Ministers have been warned that suspending monitoring visits for areas that failed special educational needs and disabilities inspections should “set off alarm bells” as it “opens up an accountability gap”.
As part of its Big Listen response, Ofsted announced it would review area SEND inspections “to enable local areas to enhance the support they offer”.
Alongside the Care Quality Commission, the inspectorates look at how well services work together to improve experiences and outcomes for children with additional needs.
While full inspections will continue, Ofsted will “hold off” monitoring inspections until the review is completed. No timescale has been given.
Areas found to have “widespread and/or system concerns” should usually have a monitoring inspection within about 18 months. The first three under a new framework rolled out last year were due to take place before the end of the year.
Anne Longfield, the chair of think tank Centre for Young Lives, said anything that created a gap in accountability “must be something that sets off alarm bells out to everyone who is wanting to improve the system”.
‘Sets off alarm bells’
“Ofsted has a really important role and responsibility about monitoring. It’s difficult to see why that should be put aside.
“It’s an important part of transparency and information for children and parents … It seems to me that this is something they might want to look again at.”
Instead, Ofsted will “meet” with local areas due to receive a monitoring check in the autumn term and “will produce further guidance on what to expect from monitoring inspections”.
Twelve of the 42 areas inspected under the new framework have been given the lowest rating, with 10 under a government improvement notice.
For example, in July last year, inspectors found “far too many” children and young people in Oxfordshire were lost in the system.
There were “lengthy waiting times”, with many not receiving help until they were “close to crisis point”.
‘Accountability gap’
Matt Keer, a SEND expert at Special Needs Jungle, said the pause came at the “worst possible time” for a system in crisis. “This looks like yet another accountability gap opening up.”
Parents can appeal SEND support decisions by councils, but this is costly.
The number of tribunals has quadrupled to 13,600 since the reforms in 2014. In 2022-23, parents won 98 per cent.
Keer said such appeals did not change local authority behaviour at a strategic level. “We need robust inspections and monitoring for that.”
However, the Local Government Association and Association of Directors for Children’s Services, which represent councils and council leaders, were “critical” of area SEND inspections.
They want a wider “form of pause” until “reforms to the wider SEND system are in place”.
Ofsted was “holding local leaders to account for national problems with the SEND system”, the organisations said.
But the watchdog said while there were “systemic weaknesses in the [SEND] system”, it had to “identify where local areas need to improve, then make sure local leaders are supported to do this”.
It planned to “enhance” inspections of area SEND provision, adding: “These proposals will give local partners the breathing room to address issues in their area.
“They will target inspection activity where it will have the most positive impact on services for children and young people with SEND.”
It intends for monitoring inspections to restart once the review is completed. A spokesperson said: “The engagement meetings… will allow us to continue to shine a light on SEND provision in the area and identify local issues.”
It will publish a summary report for the government “setting out the national and systemic issues we are seeing”.
