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2025/2026 SEND timeline and statutory processes Portsmouth

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2025/2026 SEND timeline and statutory processes Portsmouth

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Portsmouth SEND deadline dates for schools

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2025-2026 SEN TIMELINE for SchoolsProfessionals (1)

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Supporting young people gain skills for employment across southern Hampshire

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A specialist Post-16 provider and alternative provision for young people with SEMH or SEN.

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Gaining consent from young people with PMLD

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Gaining consent from young people with PMLD

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EHCP reforms BBC Today programme discussion

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EHCP reforms BBC Today programme discussion

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Listen to BBC radio 4 programme where they discuss proposed SEND reforms

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News and current affairs, including Sports Desk, Weather and Thought for the Day.

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LLSE SKILLSET Magazine Edition 2 - Summer 2025

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Issue 2 of the Skillset magazine explores issues around inclusion, special educational needs, neurodiversity and classroom strategies to support pupils with additional needs.

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SEND workforce development : skills and knowledge framework

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SEND workforce development : skills and knowledge framework

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Developed in Portsmouth this coproduced document identifies key knowledge and skills needed for everyone working with children with SEND. This can be used in coaching and mentoring sessions, supervisions, appraisals and inductions.

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SEND Workforce Skills Framework Final July 25

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S1 process for contributing to EHCP requests

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S1 process for contributing to EHCP requests

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170911 EHCP S1 QUG - Clinicians FINAL v1

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Hampshire EMTAS (Ethnic Minority Traveller Achievement Service) phone line in various languages 

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Hampshire EMTAS (Ethnic Minority Traveller Achievement Service) phone line in various languages 

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Language phone lines for parents/carers, Hampshire maintained schools and SLA-supported academies

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Parents may be invited to attend mediations sessions to help resolve differences prior to a tribunal. This information from IPSEA is aimed at parents.

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(IPSEA) Independent Provider of Special Education Advice

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Mediation is a less formal way of trying to settle the dispute between you and the LA (and/or the health authority, known as the clinical commissioning group (CCG)). It involves a meeting between you, the LA and/or CCG and an independent mediator, who will try to help you reach agreement on the points of dispute. The mediation may also be attended by other relevant parties such as representatives from the child or young person's school or college. It is free of charge.

In most cases you will need a mediation certificate before you can appeal. You can get this in two ways:

Undertake mediation, and if it does not settle all of the points in dispute, you will be issued with a certificate confirming you took part in mediation; or

Speak to a mediation advisor, and you will be issued with a certificate confirming you have been told about your right to mediate but you do not want to do so.

If you do not wish to mediate, you will need to ring the number the LA gives you on their decision letter (there should be alternatives if you cannot use a phone) and talk to a mediation adviser. They will tell you more about how mediation works, and if you are not interested you can simply explain that you do not want to mediate. They will then provide a certificate. If you have had a lot of discussions already with your LA you may feel mediation would be of little use and you want to save time, get your certificate, and appeal right away.

If you have never had a proper discussion with the LA about why they have reached their decision, mediation may help. You might also consider it to give yourself more time to appeal. The appeal deadline is two months from the date of the decision letter, or one month from the date a mediation certificate is issued, whichever is the later.

would like to mediate the LA must arrange this within 30 days of you asking for it. The LA cannot refuse mediation or make you attend some other form o meeting beforehand. You can bring someone to mediation to support you if you like.

If you attend mediation and the LA agrees to settle the case and take the steps you are asking for, you must ensure that you get their agreement in writing, setting out clearly what they have agreed to do. Regulations 42 and 44 of the Special Educational Needs and Disability Regulations 2014 set out certain timescales that an LA must stick to after a mediation, if they have agreed:

To carry out an EHC needs assessment: the LA must notify the parent or young person that it is starting within 2 weeks, then either let the parent or young person know they have decided not to issue an EHC plan within 10 weeks, or send a finalised EHC plan within 14 weeks

To issue an EHC plan: the LA must issue the draft plan within 5 weeks and the finalised EHC plan within 11weeks

To change the name of a school in an EHC plan: the LA must issue the amended EHC Plan within 2 weeks

To amend an EHC plan: the LA must issue the amended EHC Plan within 5 weeks

If the LA agree to take certain steps in a mediation agreement but then fail to do so, they are acting unlawfully. This could be challenged via judicial review .

