20 September 2022 weekly update

Dear Colleagues,

Apologies for the late distribution of the bulletin, which was partly due to a power cut.

I’m sure many of you will have watched the state funeral of Queen Elizabeth II at Westminster Abbey and then at St George’s Chapel, Windsor, which paid tribute to the Queen’s extraordinary reign, and Her Majesty’s remarkable life of service as Head of State, Nation and Commonwealth. It was very moving, particularly reflecting on the very public role the Royal Family played, whilst managing their own personal feelings about the loss of a much loved member of the family.

The national online book of condolence is available on the Royal Family website. The county council has a book of condolence at County Hall in Maidstone which will be available between 9am and 5pm every day, including at the weekend. Mobile libraries will also have pages of the book available for residents to leave their tributes.

For those not able to visit in person, messages can be sent by email to civicoffice01@kent.gov.uk or can be sent by post to "The Civic Office, Sessions House, County Road, Maidstone ME14 1XQ". Please include your address and a telephone number if you are sending a written tribute for us to add to the online book of condolence.

District and borough councils also have books of condolence in their areas. You can find a list of their websites on the KCC website, which will tell you where the book is in each district. Parish councils may also have books locally. Whilst some care settings may be creating their own book, for larger settings such as residential care and nursing homes, we can arrange for pages of the county council’s book to brought by local community wardens for residents to sign if needed. Please let us know if you need this service by emailing us at this address Mat.Honeysett@kent.gov.uk.

Ofsted and CQC revisit to Kent

Ofsted and CQC have announced that they will conduct a three-day revisit to Kent from Tuesday 27 to Thursday 29 September.

The purpose of the revisit is for inspectors to assess whether the local area has made sufficient progress in addressing the areas of significant weakness detailed in the SEND Written Statement of Action.

The inspectors will want to speak with partners and parents and carers, and we will learn more about these plans in the coming days. At the end of the revisit, the inspection team will evaluate all the evidence gathered. They will then send KCC and the CCG a letter with their findings, which will be published on the Ofsted website and on the CQC website

In the meantime, you can find out further information about the revisit on the SEND Information Hub

It would be helpful if you could share the letter sent by Ofsted and CQC to parents (PDF, 141.6 KB). It gives details about an online survey for parents and carers, which will be available from Tuesday 20 September at midday.

We will update you further when we have more information.

With best wishes

Christine McInnes
Director of Education