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Press release: Ofsted publishes 2010 children's services assessments

The outcomes of the annual children’s services assessments of local authorities in England for 2010 are published by Ofsted today.

This year’s performance assessments show that 20 councils are providing excellent services, double the number for the previous year. In addition, 77 councils are performing well, with 37 councils rated as providing adequate services. Twelve councils are performing poorly overall. The outcomes for six authorities are not being published today as further inspections are due to take place.

This assessment of the outcomes for children and young people in local areas is based on a new approach introduced in 2009. Judgements draw on the outcomes of direct observation of professional practice – including inspection of childcare, schools, child protection services and safeguarding, children’s social care and provision in the learning and skills sector. Ofsted uses the findings of the inspection and regulation reports of this full range of services, for which local authorities have some responsibility, either alone or in partnership.

Commenting on the ratings, Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector, Christine Gilbert, said:

'Once again the majority of councils are providing services for children and young people that are good or better. It is very pleasing to see the increase in the number of local authorities that are providing excellent services overall. It is particularly welcome that examples of excellence can be found up and down the country and in all types of local authority, from rural areas to metropolitan centres. These authorities are to be congratulated for the work they are doing to ensure children and young people in their area get the best possible start in life.

'In these very best authorities the expectations are high and the large majority of services are good or outstanding. Children and young people generally receive a consistently high level of support from the time they start in nurseries or childcare, through school and as they enter further education, training or employment. It is also the case that these authorities are well organised to keep children safe from harm – in particular, those children who are most at risk.

'The minority of councils that are performing poorly were put in this category primarily because they are not doing enough to keep children safe. Inadequacies have been identified in their approach to safeguarding children. These authorities know where improvements are needed and have plans in place to improve. There is much they can learn from the examples of those authorities who are performing well and excellently.'

The following table provides a breakdown of the number of councils achieving each grade in the 2010 children’s services ratings:

Within each level there will be differing standards of provision. For example, a rating of ‘performs excellently’ does not mean all aspects of provision are outstanding. Similarly, a rating of ‘performs poorly’ does not mean there are no adequate or even good aspects.

Ofsted has a statutory duty to provide an annual assessment of Children’s Services in England as set out in The Education and Inspections Act 2006.

In the best performing authorities:

• the very large majority of services ensure good or outstanding outcomes for all children and young people, including the most vulnerable
• children are supported well during their early years and at each stage of schooling up until they enter further education, work or training
• standards in schools are at least as good as in similar areas and often better
• arrangements work effectively to keep children safe from harm
• Children are helped to become healthy, active members of their schools and local communities
• expectations are high and all children are helped to make best use of their abilities, knowledge and skills to become successful individuals
• officers and councillors know where further improvements are needed and have clear plans to tackle any underperformance.

In authorities that perform poorly:

• there are inadequacies in the systems for keeping children and young people safe from harm
• schools – particularly secondary schools – are not performing well enough
• provision for those over the age of 16 is generally weak
• there are weaknesses in performance management systems and difficulties in recruiting and retaining staff
• serious shortcomings in children’s services, particularly safeguarding, have not been tackled.

List of local authorities

Notes for Editors

1. Individual letters to each local authority setting out their ratings are available on request from the press office. The content is embargoed until 00:01 on 9 December.

2. The following local authorities were judged to be performing excellently: Barnet, Bath and North East Somerset, Buckinghamshire, City of London, Hammersmith and Fulham, Hampshire, Havering, Hounslow, Kensington and Chelsea, Kingston Upon Thames, Lewisham, Lincolnshire, North Somerset, North Tyneside, Oldham, Richmond upon Thames, Sutton, Trafford, Wandsworth, York.

3. The following local authorities were judged to be performing poorly: Birmingham, Calderdale, Doncaster, Essex, Kent, Leeds, Nottinghamshire, Peterborough, Salford, Sandwell, Torbay, Worcestershire.

4. Six local authorities have been excluded from the 2010 data as outcomes of their annual assessment are subject to further inspection. These authorities are: Suffolk, West Sussex, Cheshire West, Haringey, Warrington and Cornwall.

5. The performance profile captures the main findings of Ofsted inspections and regulation together with data from the National Indicator Set and presents them all in a local profile.

It is in three Blocks – Block A groups all the findings of Ofsted inspections and regulation of services and settings. Block B includes inspections of Safeguarding and Looked After Children Services together with the serious case review evaluation and the outcomes of Joint Area Reviews undertaken since April 2006 and Block C groups the data from the National Indicator Set under the five Every Child Matters headings.

In coming to the annual rating, inspectors analyse the data in the profile with the emphasis on Blocks A and B. This means that the annual rating draws on a wide range of findings from front line inspection and regulation, drawing on the direct observation of professional practice, for example, in schools and children’s homes; the views of children and young people using those services; and interactions during inspection with managers and other stakeholders.

The profiles will be published on 9 December alongside the children’s services ratings letters for individual councils.

6. All judgements are made on the following four-point scale:

4 Performs excellently An organisation that significantly exceeds minimum requirements
3 Performs well An organisation that exceeds minimum requirements
2 Performs adequately An organisation that meets only minimum requirements
1 Performs poorly An organisation that does not meet minimum requirements

7. The Office for Standards in Education, Children's Services and Skills (Ofsted) regulates and inspects to achieve excellence in the care of children and young people, and in education and skills for learners of all ages. It regulates and inspects childcare and children's social care, and inspects the Children and Family Court Advisory Support Service (Cafcass), schools, colleges, initial teacher training, work-based learning and skills training, adult and community learning, and education and training in prisons and other secure establishments. It assesses council children’s services, and inspects services for looked after children, safeguarding and child protection.

8. The Ofsted Press Office can be contacted on 0300 123 1231 between 8.30am and 6.30pm Monday to Friday. Out of hours we can be reached on 07919 057359.

9. Percentages are rounded and do not always add exactly to 100.
 

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