Code: E09000002
Director of Children's Services: Elaine Allegretti


Summary of Ofsted findings

Summary of Ofsted findings

Inspection of Barking and Dagenham’s local authority children’s services

These inspections focus on the effectiveness of local authority services and arrangements:

  • to help and protect children, and enable families to stay together and get the help they need
  • the experiences and progress of children in care wherever they live, including those children who return home
  • the arrangements for permanence for children who are looked after, in stable, loving homes, including adoption
  • the experiences and progress of care leavers.
Inspection type Inspection start date Overall effectiveness Impact of leaders Help and protection Children in care Care leavers
ILACS Standard Inspection 10 July 2023 Requires improvement to be good Requires improvement to be good Requires improvement to be good Requires improvement to be good Good

Data source

Area SEND inspection of Barking and Dagenham Local Area Partnership

The purpose of an area SEND inspection is to:

  • provide an independent, external evaluation of the effectiveness of the local area partnership’s arrangements for children and young people with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND)
  • where appropriate, recommend what the local area partnership should do to improve the arrangements.
Inspection outcome

Barking and Dagenham was last inspected on 8 July 2024.

The local area partnership's arrangements lead to inconsistent experiences and outcomes for children and young people with SEND. The local area partnership must work jointly to make improvements.

They were given no areas for priority action.

The next full area SEND inspection will be within approximately 3 years.

Ofsted and Care Quality Commission (CQC) ask that the local area partnership updates and publishes its strategic plan based on the recommendations set out in this report.

Data source

Joint targeted area inspection of Barking and Dagenham local authority

The agencies for these inspections can include the police, children’s social care, probation services, education and relevant health services. Inspectors will also evaluate how local agencies work with education and childcare providers. The focus of these inspections is how effectively the local safeguarding partners work together at the practice and strategic levels.

Theme Inspection start date Link
There have been no JTAI inspections for this local authority.

Data source

Ofsted inspection reports and tools


Local authority context

Population 18 and under Number %
Barking and Dagenham 69,855 30.0%
National 12,869,368 22.0%

Data source

Children looked after Number Rate per 10,000
Barking and Dagenham 431 65
National 81,770 67

Data source

School-age pupils eligible for free school meals Number %
Barking and Dagenham 11,617 27.9%
National 2,085,168 26.7%

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School-age pupils eligible for extra funding (pupil premium) Number %
Barking and Dagenham 12,346 29.9%
National 2,266,608 29.3%

Data source

Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) in state-funded settings Number %
Barking and Dagenham 7,985 17.2%
National 1,766,924 19.6%

Data source

School-age pupils with English as an additional language Number %
Barking and Dagenham 21,986 47.7%
National 1,806,029 21.4%

Data source

% of children in income-deprived families (IDACI) Average %
Barking and Dagenham 52.0%
National 38.0%
Health Index (children and young people) Health Index score
Barking and Dagenham 93.8
National 100.8
More details about the health index metric

Indicates the health of an area measured in three domains: Healthy People, Health Lives and Healthy Places.

A score of 100 represents health in England in 2015. A higher number means better health and a lower number means worse health.

Data source

Remit overview

Contents

Early years

Population Number in Barking and Dagenham % in Barking and Dagenham % National
Aged 0 to 5 years 21,750 9.3% 6.4%
Aged 0 3,514 1.5% 1.0%
Aged 1 3,587 1.5% 1.0%
Aged 2 3,729 1.6% 1.1%
Aged 3 3,486 1.5% 1.1%
Aged 4 3,737 1.6% 1.1%
Aged 5 3,697 1.6% 1.1%

Data source

Disadvantaged Number in Barking and Dagenham % in Barking and Dagenham % National
Early years pupil premium 807 3.7% 3.3%
Children looked after (under 1 year) 16 0.5% 0.6%
Children looked after (1 to 4 years) 40 0.3% 0.4%

Data sources:

Special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) /
Education, health and care plans (EHCP)
Number in Barking and Dagenham % in Barking and Dagenham % National
SEN support in state-funded settings (age 2 and under) 7 0.1% 0.3%
SEN support in state-funded settings (age 3) 171 4.9% 3.6%
SEN support in state-funded settings (age 4) 418 11.7% 9.5%
SEN support in state-funded settings (age 5) 470 13.0% 12.3%
Total: SEN support in state-funded settings (age 5 and under) 1,066 5.1% 4.5%
Children with an EHCP (age 2 and under) 0 0.0% 0.0%
Children with an EHCP (age 3) 9 0.3% 0.7%
Children with an EHCP (age 4) 151 4.2% 3.5%
Children with an EHCP (age 5) 191 5.3% 4.8%
Total: Children with an EHCP (age 5 and under) 351 1.7% 1.6%

Data sources:

Funded early years places for 2-year-olds Population aged 2-years-old Number of eligible 2-year-olds % of population aged 2 % take-up of funded places
Barking and Dagenham 3,729 1,050 28.2% 85.2%
National 630,059 145,824 23.1% 65.2%

Data source

Funded early years places for 3-year-olds Population aged 3-years-old Number of eligible 3-year-olds % of population aged 3 % take-up of funded places
Barking and Dagenham 3,486 All 3-year olds are eligible 90.2%
National 625,948 90.6%
The 2 and 3-year-old funded places tables look different because they measure different things; funded places for 2-year-olds are only for children considered to be disadvantaged, while for 3-year-olds everyone is entitled to a funded place.

