Confidence over provision in Shropshire for children with special educational needs
Outcomes for pupils with special educational needs in Shropshire are better than the national average, it has been revealed.
Shropshire Council has discussed plans for its upcoming Ofsted inspection of its special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) provision.
And a report outlining what work has been done in the lead-up to the inspection claims the authority is currently performing well. It said outcomes for children on education and health care plans (EHCP) in key stages 2 and 4 were “significantly better” than average and that the number of appeals for a SEND tribunal in the county had dropped from 15 in 2014 to one in 2017.
Julia Dean, service manager for special educational needs and disability, said that the council was well prepared for an inspection.
“Shropshire Council and the Clinical Commissioning Group, along with partner agencies, have reformed services for children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities in response to the requirements of the Children and Families Act 2014," she said.
“Good preparation not only ensures that we build on the strengths of our services, but also provides an opportunity to identify areas for improvement. Poor preparation could risk the inspection concluding that the service does not meet the needs of people in Shropshire.”
Reducing
She added: “Data from the 2018 school census identifies that the proportion of children and young people with SEND is broadly in line with the national average (14.5 per cent).”
“Of those, 3.5 per cent of the school population have an EHCP. This is above the National average (2.9 per cent) but has been reducing steadily since 2014 (4.1 per cent).
“Progress outcomes for children with an EHCP at key stage two and key stage four are significantly better than national averages for this group in all subject areas.
“We have good systems in place to support early identification of SEND where children have complex needs. The systems are most effective for the 0 to 5 age group.
“Strategic leadership and management is good. There is an established multi-agency strategic board which has a clear plan and identified work streams.”
It has not been revealed when the inspection will take place.
