Plymouth SEND services are failing - regulators

Plymouth's special needs services are experiencing 'widespread failings'

Services for children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) in Plymouth need urgent improvement, inspectors have said.

Ofsted and the Care Quality Commission (CQC) found "widespread failings" following a visit in June.

A report by the regulators said the needs of children in the city were not being identified at an early enough age.

Plymouth City Council said it would address the issues as a "priority".

Ofsted and the CQC said early intervention failures were leading to higher numbers of children being permanently excluded from school.

The regulators said: "Leaders are not working closely enough together to ensure that children with the most need currently in the system are prioritised, particularly those children and young people with needs across different services.

"As a result, some children and young people wait too long to get the help they need and get 'stuck' in the system."

'Drive urgent improvements'

They ordered service leaders to come up with a plan for turning things around ahead of a monitoring visit within 18 months.

Councillor Sally Cresswell, cabinet member for SEND, said it was her "number one priority" to "drive urgent improvements".

She said: "It is clear that our children, young people and their families have not all been receiving the high quality services and support that they need and deserve."

She added that organisations providing SEND services in the local area partnership with NHS Devon were under increasing pressure.

"Due to these pressures we had already identified necessary improvement work and will work together at pace to address this as well as the priorities highlighted in the inspection," she said.

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