Over the past few weeks, our local area has been fully immersed in the new Ofsted and Care Quality Commission (CQC) Area SEND inspection. These inspections look closely at how well education, health, and social care partners work together to support children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND).

This blog brings together what’s happened so far, what the new ratings mean, and how families’ experiences, shared through the Parent Carer Forum, the Ofsted survey, Local Government Association (LGA) Peer review and individual cases have shaped the inspection.

Before exploring the inspection process, it’s worth highlighting the LGA Peer Review that took place in early October.

This review followed a motion passed in May 2024, to make our borough more inclusive, a decision strongly influenced by parent carers who spoke passionately about the challenges within local SEND services. You can revisit the motion and hear parents’ voices here: CWaC becoming a SEND Inclusive Borough

An LGA Peer Review involves another local authority acting as a “critical friend,” assessing services and offering recommendations for improvement. It is a separate process from an Ofsted inspection. During this review, the Parent Carer Forum (PCF) shared families’ experiences to ensure their perspectives shaped the findings.

We were delighted that the LGA recognised the PCF as a strong and credible forum, noting:

“The parent carer annual survey is impressive and is being used to inform people about practice and service decisions”

How the Parent Carer Forum Has Represented Families during the Inspection

Throughout the inspection, the Parent Carer Forum has played a key role in ensuring family voices were heard clearly and accurately.

The PCF has:

• Attended meetings directly with inspectors
• Shared lived experiences gathered from hundreds of parents through our events, school representatives, third-sector partners and the 2024 PCF Survey
• Highlighted both strengths and ongoing challenges within the SEND system
• Provided examples of where support is working well and where families are still experiencing difficulties
• Worked closely with local leaders to ensure parents’ views are reflected within the Local Area Self-Evaluation Framework

We presented during the inspectors’ introductory meeting, giving Ofsted a clear sense of who we are and the key themes we have been hearing from families. 

We also met with Ofsted separately from partners, where we explored in more detail how the PCF represents families across the borough—covering all settings, needs and age groups—something the inspection team were particularly keen to understand. We also shared what families continue to tell us since the 2024 survey.

Inspectors fed back that hearing directly from families, including through the PCF, has been an important part of understanding how services operate in practice.

Behind the Scenes: What’s Happened?

Week 1–2: Evidence Gathering and Early Meetings

There was a swift and highly committed response from teams across the borough, with hundreds of documents shared as evidence.

During these early stages, inspectors met with:

• Parents and carers
• Young people
• Practitioners involved in six selected cases
• The Parent Carer Forum

Colleagues have continued delivering frontline work alongside the inspection demands their efforts are hugely appreciated.

Week 3: Onsite Visits Begin

This week saw the start of in-person visits to:

• Schools- all types of settings
• Early years settings
• Health services
• Local authority teams

They explored key areas including:

• Speech and Language Therapy
• Alternative Provision
• Elective Home Education
• Residential placements
• The Dynamic Support Register

Meetings took place around assessment and diagnostic pathways and sampling a range of themes connected to SEND for Early Years and Early Help.

Daily feedback sessions from the inspection team given leaders an early sense of inspectors’ views, with one consistent message:

“The passion and dedication of the workforce is a clear strength”

Survey responses from families and professionals were extremely high, thank you to everyone who shared it and filled it out.

EHCP Sampling

Inspectors revied more randomly selected EHCPs to examine:

• Assessment quality
• Clarity of needs
• Provision specificity
• Evidence of impact

Listening to Children and Young People

Inspectors spent time with the SEND Choices youth group, hearing firsthand about experiences and aspirations from young people themselves.

Reflections

Leaders have expressed heartfelt thanks to all staff and partners. The level of commitment and collaboration across the system has been incredible.

This inspection is not just a process, it’s an opportunity to improve, grow, and strengthen the SEND system for children, young people, and families across our area.

The Outcome of the Inspection

The draft report will be sent to partners in two weeks, it will then be reviewed for a further two weeks and the outcome of the Inspection will be shared and published towards the end of January. As soon as this has published, we will be sharing it with you.

Under the new framework these are the three outcomes that the Local Authority could have:

1. Positive Experiences & Outcomes – Things Are Going Well
   Most children and families receive the support they need, services are working well together, and the area is on the right track. Re-inspection: Around 5 years.
2. Inconsistent Experiences & Outcomes – Mixed Picture
   Some things are working, but others need improvement. Families may experience variation in support, depending on need or location. Re-inspection: Around 3 years.
3. Widespread or Systemic Failings – Serious Concerns
   There are significant issues impacting children and young people, requiring urgent improvements. Monitoring inspection: ~18 months. Full re-inspection: ~3 years.

For more information on the PCF and what we do...

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