very child and youthful particular person with specific tutorial desires or disabilities must have entry to high-quality corporations. The place a council would not meet their requirements to provide relevant assist for these children, we cannot hesitate to take movement that prioritises their desires and brings about speedy enchancment.” – Division for Coaching, October 2021
“Has one thing improved since October 2021? No. And I really feel that is truly is the place the issue is. It’s all about have an effect on. And for people, for households, until the have an effect on is felt, there is not a enchancment.” Sabiha Aziz, Chair of Birmingham Guardian Carer Dialogue board, February 2023
In present SNJ posts, we’ve explored how native area SEND inspections work. Nevertheless what happens when an space area’s SEND service fails inspection nonetheless doesn’t improve adequate?
On this event, accountability will get handed over to the Division for Coaching and NHS England, who decide what happens subsequent. It will – and usually, does – embrace formal intervention.
Birmingham is presently primarily essentially the most high-profile occasion of this. It’s a canary inside the accountability coal mine for the rest of us. So, what’s occurring there, and is the movement being taken bringing in regards to the “speedy enchancment” that the DfE promised?
Birmingham Backstory
Birmingham is England’s largest native authority, and its SEND corporations have been a mess for properly over a decade. When Ofsted and the Care Prime quality Price inspected Birmingham’s SEND corporations in 2018, they acknowledged 13 vital weaknesses – along with defective administration, a shortage of strategic planning, and functionality and custom points at operational stage.
Ofsted and CQC re-visited Birmingham in Would possibly 2021, as they revisit all areas that fail their preliminary inspection. They assessed that shamefully, solely one among these 13 vital weaknesses had been sorted out to their satisfaction. In October 2021, the Division for Coaching took movement. For the first time ever, they appointed an exterior SEND Commissioner – John Coughlan – to drive enchancment of Birmingham’s SEND corporations.
So who’s John Coughlan, and the way in which’s he getting on?
Troubleshooting from the hip
Like a variety of the DfE’s preferred SEND trouble-shooters, John Coughlan has a background in native authorities. Mr Coughlan was Director of Children’s Firms (and subsequently Chief Govt) of Hampshire Council for lots of the 2010s. He’s helped flip spherical numerous underperforming councils. That’s his first specific crack at SEND.
So did Mr Coughlan run a high quality SEND service in his private LA? I moved into Coughlan’s LA inside the early 2010s. Whereas I’ve truly expert worse elsewhere, the SEND service he ran in Hampshire was gentle years away from good. Our case officers have been good – nonetheless the choices their managers made have been appalling, with repeated makes an try and strip specified and quantified aspect from my children’ plans.
The transition over to the EHCP system left my children with draft plans which have been far worse than their earlier statements of SEN. We solely obtained properly timed secondary transition sorted as quickly as we talked concerning the phrases ‘judicial consider’.
There have been plenty of of Hampshire households within the equivalent boat as us when Mr Coughlan was steering the ship. So it was a shock to all of us to see that he’d been appointed to type out Birmingham SEND.
Nailing SENDIASS
As quickly as he started as a result of the DfE’s SEND Commissioner for Birmingham, Mr Coughlan spent the first few months getting the lie of the land. In spring 2022, he wrote a report for the DfE – you could possibly discover it proper right here.
In his report, Mr Coughlan made 15 preliminary ideas. Definitely one in every of his highest priority ideas was to guage operations at Birmingham’s SEND Information, Suggestion and Assist Service (SENDIASS).
This consider was carried out last summer season season, by a advertising and marketing guide working for the Nationwide Children’s Bureau (NCB). Each native SENDIASS has to fulfill 20 ‘minimal necessities.’ The consider report states that Birmingham’s SENDIASS did not fulfill 85% of those necessities – conclusions that Mr Coughlan described as a “devastating critique.”
So how harmful is it? The strategy, coping with and dissemination of this ‘neutral consider’ has been irregular, to position it mildly. The reviewer seems to have interviewed just one mom or father. SENDIASS employees received no formal correct of reply. The consider report is owned by council officers, who locked down distribution and dialogue of its contents for lots of months. Among the many SEND Commissioner’s correspondence was leaked to native media.
A redacted mannequin of the NCB consider report has solely recently made its method into most people space, by means of a council scrutiny committee. You could study it proper right here.
Birmingham SENDIASS too helpful for comfort?
For years, Birmingham’s SENDIASS has been an unusual setup. Firstly, its work lined points (along with ‘entrance door’ SEND service referrals) that go properly previous what SENDIASS normally does. Native mom and father and professionals say this occurred on account of core council-commissioned corporations that must be carrying thisvery child and youthful particular person with specific tutorial desires or disabilities must have entry to high-quality corporations. The place a council would not meet their requirements to provide relevant assist for these children, we cannot hesitate to take movement that prioritises their desires and brings about speedy enchancment.” – Division for Coaching, October 2021
“Has one thing improved since October 2021? No. And I really feel that is truly is the place the issue is. It’s all about have an effect on. And for people, for households, until the have an effect on is felt, there is not a enchancment.” Sabiha Aziz, Chair of Birmingham Guardian Carer Dialogue board, February 2023
In present SNJ posts, we’ve explored how native area SEND inspections work. Nevertheless what happens when an space area’s SEND service fails inspection nonetheless doesn’t improve adequate?
On this event, accountability will get handed over to the Division for Coaching and NHS England, who decide what happens subsequent. It will – and usually, does – embrace formal intervention.
Birmingham is presently primarily essentially the most high-profile occasion of this. It’s a canary inside the accountability coal mine for the rest of us. So, what’s occurring there, and is the movement being taken bringing in regards to the “speedy enchancment” that the DfE promised?
Birmingham Backstory
Birmingham is England’s largest native authority, and its SEND corporations have been a mess for properly over a decade. When Ofsted and the Care Prime quality Price inspected Birmingham’s SEND corporations in 2018, they acknowledged 13 vital weaknesses – along with defective administration, a shortage of strategic planning, and functionality and custom points at operational stage.
Ofsted and CQC re-visited Birmingham in Would possibly 2021, as they revisit all areas that fail their preliminary inspection. They assessed that shamefully, solely one among these 13 vital weaknesses had been sorted out to their satisfaction. In October 2021, the Division for Coaching took movement. For the first time ever, they appointed an exterior SEND Commissioner – John Coughlan – to drive enchancment of Birmingham’s SEND corporations.
So who’s John Coughlan, and the way in which’s he getting on?
Troubleshooting from the hip
Like a variety of the DfE’s preferred SEND trouble-shooters, John Coughlan has a background in native authorities. Mr Coughlan was Director of Children’s Firms (and subsequently Chief Govt) of Hampshire Council for lots of the 2010s. He’s helped flip spherical numerous underperforming councils. That’s his first specific crack at SEND.
So did Mr Coughlan run a high quality SEND service in his private LA? I moved into Coughlan’s LA inside the early 2010s. Whereas I’ve truly expert worse elsewhere, the SEND service he ran in Hampshire was gentle years away from good. Our case officers have been good – nonetheless the choices their managers made have been appalling, with repeated makes an try and strip specified and quantified aspect from my children’ plans.
The transition over to the EHCP system left my children with draft plans which have been far worse than their earlier statements of SEN. We solely obtained properly timed secondary transition sorted as quickly as we talked concerning the phrases ‘judicial consider’.
There have been plenty of of Hampshire households within the equivalent boat as us when Mr Coughlan was steering the ship. So it was a shock to all of us to see that he’d been appointed to type out Birmingham SEND.
Nailing SENDIASS
As quickly as he started as a result of the DfE’s SEND Commissioner for Birmingham, Mr Coughlan spent the first few months getting the lie of the land. In spring 2022, he wrote a report for the DfE – you could possibly discover it proper right here.
In his report, Mr Coughlan made 15 preliminary ideas. Definitely one in every of his highest priority ideas was to guage operations at Birmingham’s SEND Information, Suggestion and Assist Service (SENDIASS).
This consider was carried out last summer season season, by a advertising and marketing guide working for the Nationwide Children’s Bureau (NCB). Each native SENDIASS has to fulfill 20 ‘minimal necessities.’ The consider report states that Birmingham’s SENDIASS did not fulfill 85% of those necessities – conclusions that Mr Coughlan described as a “devastating critique.”
So how harmful is it? The strategy, coping with and dissemination of this ‘neutral consider’ has been irregular, to position it mildly. The reviewer seems to have interviewed just one mom or father. SENDIASS employees received no formal correct of reply. The consider report is owned by council officers, who locked down distribution and dialogue of its contents for lots of months. Among the many SEND Commissioner’s correspondence was leaked to native media.
A redacted mannequin of the NCB consider report has solely recently made its method into most people space, by means of a council scrutiny committee. You could study it proper right here.
Birmingham SENDIASS too helpful for comfort?
