Independent Monitoring
Monitoring independent special schools
Occasionally we place a child in an independent special school to cater for their needs. When this happens the council monitor the school and the service that it provides.
The process of commissioning these placements can be complex. We must ensure that the schools we use can provide the best possible outcomes for our children with SEND. This can take some time and can require checks and visits to the schools. These checks and visits are carried out by the School Improvement officer for Independent/Alternative and Specialist Education within North Lincolnshire Local Authority.
Independent Provision Monitoring Officer
North Lincolnshire Council employs the School Improvement Officer for Independent/Alternative and Specialist Education to provide an oversight and assurance that we are actively helping to raise standards in the providers. These standards are around all aspects of the service:
- education and learning
- child welfare and safety
- how parents, carers and children’s voices are heard.
Each independent school is visited every six months to check that they are:
- delivering the best service they can
- delivering the service the council wants
- maximising the potential of the young people and children placed there.
However, where issues are identified, the School Improvement Officer carries out more regular visits to ensure the provider can return to the level of service required.
On each visit, the standards, policies, and procedures of a provider are checked against the National Contract. Students and Teachers are observed in lessons, students are also interviewed as part of our voice of the child monitoring process about their experience of the school. The School Improvement Officer will also ensure Safeguarding practices are of the highest standard and staff are current and up to date with mandatory professional development to keep up to date with current industry practice.
Some schools are residential and these are also checked to ensure the welfare and safety of our children placed there.
Parents and carers are very important to us – how they communicate with the provider is always checked on the visit. This helps us to ensure that parents maintain a close link with the school and their child’s education.
