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Local Area inspection of the effectiveness of SEND in Bury Council

Re-visit of Bury SEND services confirms that provision has improved

Provision for children with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) in Bury has improved in areas that were previously highlighted as being of concern.

These services were originally inspected by Ofsted and the Care Quality Commission (CQC) in June 2017, where eight areas of weakness needing improvement were identified.

Since then, a huge amount of work has taken place involving partners in health, social care and education services, working with children, young people and their families to improve services.

Inspectors from Ofsted and the CQC (Care Quality Commission) re-visited Bury in May 2019, and found that progress had been made in all areas of concern, with sufficient progress made in the following five areas:

  • Strategic leadership and vision to drive forward the reforms.

  • Co-production being at the heart of strategic considerations.

  • Services working together for children and young people with SEND.

  • Awareness and understanding of the local offer.

  • That children's SEND are accurately and consistently identified by schools.

Local area's response to Ofsted findings

Following on from the inspection findings, the Local Authority, in partnership with the CCG and partners has prepared a written Statement of Action that was submitted to Ofsted, Her Majesty's Chief Inspector, Department for Education, Department for Health and Care Quality Commission on the 31 October 2017. This statement of action is focused on the eight areas of weakness found.

It is important to note that some of the short comings found in the Inspection had already been identified and an external review of SEND in education had already been commissioned. The outcomes of that review, together with the Statement of Action, will focus the work of the LA and its partners going forward, with emphasis on our joint work / co-production of services within the whole local area including partner agencies and also parents / carers and young people, to ensure we have one strategic vision for the whole Bury Local Area.

Ofsted has confirmed that the Written Statement of Action accurately responds to the inspection outcomes.

Joint Inspection - 12 June 2017 to 16 June 2017

Ofsted and the Care Quality Commission (CQC) carried out a joint inspection of Bury from 12 June 2017 to 16 June 2017.

This inspection evaluates Bury Council's effectiveness in:

  • identifying the needs of children and young people who have special educational needs and/or disabilities;
  • meeting the needs of these children and young people so that their outcomes and chances of participating fully in society improve.

Inspectors gathered the views of children and young people who have special educational needs and/or disabilities, and the views of their parents and carers as part of the inspection process.

The Inspection findings can be read in the Bury SEND Report, this can be found in the Downloads section.

Important information for parents and carers

Information on local area duties toward children and young people with special educational needs and/or disabilities can be found at Gov.uk - SEND: guide for parents and carers.

Downloads