For years, Birmingham’s SENDIASS has been an unusual setup. Firstly, its work lined points (along with ‘entrance door’ SEND service referrals) that go properly previous what SENDIASS normally does. Native mom and father and professionals say this occurred on account of core council-commissioned corporations that must be carrying thisvery child and youthful particular person with specific tutorial desires or disabilities must have entry to high-quality corporations. The place a council would not meet their requirements to provide relevant assist for these children, we cannot hesitate to take movement that prioritises their desires and brings about speedy enchancment.” – Division for Coaching, October 2021
“Has one thing improved since October 2021? No. And I really feel that is truly is the place the issue is. It’s all about have an effect on. And for people, for households, until the have an effect on is felt, there is not a enchancment.” Sabiha Aziz, Chair of Birmingham Guardian Carer Dialogue board, February 2023
In present SNJ posts, we’ve explored how native area SEND inspections work. Nevertheless what happens when an space area’s SEND service fails inspection nonetheless doesn’t improve adequate?
On this event, accountability will get handed over to the Division for Coaching and NHS England, who decide what happens subsequent. It will – and usually, does – embrace formal intervention.
Birmingham is presently primarily essentially the most high-profile occasion of this. It’s a canary inside the accountability coal mine for the rest of us. So, what’s occurring there, and is the movement being taken bringing in regards to the “speedy enchancment” that the DfE promised?
Birmingham Backstory
Birmingham is England’s largest native authority, and its SEND corporations have been a mess for properly over a decade. When Ofsted and the Care Prime quality Price inspected Birmingham’s SEND corporations in 2018, they acknowledged 13 vital weaknesses – along with defective administration, a shortage of strategic planning, and functionality and custom points at operational stage.
Ofsted and CQC re-visited Birmingham in Would possibly 2021, as they revisit all areas that fail their preliminary inspection. They assessed that shamefully, solely one among these 13 vital weaknesses had been sorted out to their satisfaction. In October 2021, the Division for Coaching took movement. For the first time ever, they appointed an exterior SEND Commissioner – John Coughlan – to drive enchancment of Birmingham’s SEND corporations.
So who’s John Coughlan, and the way in which’s he getting on?
Troubleshooting from the hip
Like a variety of the DfE’s preferred SEND trouble-shooters, John Coughlan has a background in native authorities. Mr Coughlan was Director of Children’s Firms (and subsequently Chief Govt) of Hampshire Council for lots of the 2010s. He’s helped flip spherical numerous underperforming councils. That’s his first specific crack at SEND.
So did Mr Coughlan run a high quality SEND service in his private LA? I moved into Coughlan’s LA inside the early 2010s. Whereas I’ve truly expert worse elsewhere, the SEND service he ran in Hampshire was gentle years away from good. Our case officers have been good – nonetheless the choices their managers made have been appalling, with repeated makes an try and strip specified and quantified aspect from my children’ plans.
The transition over to the EHCP system left my children with draft plans which have been far worse than their earlier statements of SEN. We solely obtained properly timed secondary transition sorted as quickly as we talked concerning the phrases ‘judicial consider’.
There have been plenty of of Hampshire households within the equivalent boat as us when Mr Coughlan was steering the ship. So it was a shock to all of us to see that he’d been appointed to type out Birmingham SEND.
Nailing SENDIASS
As quickly as he started as a result of the DfE’s SEND Commissioner for Birmingham, Mr Coughlan spent the first few months getting the lie of the land. In spring 2022, he wrote a report for the DfE – you could possibly discover it proper right here.
In his report, Mr Coughlan made 15 preliminary ideas. Definitely one in every of his highest priority ideas was to guage operations at Birmingham’s SEND Information, Suggestion and Assist Service (SENDIASS).
This consider was carried out last summer season season, by a advertising and marketing guide working for the Nationwide Children’s Bureau (NCB). Each native SENDIASS has to fulfill 20 ‘minimal necessities.’ The consider report states that Birmingham’s SENDIASS did not fulfill 85% of those necessities – conclusions that Mr Coughlan described as a “devastating critique.”
So how harmful is it? The strategy, coping with and dissemination of this ‘neutral consider’ has been irregular, to position it mildly. The reviewer seems to have interviewed just one mom or father. SENDIASS employees received no formal correct of reply. The consider report is owned by council officers, who locked down distribution and dialogue of its contents for lots of months. Among the many SEND Commissioner’s correspondence was leaked to native media.
A redacted mannequin of the NCB consider report has solely recently made its method into most people space, by means of a council scrutiny committee. You could study it proper right here.
Birmingham SENDIASS too helpful for comfort?
