Ofsted Annual Report – LGA response

Responding to the Ofsted Annual Report, Cllr Arooj Shah, Chair of the Local Government Association’s Children and Young People Board, said:

“This report rightly highlights the key challenges facing education and children’s social care.

“We continue to call for urgent reform to the SEND system, and the need to improve mainstream inclusion in schools to address rising need. Ofsted should also pause SEND area inspections and instead focus on the national, systemic issues within the SEND system.

“We also share Ofsted’s concerns around homes for children in care, especially those who need the most specialist support. The Government’s recent policy paper offered helpful measures to start to address this challenge, and we want to continue working with them to make sure we can make swift progress on improving the lives of all children in our care.

“Fundamental to all of this is a cross-government plan for children, identifying the ways in which all departments and their associated local agencies can support better outcomes for children – supported by improved budget sharing at a local level.”