County council publishes SEND improvement plan

The plan was announced on Monday (18 December) and has been created in partnership with health and social care organisations in the local area.

It aims to tackle the widespread and systemic failings highlighted in Oftsed and the Care Quality Commission’s (CQC) inspection report in July by setting out what will be achieved across five areas.

• The value of measuring SEND impact

• Children's Workforce Guide to Qualifications and Training 2023/24

These include gathering and acting on the views of children and young people with SEND, as well as improving the timeliness and quality assurance of education, health and care plans (EHCP).

Councillor Kate Gregory, Oxfordshire’s cabinet member for SEND improvement, said: “We recognise that we are only at the start of our improvement journey and that it will take time for real change to be felt by families. We are working hard as a partnership to ensure we have the right foundations in place to deliver real and lasting improved outcomes for children, young people and families.

“Progress has been made but much more is to come. I look forward to continuing to forge strong relationships with partners and with families with SEND children to ensure we do this together. We are all determined to make a real difference.”

A draft plan was submitted to the Department for Education on 24 October and was approved by Ofsted on 12 December.

The local area partnership includes Oxfordshire County Council, NHS Buckinghamshire, Oxfordshire and Berkshire West Integrated Care Board and the parent carer forum (PCF), the official body for the voice of parent carers.

The organisations will continue to work with Ofsted and the CQC, prioritising actions to ensure immediate improvement for children and young people with SEND and their families, the plan states.

Rachael Corser, Buckinghamshire, Oxfordshire and Berkshire West Integrated Care Board’s chief nursing officer, said: “As health and care partners, we’re fully committed to improving Oxfordshire’s SEND services.

“There is still a way to go, but by working together with families we are starting to make a difference to the way children and young people get the support they deserve.”