Sir Martyn Oliver, His Majesty's Chief Inspector at the Office for Standards in Education, Children's Services and Skills, visited Coventry to learn more about the city’s work with children.
The meeting followed the ‘outstanding’ rating that was awarded to the city’s Children’s Services by Ofsted earlier this year. Sir Martyn met Cllr George Duggins, Leader of the City Council; Cllr Mal Mutton, Cabinet Member for Children and Young People; Sukriti Sen, Director of Children’s and Education Services; and senior members of the Children’s and Education Services Team. He was able to hear more about the work that has seen the service recognised as ‘outstanding’, just four years after being rated as ‘good’, eight years after a ‘needing improvement’ finding, and 12 years after being rated as ‘inadequate’.
The meeting was an opportunity to discuss the many projects in the city and the work with partners such as local businesses, charities, the police and community groups to make Coventry a leading child-friendly city. Sir Martyn also talked to senior officers about the Council’s work in education and the achievements of the city’s schoolchildren.
The meeting discussed the work to ensure quality school places are available to all children and ongoing successes in GSCE and A Level results.
Following the visit, Sir Martyn said: “I had a superb visit to Coventry City Council and was struck by the shared commitment across the organisation to putting children first.
“The Council’s focus on early help and family support is making a real difference to the lives of children and families. I was also particularly impressed by the work being done to ensure there are sufficient homes for children that meet their needs, helping more children stay close to the support networks and communities they know.”
Cllr George Duggins, Leader of Coventry City Council, said: “Our Children’s Services really are doing incredible work, and we were delighted when that was recognised earlier this year with an ‘outstanding’ rating by Ofsted. “Sir Martyn was keen to hear about some of the work that led to that success, and how it has been achieved. He spoke very highly of the work taking place in Coventry, and everyone involved should be very proud.
“As well as highlighting some of the work in the city, we talked about how we plan to build on current successes for the future, and we also spoke about education and the amazing schools and teachers in the city who continue to drive standards and help children and young people enjoy their school years and build the knowledge they need for their adult lives.”
Cllr Mal Mutton, Cabinet Member for Children’s Services, said: “It was a pleasure to welcome Sir Martyn and talk to him about the incredible journey our Children’s Services have been on over recent years.
“We were able to talk to him about Child Friendly Cov and our work to give children and young people a voice, to involve them in decisions about their future, and to let them know how much they matter to our city.”
Sukriti Sen, Director of Children’s and Education Services, said: “The meeting was an opportunity to talk and share ideas on a subject right at the heart of our work here in Coventry – the health and wellbeing of our children and young people, and how they can be given the best possible start in life.
“There has been some great work over recent years and thank you to everyone who has helped us to get this far, but we are not stopping now and we will continue to innovate and improve and work with Ofsted, our partners, our communities and our families, to make Coventry the best city it can be for its children and young people.”
In the inspection, Ofsted found that “political and corporate leaders, partners, businesses and our workforce have been relentless in their determination for children in Coventry to succeed’. The report also noted that ‘impressive, outward-looking leaders have demonstrated an unwavering ambition and commitment to children in Coventry’.