Council praised for improvements in SEND provision

The latest meetings with NHS England and Wolverhampton council have made "sustainable progress", the government said

Commitment and hard work is helping to continue improving services in Wolverhampton for children and young people with special educational needs (SEND), government officials say.

The Department for Education (DfE) has been monitoring various aspects of the service and holds regular reviews to check on the authority's progress.

Its latest meeting, with NHS England and the council, revealed "sustainable progress" was being made that was having a positive impact.

City of Wolverhampton Council was told in 2021 that it must improve its services after an inspection by Ofsted and the Care Quality Commission.

It set out a Written Statement of Action in 2022 setting out plans for improvements.

A new resource base supporting SEND children in mainstream schools was agreed later that year and the council published a new strategy to improve support and standards for children in 2024.

Earlier this year, the outcome of a review meeting confirmed strong progress, with several areas of good practice highlighted.

The latest meeting reiterated the progress as well as areas requiring further development, the council said, which included a Written Statement of Action outlining steps partners would be taking to improve six areas.

How partners share information has improved and will be no longer be monitored and four of the other areas for improvement have already been "closed off", the council said.

'Congratulate you on progress'

Jon Dore, from the DfE, said: "I know this positive outcome is as a result of a great deal of commitment and hard work on the part of the local authority, the Integrated Care Board, families and front-line staff across education, health and social care.

"I would like to thank you for all that you are doing to support some of the most vulnerable children and young people in society, and to congratulate you on the progress you have made."

Councillor Jacqui Coogan, cabinet member for children, young people and education, said "excellent progress" had been made in SEND support in recent years.

"It is reassuring to hear the feedback from the Department of Education about this, and particularly the positive impact this work is having on children, young people and their families," she said.

"We know there is still more to do and we will continue working at pace to deliver the high standards our families with SEND expect and deserve, and so we will be looking to close off the one remaining area for improvement over the coming months."