红桃影视

Ofsted will ramp up its scrutiny of schools accused of “putting off” children with special educational needs (SEND) from applying for a place, its chief inspector has said.

Sir Martyn Oliver told school leaders today that 鈥渙ff-rolling is wrong, but it can come in many forms, including putting children or families off before they even apply鈥�.

鈥淪o, there will continue to be consequences for schools that push children out.鈥� 

Questioned by Schools Week on what Ofsted will do, Oliver said where they “hear cases” or “receive notifications” and complaints from parents, 鈥渨e will ask leaders about those questions and we will follow them up sensitively, but we will ask those questions鈥�.

鈥淲e鈥檝e always done that but it鈥檚 something that I want to pay even more attention to going forward without crossing into the role of the [Local Government and Social Care] ombudsman who looks after admissions.鈥�

Oliver said councils had 鈥渋nsights鈥� on when children moved school, moved to elective home education or were missing education. 

Ofsted also looks at national and local data on the proportion of children with SEND and education, health and care plans, and 鈥渨here we see schools out of kilter, we do want to ask leaders why that might be the case”.

He said there 鈥渕ight be very good reasons locally鈥� for this. 

Oliver ‘troubled’ by off-rolling

Ofsted is currently conducting its , and Oliver said some leaders had reported schools telling parents they were “not best suited to meet the needs of their child鈥�, though he acknowledged this can sometimes be “genuine”. 

But 鈥渨here there are leaders who are perceived by their local schools to say that another school has the best provision for SEND students then that troubles me greatly.

鈥淎 child with an education, health and care plan, their parents have a right to choose their school and to go to the top of the list. It鈥檚 mostly people with special needs where we hear it the most.鈥�

DfE research previously found that while some schools had 鈥渓egitimate鈥� reasons for saying they could not meet the needs of pupils with EHCPs, a 鈥渕inority鈥� of schools and trusts used 鈥渋nappropriate and unlawful practices鈥� to 鈥渁void鈥� admitting these children.

Schools 鈥渟ubtly鈥� dissuaded parents by claiming they could not meet their child鈥檚 needs, the research found. But it happens 鈥渙vertly鈥� too, with some schools refusing admission.

A Schools Week investigation last year dug into inclusivity in mainstream schools. Basic data on how many EHCP pupils a school has can be problematic, as a low number could mean a school offers early support and that a statutory plan isn鈥檛 needed.