SEND Local Area Review
Inspection of support for children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities
In November 2018, Ofsted and the Care Quality Commission inspected the way professionals at the county council, in local health services and schools work with families in Staffordshire to support children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND).
This was part of a Local Area Review.
Local Area Review Findings
The inspection report (published on 04 February 2019) highlighted some strengths as well as some areas that needed improvement. The main concern being the different parts of the system (education, health and care) did not work together or with families well enough.
How we plan to improve services for people with SEND
In Staffordshire, the system of support for children with special educational needs and disabilities is under pressure. The number of children with a special educational need or disability has increased by a third in the last five years and national funding has not kept pace with this.
This is a challenge, but we have been working together with local families to take action and improve the way they are supported.
In response to the inspection report, we developed a formal Written Statement of Action to drive the improvements we all wanted to see.
The Written Statement of Action was submitted in April 2020 and was created with our partners in education, health and social care as well as with local parents.
Re-visit of Staffordshire’s SEND services
Ofsted and the Care Quality Commission (CQC) will carry out a re-visit of Staffordshire’s SEND services during the 18 – 20 January 2022.
The re-visit will evaluate how effectively we have addressed the areas in the Written Statement of Action.
The re-inspection report (141 KB) found that Staffordshire has made sufficient progress in most areas, but noted that there were still some areas that need improvement.
What progress has been made?
The latest progress on the Written Statement of Action can be found below. This was sent to Ofsted and the Care Quality Commission in January 2022.
Written Statement of Action - overview December 2021 (153 KB)
Keep in touch
If you are a parent of a child with SEND, you may want to sign up to our ‘Special Educational Needs and Disabilities – Parent Update’ so you can keep up to date with our progress and all the latest news.
Where to get support
Find out more about the support available for children with special educational needs and disabilities in Staffordshire at Staffordshire Connects.
You might also want to get in touch with SENDIASS - Staffordshire Family Partnership or the Staffordshire Parent Carer Forum through their website www.staffspcf.co.uk or by emailing info@staffspcf.co.uk.