For more information about the process of bringing an appeal about an EHC needs assessment or EHC plan, see our general advice for all appeals .

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Mediation is a less formal way of trying to settle the dispute between you and the LA (and/or the health authority, known as the clinical commissioning group (CCG)). It involves a meeting between you, the LA and/or CCG and an independent mediator, who will try to help you reach agreement on the points of dispute.

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Information for physical health teams about the process in relation to tribunal appeals in our ourganisation

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Information produced by the Courts and Tribunal service and shared with families when an appeal is made

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Advice on the law around communication and ethics for parents and professionals

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The Adam Bojelian Foundation CIC (AdsFoundation) - We work with health, social care & voluntary organisations & professionals, providing bespoke training in law, ethics & communication. We help you overcome any fear of law, improving staff & patient well-being. We also produce resources for you to use directly from our website & provide helpful links to key UK healthcare law & ethics & wider sources. Find out more about us, how we can help you and access all our resources & links using the tabs. Get in touch using the CONTACT US tab below. We very much welcome hearing from you.

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The Adam Bojelian Foundation CIC (AdsFoundation) The Adam Bojelian Foundation CIC - The Adam Bojelian Foundation CIC (AdsFoundation)

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We work with health, social care & voluntary organisations & professionals, providing bespoke training in law, ethics & communication. We help you overcome any fear of law, improving staff & patient well-being. We also produce resources for you to use directly from our website & provide helpful links to key UK healthcare law & ethics & wider sources. Find out more about us, how we can help you and access all our resources & links using the tabs. Get in touch using the CONTACT US tab below. We very much welcome hearing from you.

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Training power point for EHCP quality reviewing

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Training power point for EHCP quality reviewing

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If you want me to train you on quality reviewing and add you to the rota, please do get in touch

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To guide you through the S1 process for quality reviewing.

In Portsmouth and SE Hants also see specific one for this area linked in this Padlet.

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Mental Capacity and decision making  for young adults who lack capacity

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Mental Capacity and decision making  for young adults who lack capacity

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Co-produced and inspired by those who have experienced decision making within health and welfare settings and felt unprepared or challenged without such guidance. Welcome to My Adult- Still My Child is a website aimed at those new to making Best Interest Decisions and especially those caring for a young person in transition to adult services

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Co-produced and inspired by those who have experienced decision making within health and welfare settings and felt unprepared or challenged without such guidance.

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Dame Christine Lenehan's comments on SEND reform Daily Mirror 18.05.2025

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Dame Christine Lenehan's comments on SEND reform Daily Mirror 18.05.2025

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Parents and disability campaigners. are deeply concerned the government's reform of the SEND system will mean children with EHCPs will not be able to access mainstream education

Terrified parents have condemned a government threat to shake-up SEND education, amid fears that 250,000 pupils at mainstream schools could lose their legal guarantee of additional support.

The outcry follows suggestions by government SEND adviser Dame Christine Lenehan this week that they are considering restricting education, health and care plans (ECHPs) to children in special schools.

With the latest figures for January 2024 showing that nearly 250,000 pupils with ECHPs were in mainstream schools, compared to around 186,000 in special schools, parents fear the fall out could be devastating.

Speaking at the Schools and Academies Show in London, when asked if the Government's redesign of the SEND (special educational needs and disability) system would mean fewer EHCPs, Dame Lenehan said: "I think probably so."

To questions asking if narrowing of EHCPs would mean they only applied to children in special schools, she replied: "I think, to be honest, that's the conversation we're in the middle of."

While insisting that any new system would "still be able to recognise and support children's needs," she added that the structure around ECHPs was "not fit for purpose."

Regarded as a "lifeline" by many parents of SEND kids, EHCPs are legal documents that ensure children will receive a certain level of support in school to help with their special needs. However the number of plans has surged in recent years from 237,000 in 2016 to 576,474 in January 2024, and schools and other services have struggled to keep up with the demand.

