Trio appeal against assessment results

Three of the first eight councils to undergo joint area reviews of children’s services have appealed against their scores.

Staffordshire, Calderdale and Stoke councils have appealed to Ofsted, though the inspectorate refused to comment on the nature of the complaints.

The other five joint area reviews took place in Enfield, Bournemouth, Herefordshire, Wirral and Slough. Each council received a report evaluating outcomes for children’s services in their areas.

The five councils also received the results of their annual performance assessment, covering education and children’s social care services, while their social care star ratings are due to be published soon.

The ratings for those that have appealed will not be published until the appeals process has been completed.

Of the 46 appeals about this year’s star ratings, just six were upheld, two of them only partly.

Reports from www.ofsted.gov.uk