Pilot scheme to address Torbay's Send provision

The report found too many children waited an unacceptable time to have their needs accurately identified

A pilot scheme is being introduced in south Devon to address an Ofsted inspection into special educational needs and disabilities (Send) in Torbay which found widespread failings which should be addressed urgently.

The services are commissioned by the Torbay Local Area Partnership, made up of Torbay Council and NHS Devon Integrated Care Board.

The report found too many children and young people with Send waited an unacceptable time to have their needs accurately identified, assessed and met.

Torbay Council said it was trying to tackle the problem with a pilot locality model which it hoped would see children receiving Send provision sooner.

Ofsted said that, since its last inspection in 2021, many long-standing issues had remained unresolved.

These included waiting times for assessment and diagnosis, and the high proportion of children and young people with Send being excluded from school.

It said too many children and young people with Send in Torbay had poor experiences due to lack of access to the right provision and support.

Tommy, 7, is now being home educated by his mother Rachel

Tommy, 7, who has autism, was receiving one-to-one support in school.

His mother Rachel said this was withdrawn at the start of the latest academic year so she wais now forced to educate him at home.

She said: "We've gone from a situation in just a couple of weeks, really, where he was thriving, hitting all of his targets in excess actually, doing brilliantly and suddenly he's had to come out because he can't cope with just day-to-day aspects of the school life.

"It's meant that our household has been turned upside down."

The partnership said it was trying to tackle the problem by introducing a pilot scheme call a locality model which meant children received Send provision, earlier in the process.

Nick Bye, lead member for children's services at Torbay Council, said he planned to visit South Gloucestershire which ran a similar scheme.

He said: "Schools [there] have access to support for children, or more support for children with special educational needs, particularly behavioural issues, particularly with speech, language and communication, right at the basics."

"They don't need then to rely on getting an EHCP (Education, Health and Care Plan) or the fight that sometimes there seems to be over getting an EHCP and the delays."

In a joint statement, Torbay Council and NHS Devon said: "We are committed to ongoing improvement across all Send provision and will continue to work with parents, carers and practitioners to develop and strengthen it"