The latest news has been met with alarm from parents and disability campaigners.

Anna Bird, chair of the Disabled Children's Partnership, a coalition of 120 charities, tells the Mirror: "The idea of scrapping Education, Health and Care Plans [in mainstream schools] will terrify families.

"The reality parents and children face now is that an EHCP is the only way they can get an education."

Broadcaster and autism campaigner Carrie Grant MBE, mum to four children with additional needs, adds: "When an EHCP ring-fences provision for a particular child there is a sense of safety, or at least a basis for negotiation between parents and school. If this money becomes available in a different form how do we make sure our child's needs are met? These are very hard times."
'My twins had same scary diagnosis as Jesy Nelson's - we were given three choices'
Hayley Harding, founder of SEND parent organisation, Let Us Learn Too, says: "These children have done nothing to hurt anyone yet Bridget Phillipson and her department seem to want to make their lives even harder than they already are."

Asked by the Mirror whether the Department of Education is considering restricting EHCPs to children in specialist schools, a spokesperson said it is "actively working with parents and experts on the solutions".

They continued: "The evidence is clear that this government inherited a SEND system left on its knees - with too many children not having their needs met and parents forced to fight for support.

"As part of our Plan for Change, we will restore the confidence of families up and down the country and deliver the improvement they are crying out for so every child can achieve and thrive."

Parents of SEND children are horrified by rumours that EHCPs will be restricted to children in specialist schools.

Aimee Bradley and husband Davin, both 41, live in Hampshire with their three autistic children, Autumn, 12, Ashton, six, and Blake, three.

Aimee says: ''I am absolutely terrified. I cannot put into words the fear and panic this causes. My daughter is in mainstream school and would be completely lost without her EHCP. It is the only thing that makes it possible for her to attend school, to learn, to feel safe.

"My youngest is only three and may never get the chance to access support. If these changes go ahead, they'll destroy children's futures. EHCPs are not a luxury. They are the only thing standing between our children and complete exclusion from education.

"My middle child, Ashton, is in a specialist provision. My youngest, Blake, is just three. He is due to start infant school in 2026 and we are in the process of applying for his EHCP. Not clearly suited to mainstream or specialist school, without a EHCP, I have no idea how he will access education at all.

"I help run SEND Reform England and every single day we receive messages from terrified parents. Our Facebook group is full of desperate families who feel ignored and broken by the system."

Influencer and author Lisa Lloyd, 40, lives in Aylesbury with husband Terry and their two autistic children Poppy, seven, and Finley, ten.

She says: "This is absolutely appalling. EHCPs are a lifeline for many children with SEND.

"Removing them means that we are basically being told our child doesn't matter.

"Taking away the EHCPs from children in mainstream schools who need them is going to have a knock on impact on everyone, including the teachers.

'We need everybody to shout from the rooftops because this cannot happen.'

Nicola Holmes, 55, lives with husband Wayne and their two autistic children, Ethan, 18, and Ella, 16, in Tewkesbury, Gloucestershire.

She says: 'I'm a mother of two disabled teenagers. My daughter is autistic and doesn't fit neatly into either mainstream or special school. My son is also autistic, and has Down's Syndrome.

"EHCPs give us hope - hope that someone, somewhere in the system will have to listen. They give us a sliver of power in a system where parents are often made to feel powerless.

"The idea of reducing, replacing, or restricting these plans terrifies thousands of families like mine.

"'If the government truly wants to fix SEND, it must start by listening, really listening to the people who live it every day. "

Amy White , 38, from Hampshire is mum to Jack, 11 who has autism and ADHD, and daughter Esmae, three, as well as stepmum to her partner Sam's son Charlie, eight. She works as a SEND advocate and has written to her MP saying: "I cannot overstate how damaging such a move would be - not only to the children and families directly affected but to our entire society.

"Parents are being gaslighted and misled by local authorities. Children are denied their basic rights to an appropriate education simply because they are different.

"They are different, not less. They are the change-makers of tomorrow - but only if we protect their rights today."

Charlotte Galbraith, 29, lives in Denham, Buckinghamshire, with her partner Callum, 29, and sons Angus, eight and Oscar, seven, who both have autism and ADHD and attend a specialist school.