For years, Birmingham’s SENDIASS has been an unusual setup. Firstly, its work lined points (along with ‘entrance door’ SEND service referrals) that go properly previous what SENDIASS normally does. Native mom and father and professionals say this occurred on account of core council-commissioned corporations that must be carrying thisvery child and youthful particular person with specific tutorial desires or disabilities must have entry to high-quality corporations. The place a council would not meet their requirements to provide relevant assist for these children, we cannot hesitate to take movement that prioritises their desires and brings about speedy enchancment.” – Division for Coaching, October 2021
“Has one thing improved since October 2021? No. And I really feel that is truly is the place the issue is. It’s all about have an effect on. And for people, for households, until the have an effect on is felt, there is not a enchancment.” Sabiha Aziz, Chair of Birmingham Guardian Carer Dialogue board, February 2023
In present SNJ posts, we’ve explored how native area SEND inspections work. Nevertheless what happens when an space area’s SEND service fails inspection nonetheless doesn’t improve adequate?
On this event, accountability will get handed over to the Division for Coaching and NHS England, who decide what happens subsequent. It will – and usually, does – embrace formal intervention.
Birmingham is presently primarily essentially the most high-profile occasion of this. It’s a canary inside the accountability coal mine for the rest of us. So, what’s occurring there, and is the movement being taken bringing in regards to the “speedy enchancment” that the DfE promised?
Birmingham Backstory
Birmingham is England’s largest native authority, and its SEND corporations have been a mess for properly over a decade. When Ofsted and the Care Prime quality Price inspected Birmingham’s SEND corporations in 2018, they acknowledged 13 vital weaknesses – along with defective administration, a shortage of strategic planning, and functionality and custom points at operational stage.
Ofsted and CQC re-visited Birmingham in Would possibly 2021, as they revisit all areas that fail their preliminary inspection. They assessed that shamefully, solely one among these 13 vital weaknesses had been sorted out to their satisfaction. In October 2021, the Division for Coaching took movement. For the first time ever, they appointed an exterior SEND Commissioner – John Coughlan – to drive enchancment of Birmingham’s SEND corporations.
So who’s John Coughlan, and the way in which’s he getting on?
Troubleshooting from the hip
Like a variety of the DfE’s preferred SEND trouble-shooters, John Coughlan has a background in native authorities. Mr Coughlan was Director of Children’s Firms (and subsequently Chief Govt) of Hampshire Council for lots of the 2010s. He’s helped flip spherical numerous underperforming councils. That’s his first specific crack at SEND.
So did Mr Coughlan run a high quality SEND service in his private LA? I moved into Coughlan’s LA inside the early 2010s. Whereas I’ve truly expert worse elsewhere, the SEND service he ran in Hampshire was gentle years away from good. Our case officers have been good – nonetheless the choices their managers made have been appalling, with repeated makes an try and strip specified and quantified aspect from my children’ plans.
The transition over to the EHCP system left my children with draft plans which have been far worse than their earlier statements of SEN. We solely obtained properly timed secondary transition sorted as quickly as we talked concerning the phrases ‘judicial consider’.
There have been plenty of of Hampshire households within the equivalent boat as us when Mr Coughlan was steering the ship. So it was a shock to all of us to see that he’d been appointed to type out Birmingham SEND.
Nailing SENDIASS
As quickly as he started as a result of the DfE’s SEND Commissioner for Birmingham, Mr Coughlan spent the first few months getting the lie of the land. In spring 2022, he wrote a report for the DfE – you could possibly discover it proper right here.
In his report, Mr Coughlan made 15 preliminary ideas. Definitely one in every of his highest priority ideas was to guage operations at Birmingham’s SEND Information, Suggestion and Assist Service (SENDIASS).
This consider was carried out last summer season season, by a advertising and marketing guide working for the Nationwide Children’s Bureau (NCB). Each native SENDIASS has to fulfill 20 ‘minimal necessities.’ The consider report states that Birmingham’s SENDIASS did not fulfill 85% of those necessities – conclusions that Mr Coughlan described as a “devastating critique.”
So how harmful is it? The strategy, coping with and dissemination of this ‘neutral consider’ has been irregular, to position it mildly. The reviewer seems to have interviewed just one mom or father. SENDIASS employees received no formal correct of reply. The consider report is owned by council officers, who locked down distribution and dialogue of its contents for lots of months. Among the many SEND Commissioner’s correspondence was leaked to native media.
A redacted mannequin of the NCB consider report has solely recently made its method into most people space, by means of a council scrutiny committee. You could study it proper right here.
Birmingham SENDIASS too helpful for comfort?
