Kent County Council to undergo SEND inspection

Ofsted and the Care Quality Commission are to send inspectors into Kent County Council (KCC) next month.

According to the Local Democracy Reporting Service, they will assess how well education, health and care services work together to support children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND).

The inspectors will be at County Hall in Maidstone between 6-10 July, although detailed work will start next Thursday.

KCC, which spends more than £300m each year on SEND provision, said it welcomed the review of its services.

All areas are inspected regularly as part of a national programme in England, and the inspectors will consult KCC representatives, health services, schools, parents and children, as well as their carers.

In September 2022, an inspection showed KCC was making insufficient progress in some areas and had weaknesses in others.

The authority was served with an improvement notice in March 2023 after nine areas of concern were identified, including poor standards and processes, and weak governance in the sector.

That stayed in place until August 2024, when, after a concerted push by the then Conservative administration, the Children's Minister Janet Daby said "considerable progress" had been made.

She noted an increased pace of change and better partnership working.

In a recent letter to members, the Reform UK cabinet member for education and skills Beverley Fordham said: "We want to give inspectors a clear and honest picture of what is working well and where we are improving."

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