Joint local area SEND inspections
Ofsted and the Care Quality Commission (CQC) carry out inspections of SEND partnerships to ensure that they are meeting their statutory responsibilities for SEND in the local area.
The purpose of inspection is to:
- provide an independent, external evaluation of the effectiveness of the local area partnership’s arrangements for children and young people with SEND
- where appropriate, recommend what the local area partnership should do to improve the arrangements
Inspections take place over three weeks and the inspectors look into all aspects of education, health and social care relating to SEND.
Partnerships receive one of three outcomes:
- The local area partnership’s SEND arrangements typically lead to positive experiences and outcomes for children and young people with SEND. The local area partnership is taking action where improvements are needed.
- 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.
- There are widespread and/or systemic failings leading to significant concerns about the experiences and outcomes of children and young people with SEND, which the local area partnership must address urgently.
The inspectors produce a report, which should be published by the partnership. Links to the most recent inspection reports and improvement plans can be found below: