Report Acknowledges Improvement in Hounslow SEND Provision
Inspectors highlight inconsistent outcomes for children
'Lots of positive changes' in the borough. Picture: Hounslow Council
December 20, 2024
A report has been published this week into the provision for children and young people with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND ) in the borough of Hounslow.
While the inspectors from Ofsted and the Care Quality Commission acknowledge positive change in the service since the last report in 2022, they have highlighted inconsistent experiences and outcomes which require improvements to be made.
The report concludes, “There are lots of positive changes happening in Hounslow to make things better for children, young people and their families. However, some of these changes are new and it is too early to see the sustained impact of the local area’s work, for example in relation to increasing the number of young people in education, employment or training. Overall, the ‘lived experience’ of children, young people and their families is varied.”
It five key areas where there remains work still to do to improve the experiences and outcomes for families in the borough.
The borough was judged to be ‘going in the right direction,’ and co-production (a way of working together to design and improve services) with parents, carers, and wider stakeholders was deemed to have improved.
The report referenced examples of practitioners coming together to identify and support children's needs quickly in ‘early years’ and felt that ‘young people and their families can access effective help in times of crisis and/or if they are engaged with the mental health support team.’ The partnership’s introduction of monthly SEND Surgeries, where residents receive support and guidance across the borough, was given as an example of effective innovation, with parents describing officers as ‘very knowledgeable and helpful’ and the sessions being a positive improvement.
There was also praise for the ‘passion and ambition of professionals’ within the partnership. However, despite a ‘high proportion’ of EHC plans being received in a ‘timely way,’ with ‘the child or young person’s individual needs as golden threads’ running through them, some were ‘significantly out of date.’
The academic achievement of children and young people with SEND was commended along with specific projects to support young people into employment, including the offer of more opportunities for young people to follow a supported internship. The ‘Mainstream Inclusion Partnership' (MIP) an initiative designed to provide additional resource to schools, was judged to help improve children and young people’s experiences through ‘improved communication between schools and services’ and ‘additional resources’ that ‘meet the specific needs of children and young people.’ The MIP has supported over five hundred young people in the last 18 months.
The full report can be viewed here.
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