She says: "EHCPs are essential for children with SEND to receive the support they need, particularly in mainstream schools. Without these plans, I worry it could lead to a rise in mental health crises among young people."

Georgina Davies, 42, lives in Ellesmere Port, Cheshire, with son Jonah, 14, who has autism and severe learning disabilities.

She says: "Removing EHCPs for children that need them would be catastrophic for countless children and families.

"Plunging the elderly and disabled into poverty isn't enough for this government now they want to sacrifice education for SEND children."

Siobhan Stephenson , 30, from Durham, is mum to Frankie, 11, who has autism and global development delay and Ava-Mae, eight, who is autistic.

She says: "Without EHCPs for our most vulnerable children, this would be setting them up to fail.

"The government wants the next generation to be in work to better the country. But how can that be possible without an education that meets their needs?"
Luxury Brit cruise liner sent to brutal war - with astonishing comparison to Titanic
What we know about EHCPs

Campaign Manager for the Disabled Children's Partnership, Stephen Kingdom, has explained the story so far, concerning EHCPs.

Q. Are EHCPs going to be scrapped?

A. The fact that the Government's most senior SEND adviser has said what she has certainly suggests it is a possibility. But we do not know for certain.

Q. What will they be replaced with? A. Until the Secretary of State for Education, Bridget Phillipson, makes an announcement we don't know. We are very concerned that children will lose the legal right to the support they need to succeed in school.

Q. Where will the support come from if my child doesn't have an EHCP and attends a mainstream school?

A. Again, until an announcement, it is unclear where provision will come from. Most requests for EHCPs come from schools themselves, because they can see the support a child needs but don't have allocated funding in their core budgets, or shared investment from local health and social care departments, to provide that support.

Q. Will existing EHCPs be honoured?

A. If an entirely new system is introduced, you would expect there to be a proper, well-funded transition period over a number of years.

Q. Where will extra funding come from without an EHCP?

A. This is the million dollar question. The fear is that the government is prioritising saving public money over the lives and wellbeing of children and families.

Q. My teenager is about to leave school but will need support to go to college. What will happen to his support?

You would hope that provision for school leavers will continue while they are in education, up to the age of 25, as it does currently.
Nutritionist says special coffee 'elevates energy' and 'manages stress' without crash

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'We're terrified our kids' futures will be destroyed by huge education shake-up'

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Parents and disability campaigners. are deeply concerned the government's reform of the SEND system will mean children with EHCPs will not be able to access mainstream education

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Gov.UK - new SEND school places March 2025

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Gov.UK - new SEND school places March 2025

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£740 million allocated for 10,000 new places for pupils with SEND

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New SEND places to create more inclusive classrooms in mainstream schools, delivering on Plan for Change to break down barriers to opportunity.

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ICB funded additional heath support for children and young people with complex needs

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SEND glossary

Add definitions for terms related to SEND

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NHS England information on IFR and link to the application form

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NHS England » Individual requests for funding

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Purposes for processing On an individual basis, there may be situations where a clinician believes that their patient’s clinical situation is so different to other patients with the same condition that they should have their treatment paid for when other patients would not. In such cases, NHS clinicians can ask NHS England, on behalf of […]

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Historically, the funding of provision has been a matter between the Local Authority and the school or college. But with an EHC Plan, parents can have a greater say and responsibility to organise the additional support that is specified in the Plan. When a child or young person receives their draft EHC Plan, there is the option for parents to request a Personal Budget.

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Personal Budgets in the EHCP | Education Advocacy

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Discover everything about personal budgets in the EHCP with this informative guide from the experts at Education Advocacy

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Personal Budgets < Portsmouth Local Offer

Personal budgets Southampton

Family Information and Services Hub | Personal Budgets Information Hampshire

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(IPSEA) Independent Provider of Special Education Advice

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Once a child or young person has an , the local authority (LA) must ensure the support set out in the plan is made for them.

