7:00am Tuesday 12th January 2010
By Bill Tanner
OFSTED says children’s services in Herefordshire have made marked improvements for a third year running.
The resulting report puts the way the council directorate works as now better than many other authorities of a similar size, with scores also comparing well against national settings.
But the quality of the directorate’s care services is mixed at best, with one specific sector being judged inadequate.
This is the third year running that children’s services have shown continuous improvement. The latest rating is put together from profile findings across the range of responsibilities Ofsted inspects.
Overall, Ofsted says children’s services is “performing well”. Among the key findings of the report are: ■ Children get a good start to their care and education in early years settings, although the quality of childminder settings is more variable.
■ Two thirds of primary and secondary schools are graded good or better, with post-16 provision in schools and colleges almost always good or outstanding.
■ Compared with similar areas and the national picture, inspection judgements for enjoying and achieving are in line with or better than in the large majority of settings and services.
■ Quality of education provision for vulnerable children and young people is good, with three of four special schools good or better and all three pupil referral units outstanding.
■ Performance against the very large majority of national indicators is in line with or better than in similar areas and the national picture.
However, the report revealed the quality of care services for children and young people to be mixed. A recent inspection found the fostering service to be good and the adoption service adequate, but private fostering arrangements inadequate.
Latest budget projections put children’s services on course for a near £1 million overspend on its £24 million budget for 2009/2010.
In November, the council’s cabinet heard that spending on child safeguarding alone – which accounts for about £12 million of the budget – was now a major area of concern for the authority.
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