Between 27 January and 31 January 2020, Ofsted and the Care Quality Commission (CQC) conducted a joint inspection of the local area of Shropshire to judge the effectiveness of the area in implementing the disability and special educational needs reforms as set out in the Children and Families Act 2014.

Their findings are now available to view, as is the reaction to those findings from Karen Bradshaw (acting interim chief executive of Shropshire Council and executive director of Childrens Services), and Claire Parker (director of partnerships (Shropshire CCG)):

"We have carefully considered the inspectors’ report and welcome the fact that it identifies a number of strengths and good work that Shropshire Council, the CCG, education settings and other partners are doing to help and support children and young people with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) in Shropshire.

However, we recognise that we haven’t yet got everything right and acknowledge that there are some SEND services and support that require development, and we want to assure parents that professionals across Shropshire are committed to providing the best possible support for our children and young people.

As requested, we will now be providing a written statement of action. This enables us to reflect on the reported areas for development and compile an action plan detailing how we intend to address the weaknesses identified in the report. 

We want to reassure all parents and carers of children and young people with SEND that we are committed to providing the best possible education and care for their children, and will continue to do so."