SEND Inspection and Written Statement of Action
Devon’s Written Statement of Action
All of the services supporting children and young people with SEND were inspected in December 2018. As a result, the Local Authority and NHS Devon were asked to make improvements in four areas:
- Understanding of our strategy
- Improving communication
- Timeliness of Education Health and Care Plans
- Improving support for children with Autism
Read Devon’s Written Statement of Action
- Involving families in the SEND Written Statement of Action
We are committed to strengthening our communication with parents and want to reinforce our dedication to working in partnership with parents and their representative groups to improve the SEND system in Devon. Between February and April 2019, we worked with parents to generate constructive ideas to contribute to Devon’s Written Statement of Action. We used existing feedback that we had received through our Parent Carer Forum, online and on social media.
We submitted the SEND Written Statement of Action to Ofsted on 10th May 2019.
We are extremely grateful to everyone who contributed ideas and suggestions.
- The SEND Inspection Report
Between 10th and 14th December, inspectors from Ofsted and the Care Quality Commission visited Devon. They met children and young people with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) and their parents and carers, as well as staff in schools and settings, Local Authority and NHS staff. Inspectors also scrutinised data, strategies and plans.
Jo Olsson, who chairs the Devon Children and Families Partnership (DCFP) Executive, has written to all parents, her letter can be found here. In her letter she affirms the commitment of partners to continue the programme of improvement, which Inspectors confirmed was on the right track. Nadhim Zahawi MP, Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Children and Families has written his views in a letter to Devon County Council.
If you would like to find out more about how you can participate in the improvements, please email sendlocaloffer@devon.gov.uk.
You can read the full report by following this link: https://files.api.ofsted.gov.uk/v1/file/50054047
The DCFP’s press release can be found here.
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- The Inspection - December 2018
The local area inspection took place from Monday 10th December – Friday 14th December.
Thank you to all parents for your input. We really appreciate the time taken to provide your views and experiences. The inspection team acknowledges receipt of all the emails and webinar feedback. In addition to the feedback through the webinar and emails, inspectors have been meeting with groups of parents, children and young people throughout the inspection to seek their views. The lead inspector has ensured all comments and feedback have been read and have been taken into account to inform the inspection in Devon.
Following the implementation of the SEND Reforms outlined in the SEND Code of Practice, the government has asked Ofsted and the CQC to find out how well the new law is working and to say what more needs to be done in local areas. Ofsted and CQC inspectors will visit local areas to do this and will look at how good the local area is at:
- identifying children and young people with special educational needs and/or disabilities
- assessing and meeting the needs of children and young people with special educational needs and/or disabilities
- improving outcomes for children and young people with special educational needs and/or disabilities
Inspectors reviewed the support provided by the local area to better understand how well it meets its responsibilities for children and young people with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND). The inspection team included the lead HMI, Care Quality Commission (CQC) Inspector and an Ofsted Inspector.
During the inspection week:
- A series of focus groups meetings took place with commissioners, providers and leaders
- A focus group specifically for parent carers took place on the Tuesday
- Site visits took place on Wednesday and Thursday
- Feedback was provided on Friday afternoon
More information
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