Watchdog records ‘tangible improvement’ in Hertfordshire's special education services

A previous inspection of Hertfordshire County Council’s SEND service, published by the Care Quality Commission in November 2023, was highly critical, identifying failings that had “significant negative impact on the experiences and outcomes of children and young people”.

The county council shares responsibility for planning SEND services with the local NHS Hertfordshire and West Essex Integrated Care Board (ICB).

An area monitoring inspection report was jointly carried out by Ofsted and the Care Quality Commission. Its findings were published last week and noted effective improvements had been made in two priority action areas.

The first priority action was for council leaders to “accelerate their data dashboard work” in order to have an improved overview of SEND services in the county.

The report stated there was still “more to do” but noted: “The local area partnership has improved the quality of its data. It uses the ‘SEND Partnership Data Dashboard’ well both strategically and operationally.

“The area now reviews comprehensive information to address gaps in provision. Therefore, more children and young people’s needs are identified accurately, and appropriate services are provided to meet these needs.”

A second priority action was for leaders to “work more collaboratively” with all partners involved in SEND provision.

The report also noted “effective action” for this, adding: “The local area partnership has worked at pace to implement improved governance arrangements.

“Rigorous quality assurance underpins the area’s work. There has been significant financial investment in the SEND system.

“There is a tangible improvement in collaboration across health, social care and education.”

However, the report also noted that despite recent improvements, the cohort of over 500 Hertfordshire schools has a mixed experience of the support from the local area partnership

Cllr Mark Watkin, executive member for education, SEND and inclusion at Hertfordshire County Council, said: “Our improvement journey is by no means over, we know there is more to be done. It is, however, important that we recognise how far we have come and thank all staff, partners and contributors for their shared dedication and hard work in improving outcomes for children and young people in Hertfordshire.

“We know that our improvements are not yet being felt by everyone, and there are still things we must improve.

“We will continue to work collaboratively across the partnership to address the challenges we face locally and continue to call for national reform to address challenges being faced by local authorities across the country.

“We’re committed to building upon improvements made so far so that children and young people with SEND in Hertfordshire receive the support and opportunities they deserve.”

Professor Natalie Hammond, director of safeguarding and complex care at the NHS Hertfordshire and West Essex Integrated Care Board, said: “Patients are at the heart of everything we do in the NHS and we always want to ensure the best quality care and support.

“Our joint partnership improvement plan has demonstrated our commitment to delivering changes for children and young people who have additional needs.

“We remain committed to continued partnership working and building upon these improvements to ensure we are doing everything we can to support our children and young people with SEND.”