An improvement notice for SEND services in Oxfordshire issued following an inspection by Ofsted and the Care Quality Commission in 2023 has been lifted.

Oxfordshire County Council and NHS Thames Valley ICB (NHS Thames Valley) received a letter from education secretary Bridget Phillipson recognising ongoing improvements in services.

Cllr Sean Gaul, Oxfordshire County Council's cabinet member for children, education and young people's services, said: ‘The Government's decision to remove the improvement notice is encouraging. Close partnership working has helped us to review, reset and rebuild services.

‘The Government does, quite rightly, expect the services and support we collectively provide to keep getting better. We are committed to this and will continue to engage and listen to children, young people with SEND and their families as part of our improvement journey.'

The letter notes improvements in communication and information sharing across the local area partnership (LAP), including monitoring the impact of the partnership's actions and enhanced timeliness of education and health care plans.

Significant progress in jointly commissioning services and reducing waiting times for critical support, was also acknowledged by the secretary of state in her letter.

The LAP includes Oxfordshire County Council; NHS Thames Valley ICB (formerly NHS Buckinghamshire, Oxfordshire and Berkshire West ICB); Oxford Health NHS Foundation Trust; Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust; Oxfordshire Parent Carer Forum; and professional subject matter leads.

Lee Peart is editor of Hemming Group’s Healthcare Management magazine.