinghamshire SEND partnership and concluded there were “widespread” and/or systemic failings and “significant concerns” for the experiences and outcomes of young people with SEND.

From this, two priority action areas were found focusing on the needs of young people with SEND, such as assessments, quick issuing of Education, Health, and Care Plans (EHCPs), and addressing delays and gaps in young people’s access to some health services.

An improvement plan was also launched.

EHCPs are legal documents detailing a young person's needs, the support they require and the progress they want to make - the target issuing time for one is 20 weeks after assessment.

A monitoring inspection report in September - from Ofsted’s and the CQC’s July monitoring visit - found that “effective action’ has been taken on these two areas since the worrying 2023 report.

At the time of the visit, 47.3% of EHCPs were completed within the 20-week statutory timescale, compared to 28% in 2023 and just 4.5% of new EHCPs issued within 20 weeks during 2022.