North Yorkshire County Council has been praised by Ofsted for an “ambitious” approach to children with special educational needs.
A joint team made up of inspectors from Ofsted and the Care Quality Commission visited the council, based in Northallerton, on two occasions: over the summer and subsequently in October. In a newly published report they have rated the team’s approach to the issue across England’s largest county.
A system for identifying special needs early in the child’s life was regarded as particularly noteworthy, as was the counci’s approach to referring such youngsters on to appropriate services. This, the inspectors concluded, saved time and encouraged an accurate assessment of each child’s needs.
The Council’s work with special and mainstream schools to address the needs of affected youngsters was also singled out. However, the inspectors did note that the gap in attainment between mainstream pupils and children with special needs and other disabilities was wider than the national average across early years and primary education.
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