Joint area review

Joint area review of Report for children and young people Isle of Wight

p.1

Report for children and young people about the services they receive in the Isle of Wight

p.1

• Being healthy • Staying safe • Enjoying and doing well at school and as they grow up • Making a positive contribution to society • Being successful in whatever they choose to do when they are adults Isle of Wight children and young people’s report 2

p.1

Why should I read this?

The law says that inspectors must look at and then report on how well local services serve children and young people in an area. This is called a “review”. Inspectors visited your area recently. You might like to read this, or the full report which you can find on Ofsted’s website, to find out what they had to say.

p.2

What did the inspectors do?

Ten inspectors visited the Isle of Wight in March and May 2006 so that they could get a feel of what life is like for children and young people in the area. They:

p.2

What did the inspectors do?

™ talked with and listened to a number of children and young people and were shown around an area of Ryde by a group of young people ™ talked with adults working with children and young people (like social workers, teachers, youth workers, nurses, doctors, police officers and councillors) ™ spoke to parents and other people caring for children ™ met with school councils’ representatives and members of the Youth Parliament ™ heard from the council and other agencies what it thinks about the services it provides for children ™ read a lot of report ™ visited services for children and young people that were in local neighbourhoods in Ryde and Totland to see things for themselves.

p.2

What did the inspectors do?

The inspectors also looked at how well particular children are doing, like those children in council care or those who have a learning difficulty or disability.

p.2

How well are children and young people doing in the Isle of Wight?

™ They are generally doing reasonably well, although some are doing much better than average. ™ Most are encouraged to have healthy lifestyles and have a good start in life, but they have more dental decay than average. ™ Children generally feel safe. ™ Children are having a good start in education but, overall, they are not being helped to do well enough at school. ™ Young people are doing better at college and more are leaving with qualifications. Isle of Wight children and young people’s report 3

p.2

How well are children and young people doing in the Isle of Wight?

™ Children and young people are being helped to prepare for the challenges and changes that they experience in life, such as changes of school, preparing for work and coping with threatening situations. ™ Children are enjoying a good range of leisure activities. ™ Children with learning difficulties and/or disabilities are doing well and are receiving generally good services from a range of different council departments and health professionals.

p.3

your area?

™ The island is a nice place to live but they are worried about having jobs and how much it is going to cost to live there once they leave home. ™ They are enjoying school, but are worried that schools are not doing very well at helping all children and young people to get good results. ™ The reduced bus fares are good and make it easier to move around, but those who are living away from the main towns are still finding it difficult, especially in the evenings. They find the cost of going to the mainland too expensive ™ Bullying is still a problem for some young people and, if they are black or from another minority ethnic group, it is not always easy to get information about what is being done about it.

p.3

in my area?

™ The health services are providing some good things. We are particularly pleased to see that teenage pregnancy rates are going down and that help and advice to those children and young people who are misusing drugs are increasingly available and well used. ™ Children are being better protected from being abused as a result of people who work in this field having more training so that they work more effectively with young people. ™ Children who are being looked after in care are receiving good services to help them succeed in life. ™ Young children up until the age of 7 are receiving a good start in their education and all children and young people can take up a good range of leisure and educational activities outside of school. This is being helped by the reduced bus fares scheme. Isle of Wight children and young people’s report 4

p.3

in my area?

™ Children are being asked what they think about important things that might have an effect on their lives ™ The Youth Council is really good at making sure the full Council knows what young people want. ™ Some good work is being done with young people who get into trouble with the police. ™ Young people are doing better at the Isle of Wight College and also it is good to see that more are taking up and completing apprenticeships so that they are going into work with a real skill and a recognized and useful qualification.

p.4

What things are not so good for children and young people?

™ Some parts of the health service could improve, for example services for children and young people with mental health problems. Children also need to be able to have dental treatment more easily. ™ Services for children and young people who are living in families that are under stress need help earlier so that they can sort out the problems more quickly. ™ Children and young people who need a social worker should have one allocated to them. ™ Schools need to do much better in helping children and young people achieve more. ™ Young people in the 16-19 age group need to have available to them a range of opportunities to work towards academic and work-related qualifications.

p.4