Normally, the LA will do this by providing the necessary funding to your child's school or college, in order for them to deliver the educational support needed, and by arranging any external therapies or other provision that may be specified. However, it is also possible for the LA to consider making a payment to the parent, the young person, or another nominated person so that you can organise the provision yourself. This is called a direct payment. In order for you to request a direct payment, the LA must first identify a personal budget.

Remember, the purpose of a personal budget or direct payment is to allow you to arrange provision that is specified in Section F of the EHC plan yourself. It is not a pot of money for 'extras' like home tuition, after-school activities, additional therapies or anything else that is not specified in Section F.

What is a personal budget?

The personal budget is the notional amount of money that would be needed to cover the cost of making the special educational provision specified in the EHC plan. You cannot have a personal budget for education unless you have an EHC plan. Information about the availability of personal budgets must be contained in your LA's local offer .

Your LA must consider identifying a personal budget for educational provision if you request it when your LA issues a draft EHC plan following an EHC needs assessment or when it is reviewing an EHC plan . It is not legally required to consider identifying a personal budget for educational provision at other times.

Sometimes, your LA can refuse to identify a personal budget. It may do so when the special educational provision is being provided as part of a larger budget (for example, a contract with the NHS to provide all speech and language therapy or occupational therapy) and the LA can't separate out or 'disaggregate' the personal budget for your child from that overall larger budget.

How can I get a direct payment?

If you do request a personal budget from your LA, you can at the same time ask it to identify which elements or parts of the personal budget you could then receive as a direct payment. This is an actual amount of money that you would receive so that you could commission or arrange the provision in the EHC plan yourself. The direct payment must be enough to cover the cost of arranging the provision.

Your LA can refuse to make a direct payment if it thinks the person receiving the payments would not be capable of managing the money, or if it thinks the money would be used in an inappropriate way. It can also refuse to make a direct payment where this would negatively impact other services provided by the LA, or if it would not be an efficient use of resources.

Where the provision proposed to be replaced by a direct payment takes place in a school or college setting, the consent of the head teacher or principal is required. If they do not consent then the LA will be unable to make a direct payment.

If the LA refuses to identify a personal budget or make a direct payment, you cannot appeal against that decision but you can ask for it to be reviewed.

Where can I find out more?

Detailed information about personal budgets and direct payments are contained in Chapter 9 of the SEN and Disability Code of Practice. The law relating to direct payments and personal budgets is set out in the Special Educational Needs (Personal Budgets) Regulations 2014, as amended by the Special Educational Needs (Miscellaneous Amendments) Regulations 2014.

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Have you found the information on our website helpful today? If so, please consider donating! At IPSEA, we rely on your donations and fundraising efforts to help keep our vital services running. Read more
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Once a child or young person has an EHC plan, the local authority must ensure the support set out in the plan is made for the child or young person

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#BeeWell is a new programme, co-created with young people, in which we are surveying the domains and drivers of wellbeing of pupils in secondary schools across Hampshire, Isle of Wight, Portsmouth, and Southampton (HIPS) on an annual basis from autumn 2023, using the data generated to deliver positive change in our schools and communities. #BeeWell was co-founded by The University of Manchester, The Gregson Family Foundation and Anna Freud in 2019, and developed in partnership with the Greater Manchester Combined Authority. In 2023 we expanded into Hampshire, Isle of Wight, Portsmouth, and Southampton.

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#BeeWell is a new programme, co-created with young people, in which we are surveying the domains and drivers of wellbeing of pupils in secondary schools across Hampshire, Isle of Wight, Portsmouth, and Southampton (HIPS) on an annual basis from autumn 2023, using the data generated to deliver positive change in our schools and communities. #BeeWell was co-founded by The University of Manchester, The Gregson Family Foundation and Anna Freud in 2019, and developed in partnership with the Greater Manchester Combined Authority. In 2023 we expanded into Hampshire, Isle of Wight, Portsmouth, and Southampton.

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Document outlining the SEND and AP strategy in Portsmouth

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Portsmouth SENDAP Strategy - 2024 - 2029 - Version 5 - 22 November 2024

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The service will support families with a child or children with special educational needs and disabilities from their first point of contact with the council. It looks to help find the support they need either directly or through the assessment processes which may be required to establish the level of their needs. They will continue to support them and review those needs while they receive the service and support agreed.

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0-25 service - Special Educational Needs team

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The 0-25 service offers additional help for children with special educational needs (SEN).

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The guidance sets out the Pathways which all practitioners must follow in identifying, raising and responding to concerns about children.

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Hampshire and Isle of Wight Safeguarding Children Partnership and Childrens Trust thresholds for levels of support. The purpose of this document is to support practitioners working with children in all agencies and organisations across Hampshire and the Isle of Wight to access the right help for children, young people and their families at the right time.

The guidance sets out which agencies and what levels of intervention might be required to ensure the safety and wellbeing of children and young people, including when statutory intervention may be needed.

s.

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Guidance for all practitioners in working together so that families in Portsmouth have access to the right support at the right time. Included specific information and guidance for children with disability and complex health needs.

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A collaborative piece of work to bring together training available for SEND colleagues in Education, health and social care in Portsmouth, some of which is accessible outside of Portsmouth too.

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These training sessions are designed to enhance and develop the knowledge and application of Children and Young People’s Continuing Care (CYPCC) for all health and social care practitioners involved in the care of children and young people with complex needs.

The topics covered include an introduction to CYPCC, the completion of the pre-assessment checklist (referral) for CYPCC, and the completion of the decision support tool (DST) for CYPCC.

The current National Framework for Children and Young People’s Continuing Care was published in 2016. These training sessions have been completed by regional and national colleagues specialising in children and young people’s services.

Feedback and evaluation is a continual process, and we would ask that all who complete the CYPCC elearning please provide feedback on the sessions’ content when prompted to do so, to support ongoing evaluation and review.

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NHS Children and Young People’s Continuing Care - elearning for healthcare

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1. Introduction

This document sets out the framework for the national curriculum and includes:

contextual information about both the overall school curriculum and the statutory national curriculum, including the statutory basis of the latter

aims for the statutory national curriculum

statements on inclusion, and on the development of pupils' competence in numeracy and mathematics, language and literacy across the school curriculum

programmes of study for all the national curriculum subjects

2. The school curriculum in England

Every state-funded school must offer a curriculum which is balanced and broadly based* and which:

promotes the spiritual, moral, cultural, mental and physical development of pupils at the school and of society

prepares pupils at the school for the opportunities, responsibilities and experiences of later life

*See Section 78 of the 2002 Education Act which applies to all maintained schools. Academies are also required to offer a broad and balanced curriculum in accordance with Section 1 of the 2010 Academies Act.

The school curriculum comprises all learning and other experiences that each school plans for its pupils. The national curriculum forms one part of the school curriculum.

All state schools are also required to make provision for a daily act of collective worship and must teach religious education to pupils at every key stage. They must also teach relationships education to pupils in primary education, relationships and sex education to pupils in secondary education and health education to all pupils.

Maintained schools in England are legally required to follow the statutory national curriculum which sets out in programmes of study, on the basis of key stages, subject content for those subjects that should be taught to all pupils. All schools must publish their school curriculum by subject and academic year online**.

**From September 2012, all schools are required to publish information in relation to each academic year, relating to the content of the school's curriculum for each subject and details about how additional information relating to the curriculum may be obtained: http://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2012/1124/made.

All schools should make provision for personal, social, health and economic education (PSHE), drawing on good practice. Schools are also free to include other subjects or topics of their choice in planning and designing their own programme of education.

3. The national curriculum in England

Aims

The national curriculum provides pupils with an introduction to the essential knowledge they need to be educated citizens. It introduces pupils to the best that has been thought and said, and helps engender an appreciation of human creativity and achievement.

The national curriculum is just one element in the education of every child. There is time and space in the school day and in each week, term and year to range beyond the national curriculum specifications. The national curriculum provides an outline of core knowledge around which teachers can develop exciting and stimulating lessons to promote the development of pupils' knowledge, understanding and skills as part of the wider school curriculum.

Structure

Pupils of compulsory school age in community and foundation schools, including community special schools and foundation special schools, and in voluntary-aided and voluntary-controlled schools, must follow the national curriculum. It is organised on the basis of 4 key stages*** and 12 subjects, classified in legal terms as 'core' and 'other foundation' subjects.

