The Department for Education has "welcomed" improvements with special educational needs and disabilities services (SEND) in Suffolk, but recognised there are "considerable challenges" that remain.
Senior leaders from Suffolk County Council (SCC) and the NHS met with the Department for Education on November 4 to review the impact of improvement plans for SEND.
After the meeting, the DfE sent a letter outlining the extent of the progress made within SEND services across the county in the past six months.
The letter, dated November 15, welcomed "improvements and the evidence of impact" since an Improvement Notice was issued to the council earlier this year.
It also recognised the "considerable challenges that remain to reach the required targets".
Achievements outlined by the DfE include the increase in capacity, including 89 new staff and three jointly-funded roles, improved 20-week data and feedback from parents, as well as reduced waiting times for ASD and ADHD assessments and a significant reduction of permanent exclusions in primary schools and for children with EHCPs.
The DfE also outlined areas for development including governance and use of data, ensuring that improvement work continues at pace, specifically with regard to timeliness and quality of EHCPs, and achieving consistency across all families so that improvement is felt by all.
Andrew Reid, cabinet member for education and SEND at Suffolk County Council, said: "We are working closely with the Department for Education, which continues to offer support and expertise, while carrying out the important job of monitoring our progress.
"It is good news that they recognise the scale of our improvement and the impact we are having on children and young people across Suffolk. Improving how we deliver SEND provision is our number one priority and we continue to invest millions into getting it right.
"We acknowledge we still have work to do, and the Department for Education recognises that we have clear plans in place to drive this."
The progress meeting reviewed work over six months since the publication of the Priority Action Plan, which was agreed following the Ofsted and CQC inspection in November 2023.
The next progress meeting will take place in May 2025.
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