For years, Birmingham’s SENDIASS has been an unusual setup. Firstly, its work lined points (along with ‘entrance door’ SEND service referrals) that go properly previous what SENDIASS normally does. Native mom and father and professionals say this occurred on account of core council-commissioned corporations that must be carrying thisvery child and youthful particular person with specific tutorial desires or disabilities must have entry to high-quality corporations. The place a council would not meet their requirements to provide relevant assist for these children, we cannot hesitate to take movement that prioritises their desires and brings about speedy enchancment.” – Division for Coaching, October 2021
“Has one thing improved since October 2021? No. And I really feel that is truly is the place the issue is. It’s all about have an effect on. And for people, for households, until the have an effect on is felt, there is not a enchancment.” Sabiha Aziz, Chair of Birmingham Guardian Carer Dialogue board, February 2023
In present SNJ posts, we’ve explored how native area SEND inspections work. Nevertheless what happens when an space area’s SEND service fails inspection nonetheless doesn’t improve adequate?
On this event, accountability will get handed over to the Division for Coaching and NHS England, who decide what happens subsequent. It will – and usually, does – embrace formal intervention.
Birmingham is presently primarily essentially the most high-profile occasion of this. It’s a canary inside the accountability coal mine for the rest of us. So, what’s occurring there, and is the movement being taken bringing in regards to the “speedy enchancment” that the DfE promised?
Birmingham Backstory
Birmingham is England’s largest native authority, and its SEND corporations have been a mess for properly over a decade. When Ofsted and the Care Prime quality Price inspected Birmingham’s SEND corporations in 2018, they acknowledged 13 vital weaknesses – along with defective administration, a shortage of strategic planning, and functionality and custom points at operational stage.
Ofsted and CQC re-visited Birmingham in Would possibly 2021, as they revisit all areas that fail their preliminary inspection. They assessed that shamefully, solely one among these 13 vital weaknesses had been sorted out to their satisfaction. In October 2021, the Division for Coaching took movement. For the first time ever, they appointed an exterior SEND Commissioner – John Coughlan – to drive enchancment of Birmingham’s SEND corporations.
So who’s John Coughlan, and the way in which’s he getting on?
Troubleshooting from the hip
Like a variety of the DfE’s preferred SEND trouble-shooters, John Coughlan has a background in native authorities. Mr Coughlan was Director of Children’s Firms (and subsequently Chief Govt) of Hampshire Council for lots of the 2010s. He’s helped flip spherical numerous underperforming councils. That’s his first specific crack at SEND.
So did Mr Coughlan run a high quality SEND service in his private LA? I moved into Coughlan’s LA inside the early 2010s. Whereas I’ve truly expert worse elsewhere, the SEND service he ran in Hampshire was gentle years away from good. Our case officers have been good – nonetheless the choices their managers made have been appalling, with repeated makes an try and strip specified and quantified aspect from my children’ plans.
The transition over to the EHCP system left my children with draft plans which have been far worse than their earlier statements of SEN. We solely obtained properly timed secondary transition sorted as quickly as we talked concerning the phrases ‘judicial consider’.
There have been plenty of of Hampshire households within the equivalent boat as us when Mr Coughlan was steering the ship. So it was a shock to all of us to see that he’d been appointed to type out Birmingham SEND.
Nailing SENDIASS
As quickly as he started as a result of the DfE’s SEND Commissioner for Birmingham, Mr Coughlan spent the first few months getting the lie of the land. In spring 2022, he wrote a report for the DfE – you could possibly discover it proper right here.
In his report, Mr Coughlan made 15 preliminary ideas. Definitely one in every of his highest priority ideas was to guage operations at Birmingham’s SEND Information, Suggestion and Assist Service (SENDIASS).
This consider was carried out last summer season season, by a advertising and marketing guide working for the Nationwide Children’s Bureau (NCB). Each native SENDIASS has to fulfill 20 ‘minimal necessities.’ The consider report states that Birmingham’s SENDIASS did not fulfill 85% of those necessities – conclusions that Mr Coughlan described as a “devastating critique.”
So how harmful is it? The strategy, coping with and dissemination of this ‘neutral consider’ has been irregular, to position it mildly. The reviewer seems to have interviewed just one mom or father. SENDIASS employees received no formal correct of reply. The consider report is owned by council officers, who locked down distribution and dialogue of its contents for lots of months. Among the many SEND Commissioner’s correspondence was leaked to native media.
A redacted mannequin of the NCB consider report has solely recently made its method into most people space, by means of a council scrutiny committee. You could study it proper right here.
Birmingham SENDIASS too helpful for comfort?
For years, Birmingham’s SENDIASS has been an unusual setup. Firstly, its work lined points (along with ‘entrance door’ SEND service referrals) that go properly previous what SENDIASS normally does. Native mom and father and professionals say this occurred on account of core council-commissioned corporations that must be carrying this
