OFSTED has judged Surrey County Council services for children with special educational needs (SEND) are no longer ‘inadequate.

The education watchdog says progress has been made in four out of five areas of weakness.

But the latest report on SEND and disability services found that actions taken since the last inspection to reduce absences from school have not had enough impact.

Surrey County Council, the six Surrey clinical commissioning groups and Family Voice Surrey welcomed the report.

After speaking to children, young people, parents and carers as well as school, health and council partners, the inspectors found improvements in:

* The timeliness and quality of statutory assessments and plans

* The involvement of children, parents and carers in the planning and evaluation of services, and the promotion of the local offer.

* The local area’s management information and administration processes.

* The early identification of special educational needs by schools.

Local area leads recognise the need for all parties to work together with young people and their families to uncover the causes of higher rates of absence among young people with SEND.

Dave Hill, the county council’s executive director for children, families, lifelong learning and culture, said: “There are some early signs of progress, which I am pleased to see.

“However, this is the beginning of the improvement journey and there is much to do in the future to become a good service.

“Children, young people and their families will be at the heart of all we do.”

Further work is now under way to develop a joint Surrey-wide SEND strategy and long-term action plan.