17 July 2026 weekly update

Dear Colleagues,

I can hardly believe we are at the end of another academic year!

I know school colleagues have been managing a range of changes over this year as well as those of you have been inspected under the new framework (including this week!), so well done on getting through to a successful end and for all the celebratory activities for pupils.

In the LA, we have had two major inspections, the ILACS (Inspection of Local Authority Children's Services) and the Area SEND Inspection. Many, many of you have been involved in contributing and supporting those processes, so a huge thank you to all of you that have been involved.

The work in Kent continues to attract national attention and so you may be interested in a film on the National Centre for Family Hubs website where Sam Sheppard of the Children's Commissioning Team talks about SEND transformation work

Yesterday, the government's plans for Local Government Reorganisation were announced in parliament. Officers have been working on plans for some time, which are now becoming more focused. As plans develop over the next year we will be sharing information with you.

Thank you for all your work over the year for the families of Kent and a thank you to all the Children's Services staff too. I wish you all a restful summer break.

Best wishes

Christine McInnes
Corporate Director Children’s Services