Children's services watchdog Ofsted gives borough top star rating
Wandsworth is a good place for children to live and grow up according to a detailed study by education and child welfare inspectors, who have given the borough the maximum “excellent” rating for all its services across the board for children and young people.
Officials from independent children's services watchdog Ofsted found that children living in the borough are able to attend good primary and secondary schools, enjoy high quality early years education and childcare and benefit from strong and effective child protection systems.
The inspectors also found that vulnerable and disabled children enjoy better life chances in Wandsworth than elsewhere, and that young people from low income backgrounds achieve more and do better in life than many other parts of the country.
Ofsted concluded that effective diversionary council policies were in place to keep young people from getting into trouble with the police - and that a higher proportion of those who had offended were now being given support to find work and engage in education or training.
As a result, the watchdog has given the council the maximum four star rating for the quality of its entire range of children's services for the sixth year in a row. Only two other local authorities across England have scored such consistently high marks over the same period.
In its annual assessment of children services, Ofsted concluded: "Children's services in the London Borough of Wandsworth perform excellently.”
Executive member for children and young people Cllr Kathy Tracey said: "We are absolutely determined to do everything we can to give all our youngsters the best possible start in life. Our aim is to keep them safe and healthy, provide a good education, good leisure activities, good training opportunities when they are older and ensure that those who are vulnerable or at risk in any way are properly protected and looked after."
For full details of the Ofsted report go to http://www.wandsworth.gov.uk/a_to_z/service/120/ofsted
December 14, 2010
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