Bristol’s education department has been referred to the Government for ‘further action’ after an Ofsted inspector found it had failed to patch up the ‘fractured relationship’ with the parents of children with special educational needs.
That was the last of five ‘significant weaknesses’ in the way Bristol City Council handled and supported children with special needs and disabilities which were uncovered at City Hall when Ofsted inspectors visited in 2019.
And although a re-inspection last month found that four of the other ‘significant weaknesses’ were now being addressed, the final one is still such an issue - with the SEND parents spying scandal over the last couple of months making it worse - that the Ofsted inspector has referred the council to the Department for Education and the NHS to consider what next steps - if any - might be taken against Bristol City Council.
