Agenda item

Report CEF19025

The Board considered a report on the outcome of the Bromley Local Area SEND Inspection.

As reported at the previous Board meeting, the Ofsted and Care Quality Commission (CQC) SEND Local Area inspection had been announced on Monday 9^th September, and took place between 16^th and 20^th September 2019. The inspection had considered the effectiveness of the Bromley local area in implementing the SEND reforms and determined whether the Council or CCG would be required to submit a Written Statement of Action.

The inspection had focused on three key areas:

-  How effectively the local area identified children and young people with special educational needs and / or disabilities;

-  How effectively the local area assessed and met the needs of children and young people with special educational needs and / or disabilities;

-  How effectively the local area improved outcomes for children and young people with special educational needs and / or disabilities.

The inspection outcome letter had been finalised in November 2019, however due to the pre-election ‘Purdah’ period, Ofsted were not able to publish the letter until after the General Election. The inspection report (dated 8^th November 2019) was published on Monday 23^rd December 2019. The letter outlined the findings from the inspection, including areas of strengths and some areas identified for further improvement.

Through the self-evaluation of the local area, the Council, CCG and other partners had been able to provide inspectors with areas of strength, including evidenced examples of good practice and sustained improvement. Examples of good practice had included:

-  Leaders know the local area’s demography and geography. They were aware of the diverse needs of their communities. They deployed resources to those areas with the greatest need.

-  Elected members of Bromley Council supported leaders in prioritising improvements for children and young people with SEND. For example, the council had invested in high needs funding and created new jobs for officers and healthcare professionals to strengthen operational delivery.

-  Jointly funded services enabled children and young people with very complex needs to access good quality provision without delay.

The self-evaluation also set out eighteen key areas for improvement, under which the local area would maintain the shared focus to achieve ambitions for children and young people who had SEND. It was noted that the recommendations identified aligned closely to the areas for improvement identified by the local area, with no unexpected surprises. In response to a question, the Director of Education said that work in relation to the eighteen areas identified was already underway as part of an Action Plan. In relation to the profile and content of the Local Offer, a Local Offer Designated Officer (LODO) had been recruited to work with groups and drive forward improvements.

The self-evaluation had been judged secure by Inspectors, indicating that the Council, CCG and other partners knew the local area well, and had an accurate view of the performance and quality of services. The local area had been found to have made sufficient progress and was not required to submit a Written Statement of Action. However, it was recognised that further work needed to be done to achieve the excellence in services aspired to. This had been evident in some of the feedback and discussions the inspectors had with parent carers, in that improvements in the lived experience for families had not been felt consistently by all families across the local area.

The Associate Director of Integrated Commissioning, Bromley CCG said that it was pleasing to see the areas of strength that had been identified, and that the workforce should be congratulated on the partnership work undertaken. However the areas of challenge had been noted and they would not rest on their laurels.

In response to a question, the Director of Education said that engagement was a key area of focus, and a number of new initiatives had been introduced. This included ‘SEND Matters’, a monthly newsletter which was send to over 1,000 subscribers; and ‘SEND Matters Live’ face-to-face sessions, for which parents chose the theme of the presentation.

In respect of Education, Health and Care Plans (EHCP), the Director of Education advised that nationwide, there was a huge demand for statutory assessments, with a 30% increase being experienced year on year. This was an area of continued focus, and the outcome of a national review by the Department for Education was awaited.

A Board Member highlighted that the process in relation to Occupational Therapy was often blurred. The Director of Education noted that this was another big priority which had been identified prior to the inspection. It was a complex issue, but progress was being made.

RESOLVED that the Ofsted and CQC Local Area SEND Inspection outcome letter be noted.