New visits to report on the ‘local offer’ for young people with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND)

Ofsted and the Care Quality Commission (CQC) have today published guidance for the next series of area SEND thematic visits.

Each year, as part of the area SEND inspection framework, Ofsted and CQC explore a particular aspect of the SEND system in depth. This year, inspectors will explore the ‘local offer’.

Every local authority is responsible for publishing their local offer, which sets out the provision available for children and young people with SEND and their families. The local authority must work with other partner bodies, such as health services and education providers, to develop and review their offer.

Inspectors’ visits will focus on how local area partnerships are working together to identify and respond to local needs at the earliest opportunity and commission services appropriately. This will include considering how young people and their families are involved in developing and reviewing the local offer.

Ofsted and the CQC will gather evidence from key stakeholders to understand their experiences, including from children and families themselves. Inspectors will focus on 4 key themes:

The visits will not result in inspection outcomes about individual local areas. Instead, a national report will be published highlighting inspectors’ insights. Any relevant findings will also be shared with the Department for Education (DfE) and Department for Health and Social Care (DHSC) to contribute to policy development.

Lee Owston, Ofsted’s National Director for Education, said:

We know that the SEND system is not currently meeting the needs of far too many children and their families.