Data source

Children's overweight and obesity Number in Barking and Dagenham % in Barking and Dagenham % National
Children's overweight and obesity (reception-age children) 745 23.0% 23.5%

Data source

Oral health Number examined in Barking and Dagenham % examined in Barking and Dagenham % in Barking and Dagenham % National
Oral health (visible tooth decay in 5-year-olds) 253 6.9% 34.4% 22.4%

Schools

Population Number in Barking and Dagenham % in Barking and Dagenham1 % National1
Primary-age pupils (ages 5 to 11) 26,018 11.2% 8.2%
Secondary-age pupils (ages 12 to 16) 18,571 8.0% 6.2%

Data source

Population of looked-after-children Number in Barking and Dagenham % in Barking and Dagenham1 % National1
Ages 5 to 9 74 0.4% 0.4%
Ages 10 to 15 153 0.7% 0.7%

Data source

Pupils eligible for free schools meals Number in Barking and Dagenham % in Barking and Dagenham2 % National2
Primary 5,655 24.8% 25.3%
Secondary 5,666 31.1% 27.5%
Alternative provision 27 36.5% 64.6%
Special 269 48.1% 49.5%
Non-maintained special 31.0%

Data source

Pupils eligible for pupil premium Number in Barking and Dagenham % in Barking and Dagenham2 % National2
Primary 6,072 24.8% 25.1%
Secondary 5,754 34.1% 28.9%

Data source

Pupils with SEND Number in Barking and Dagenham % in Barking and Dagenham2 % National2
Primary 4,498 18.7% 18.2%
Secondary 2,742 12.8% 16.5%
Alternative provision 32 43.2% 83.4%
Special 641 100.0% 99.9%
Non-maintained special 99.7%
Independent schools 72 35.3% 24.1%

Data source

Pupils with English as an additional language Number in Barking and Dagenham % in Barking and Dagenham2 % National2
Primary 13,699 56.9% 23.4%
Secondary 8,091 37.9% 19.2%
Alternative provision 9 12.2% 7.6%
Special 187 29.2% 14.5%
Non-maintained special 11.0%
Attendance of all pupils up to week 4 of calendar year % in Barking and Dagenham2 % National2
Primary 95.1% 95.0%
Secondary 94.2% 91.8%
Special 85.8% 87.1%

Data source

Attendance of pupils eligible for free school meals (summer term 2024/25) % in Barking and Dagenham2 % National2
Primary 92.7% 91.9%
Secondary 89.6% 85.2%
Special 80.0% 85.1%

Data source

Attendance of pupils with SEND (summer term 2024/25) % in Barking and Dagenham2 % National2
Primary 92.8% 92.1%
Secondary 88.5% 84.3%
Special 87.3%

Data source

Primary attainment: Year 1 phonics screening pass Number in Barking and Dagenham % in Barking and Dagenham2 % National2
All pupils 2,641 79.4% 79.8%
Pupils eligible for free school meals 479 72.8% 66.6%
Pupils with SEND 296 47.1% 43.4%
Pupils with English as an additional language 1,459 80.0% 79.5%
Primary attainment: Year 4 times table check (full marks) Number in Barking and Dagenham % in Barking and Dagenham2 % National2
All pupils 1,491 40.7% 36.8%
Pupils eligible for free school meals 325 31.5% 27.4%
Pupils with SEND 202 26.3% 16.5%
Pupils with English as an additional language 827 42.6% 45.2%

Data source

Primary attainment: Key stage 2 reading, writing, maths combined (met the expected standard) Number in Barking and Dagenham % in Barking and Dagenham2 % National2
All pupils 2,223 67.4% 62.6%
Pupils eligible for free school meals 643 59.2% 47.7%
Pupils with SEND 162 25.5% 23.8%
Pupils with English as an additional language 1,144 69.3% 66.2%

Data source

Secondary attainment: Attainment 8 Average in Barking and Dagenham2 National average2
All pupils 48.3 45.9
Pupils eligible for free school meals 41.8 35.0
Pupils with SEND 26.9 28.1

Data source

Population receiving education outside of their local authority Number outside of Barking and Dagenham % outside of Barking and Dagenham2 % National2
Primary 1,939 8.4% 4.1%
Secondary 2,989 15.0% 8.7%
Special 69 12.1% 9.0%
Children being home educated Number in Barking and Dagenham % in Barking and Dagenham1 % National1
Primary 260 1.0% 0.8%
Secondary 330 1.8% 2.5%
Total 580 1.3% 1.5%
More details about the children being home educated numbers
Local authority data in the source dataset has been rounded to the nearest 10. As a result totals may not equal the sum of their component parts.

Data source

Suspensions (from primary school) Number in Barking and Dagenham Rate per 100 pupils in Barking and Dagenham3 Rate per 100 pupils National3
Total number of suspensions 58 0.2 0.9
Total pupils with one or more suspensions 43 0.2 0.5
Pupils with one or more suspensions who are eligible for free school meals 17 0.3 (in group) 1.2 (in group)
Pupils with one or more suspensions with SEND 33 0.8 (in group) 2.4 (in group)
More details about suspensions from state-funded primary schools and totals not summing
Suspensions data on total number of pupils may not match, as a change in a pupil’s category within the same term results in them being counted separately under each category. For example, if a pupil receives multiple suspensions while classified as not having SEN, and then receives additional suspensions after being reclassified as receiving SEN support during the same term, they will be recorded as two separate enrolments in the data.

Data source

Suspensions (from secondary school) Number in Barking and Dagenham Rate per 100 pupils in Barking and Dagenham3 Rate per 100 pupils National3
Total number of suspensions 431 2.0 7.8
Total pupils with one or more suspensions 321 1.5 3.8
Pupils with one or more suspensions who are eligible for free school meals 155 2.5 (in group) 8.2 (in group)
Pupils with one or more suspensions with SEND 105 4.1 (in group) 9.1 (in group)
More details about suspensions from state-funded secondary schools and totals not summing
Suspensions data on total number of pupils may not match, as a change in a pupil’s category within the same term results in them being counted separately under each category. For example, if a pupil receives multiple suspensions while classified as not having SEN, and then receives additional suspensions after being reclassified as receiving SEN support during the same term, they will be recorded as two separate enrolments in the data.

Data source

Suspensions (from special school) Number in Barking and Dagenham Rate per 100 pupils in Barking and Dagenham3 Rate per 100 pupils National3
Total number of suspensions 20 3.2 5.1
Total pupils with one or more suspensions 18 2.9 2.9
Pupils with one or more suspensions who are eligible for free school meals 17 5.8 (in group) 4.1 (in group)
Pupils with one or more suspensions with SEND 18 2.9 (in group) 2.9 (in group)
More details about suspensions from state-funded special schools and totals not summing
Suspensions data on total number of pupils may not match, as a change in a pupil’s category within the same term results in them being counted separately under each category. For example, if a pupil receives multiple suspensions while classified as not having SEN, and then receives additional suspensions after being reclassified as receiving SEN support during the same term, they will be recorded as two separate enrolments in the data.

Data source

Exclusions (from primary school) Number in Barking and Dagenham % in Barking and Dagenham2 % National2
Total number of pupils excluded 3 0.0% 0.0%
Pupils eligible for free school meals 2 0.0% 0.0%
Pupils with SEND 2 0.0% 0.1%

Data source

Exclusions (from secondary school) Number in Barking and Dagenham % in Barking and Dagenham2 % National2
Total number of pupils excluded 7 0.0% 0.1%
Pupils eligible for free school meals 2 0.0% 0.2%
Pupils with SEND 1 0.0% 0.3%

Data source

Exclusions (from special school) Number in Barking and Dagenham % in Barking and Dagenham2 % National2
Total number of pupils excluded 0 0.0% 0.0%
Pupils eligible for free school meals 0 0.0% 0.0%
Pupils with SEND 0 0.0% 0.0%

1. % of all children in Barking and Dagenham / England.

2. % of all pupils in state-funded settings across Barking and Dagenham / England.

3. Rate per 100 pupils in state-funded settings across Barking and Dagenham / England.

Further education and skills

Population Number in Barking and Dagenham % in Barking and Dagenham % National
Aged 16 to 18 years 10,926 4.7% 3.6%
Aged 19 to 21 years 8,224 3.5% 3.6%
Aged 22 to 24 years 9,781 4.2% 3.6%
Aged 25 years and over 144,887 62.3% 70.8%

Data source

Not in Education, Employment or Training (NEET) Number in Barking and Dagenham % in Barking and Dagenham % National
16- to 17-year-olds known to LA 7,664 3.2% 2.4%
NEET 258 3.4% 3.4%
Activity not known 27 0.4% 2.2%
Total NEET or activity not known 285 3.7% 5.6%

Data source

16 to 18 progression to higher education or training % in Barking and Dagenham % National
Degrees (all) 77.0% 66.0%
Degrees at top third higher education institutions 26.0% 24.0%
Higher apprenticeships 3.0% 2.0%
Other study at level 4 and 5 1.0% 3.0%
Progressing to higher education or training 81.0% 70.0%
More details about the further education and skills destinations data

This data reflects the destinations of pupils based on the number on roll when they were aged 16 to 18, tracking where they progressed after completing their studies.

Degree destinations include any study at level 6 or higher such as bachelor degrees, graduate diplomas, and post-graduate degrees. The top third higher education institutions when ranked by average UCAS tariff score of entrants across their best 3 A levels.

Higher apprenticeships are those from level 4 to 7 and are equivalent to a foundation degree and above. Degree apprenticeships are available at levels 6 and 7.

Other study at level 4 or 5 destinations include those students studying qualifications such as foundation degrees, Higher National Certificates (HNCs) and Higher National Diplomas (HNDs).

Data source

Social care

Explore the findings from Ofsted's local authority inspections.

Explore population characteristics for this local authority.