Praise for citywide progress in SEND support
Plymouth’s SEND services have been praised by Ofsted and the Care Quality Commission (CQC) following a recent monitoring inspection, which found clear progress across the Local Area Partnership’s work to improve support for children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities.
Supporting children and young people with SEND is a shared priority for the whole city, not just one organisation. Inspectors found that Plymouth City Council, NHS Devon, Livewell Southwest, local schools and the University of Plymouth are working closely together to make services more connected and effective and that this united approach is genuinely improving children’s day-to-day experiences.
The report highlights how partners across education, health and care have changed how they work, with children and young people now playing a much stronger role in shaping services. Inspectors described a clear shift towards a more joined up, child centred approach that has helped families access support earlier, strengthened inclusion in schools and improved how the most vulnerable children are supported.
They also praised new ways of listening to young people, better early help for families, and closer collaboration between schools and health services – all contributing to more consistent, timely and compassionate support. Inspectors also note a significant drop in exclusions of children with SEND and stronger oversight of those with complex needs.
Councillor Sally Cresswell, Plymouth City Council Cabinet Member for Education, Skills and Apprenticeships, said: “This inspection was an opportunity for us to demonstrate the huge amount of work that we’ve done over the last two years to drive forward improvements for children, young people and families with SEND.
“This is an important moment for Plymouth, because the inspectors have recognised the huge effort being made across our whole partnership, not just the Council, but the NHS, Livewell, schools, colleges, the Parent Carer Forum and many others. Their insight and challenge have been vital in helping us work differently and put children at the heart of what we do.
“Families are beginning to feel the benefit of those changes, whether that’s getting support earlier, feeling more included in their school community or having their voices heard more clearly. We know there is more to do, but this report shows that, together, we are moving in the right direction.”
Claire Paddon from Plymouth Parent Carer Voice, added: “We are happy with the positive outcome from the monitoring inspection by Ofsted and the CQC. We are pleased to hear about the ongoing work that is being done across the partnership to continue to improve the outcomes for the children and young people with SEND in Plymouth.
“We are glad to be part of the local area partnership and delighted that the inspectors took the time to speak with parent carers in online meetings and through email responses to their requests for information. A huge thank you to all of the PPCV team and parent carers who took the time to participate and have their voices heard.”
Penny Smith, Chief Nursing Officer from NHS Devon said: “The inspection’s findings show what strong partnership can achieve. We’re determined to go further for children and young people in Plymouth and remain fully dedicated to improving the quality and accessibility of health services so that children and young people receive the support they need and deserve.”
Tracy Clasby, Strategic Lead for Children, Young People and Family Services at Livewell Southwest, said: “We are pleased that inspectors have recognised the great improvements the partnership has made for children, young people and families with SEND across Plymouth and we are committed to continuing to enhance the service we offer.”
Rob Williams, speaking for Plymouth schools on behalf of the Ted Wragg Trust, said: “Plymouth schools welcome this positive report and recognise the real progress being made through stronger partnership working across education, health and care. We are seeing increased impact in schools through earlier support, greater inclusion and better day-to-day experiences for children and young people with SEND, and we remain committed to continuing this work together for the benefit of families across our city.”
Simon Courtman, Medical Director for Communities and Families at UHP, said: “We are delighted to see the report recognise the progress being made for children and young people with SEND in Plymouth. As one of the partner organisations working on the priority action plan to support improvements for services, our teams have worked hard to make the required improvements.
“The inspectors highlighted those positive relationships across the partnership, the effort which has been made to improve waiting times for services and the support available while waiting. They did note however, that this experience can be inconsistent and young people continue to experience some long waits at times. We continue to focus on how both as an organisation and a partnership, we can keep improving these experiences and ensure timely access to services for young people.”
While the report acknowledges there are still challenges, including long waits for some specialist services, inspectors were clear that real and meaningful progress has been made. They confirmed that Plymouth’s Local Area Partnership has taken effective action in every one of the priority areas identified in 2023.
Partners will now update their shared SEND action plan, with a continued focus on making improvements easier for families to see and feel and ensuring that progress is sustained for the long term.
