Positive Ofsted report for special educational services across Bedford - but more work to be done
A new report from Ofsted has highlighted the work done to support children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) in Bedford borough.
Inspectors assessed how children with SEND are helped throughout school and into adulthood, focusing on Bedford Borough Council and the NHS Bedfordshire, Luton and Milton Keynes Integrated Care Board.
The ICB and council are responsible for planning and commissioning services to meet the needs of Bedford borough's children and young people with SEND.
The report, published this week, read: “The local area partnership’s special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) arrangements typically lead to positive experiences and outcomes for children and young people with SEND.
“The local area partnership is taking action where improvements are needed.”
A spokesperson for Bedford Borough Council said: “This was a positive inspection outcome overall and highlights the strengths of the local area partnership in respect of meeting the needs of children with SEND.
“As an area SEND partnership we also recognise and acknowledge that some children and families have not had positive experiences or outcomes and we know that there is still work to do in some areas.”
Inspectors said that children in Bedford Borough have their “voices heard effectively”, with the parent and carers’ forum being a key part of the partnership.
The report stated: “Mostly, the needs of children and young people with SEND are identified early and accurately across education, health and social care. For example, assessments from the disabled children’s service are timely and thorough."
The report states that “effective support” is given as children wait for neurodevelopmental assessments – but adds that some “wait too long”.
And the partnership was criticised for having “a limited oversight of how long these children are waiting”.
It was told to “improve how it uses information and data to work collaboratively to reduce the delays in neurodevelopmental assessments that some children and young people currently face”.
The report also highlighted the “effective support” for children and young people, both in the community and as they transition into adulthood.
It read: “Their needs are met at the right time by the early help team. Young people with SEND get a lot of well-considered guidance as they prepare for
adulthood. Programmes such as work placements, job coaching and supported internships build their employability skills.”
The partnership was praised for getting education, health and care (EHC) plans completed “with excellent timeliness”.
The report said: “This means children and young people with SEND do not normally experience frustrating delays before the area identifies and puts plans in place to meet their needs.”
The partnership was told to “establish more effective processes to ensure that children and young people’s needs are identified quickly and accurately”.
Ofsted said: “This is so that unmet needs in schools are addressed earlier and better, and so children and young people with SEND at risk of exclusion are helped more proactively.”
The council’s spokesperson added: “We are confident that through our strong partnership working and through continued coproduction with the Parent Carer Forum we can continue to build on the strengths identified and to address the areas that require further improvement to ensure all children with SEND have positive experiences and outcomes.”