***The key stage 2 programmes of study for English, mathematics and science are presented in this document as 'lower' (years 3 and 4) and 'upper' (years 5 and 6). This distinction is made as guidance for teachers and is not reflected in legislation. The legal requirement is to cover the content of the programmes of study for years 3 to 6 by the end of key stage 2.

The Secretary of State for Education is required to publish programmes of study for each national curriculum subject, setting out the 'matters, skills and processes' to be taught at each key stage. Schools are free to choose how they organise their school day, as long as the content of the national curriculum programmes of study is taught to all pupils.

The structure of the national curriculum, in terms of which subjects are compulsory at each key stage, is set out in the table below:

Figure 1 - Structure of the national curriculum

Note: At key stage 2 the subject title for languages is 'foreign language'; at key stage 3 it is 'modern foreign language'.

All schools are also required to teach religious education at all key stages. Secondary schools must provide sex and relationship education.

Figure 2 - Statutory teaching of religious education and sex and relationship education

Key stage 4 entitlement areas

The arts (comprising art and design, music, dance, drama and media arts), design and technology, the humanities (comprising geography and history) and modern foreign language are not compulsory national curriculum subjects after the age of 14, but all pupils in maintained schools have a statutory entitlement to be able to study a subject in each of those 4 areas.

The statutory requirements in relation to the entitlement areas are:

schools must provide access to a minimum of 1 course in each of the 4 entitlement areas

schools must provide the opportunity for pupils to take a course in all 4 areas, should they wish to do so

a course that meets the entitlement requirements must give pupils the opportunity to obtain an approved qualification

4. Inclusion

Setting suitable challenges

Teachers should set high expectations for every pupil. They should plan stretching work for pupils whose attainment is significantly above the expected standard. They have an even greater obligation to plan lessons for pupils who have low levels of prior attainment or come from disadvantaged backgrounds. Teachers should use appropriate assessment to set targets which are deliberately ambitious.

Responding to pupils' needs and overcoming potential barriers for individuals and groups of pupils

Teachers should take account of their duties under equal opportunities legislation that covers race, disability, sex, religion or belief, sexual orientation, pregnancy and maternity, and gender reassignment.

Note: Age is a protected characteristic under the Equality Act 2010 but it is not applicable to schools in relation to education or (as far as relating to those under the age of 18) the provision of services; it is a relevant protected characteristic in relation to the provision of services or employment (so when thinking about staff). Marriage and civil partnership are also a protected characteristic but only in relation to employment.

A wide range of pupils have special educational needs, many of whom also have disabilities. Lessons should be planned to ensure that there are no barriers to every pupil achieving. In many cases, such planning will mean that these pupils will be able to study the full national curriculum. The special educational needs and disability code of practice includes advice on approaches to identification of need which can support this. A minority of pupils will need access to specialist equipment and different approaches. The SEN and disability code of practice is clear about what should be done to meet their needs.

With the right teaching, that recognises their individual needs, many disabled pupils may have little need for additional resources beyond the aids which they use as part of their daily life. Teachers must plan lessons so that these pupils can study every national curriculum subject. Potential areas of difficulty should be identified and addressed at the outset of work.

Teachers must also take account of the needs of pupils whose first language is not English. Monitoring of progress should take account of the pupil's age, length of time in this country, previous educational experience and ability in other languages.

The ability of pupils for whom English is an additional language to take part in the national curriculum may be in advance of their communication skills in English. Teachers should plan teaching opportunities to help pupils develop their English and should aim to provide the support pupils need to take part in all subjects.

5. Numeracy and mathematics

Teachers should use every relevant subject to develop pupils' mathematical fluency. Confidence in numeracy and other mathematical skills is a precondition of success across the national curriculum.

Teachers should develop pupils' numeracy and mathematical reasoning in all subjects so that they understand and appreciate the importance of mathematics. Pupils should be taught to apply arithmetic fluently to problems, understand and use measures, make estimates and sense check their work. Pupils should apply their geometric and algebraic understanding, and relate their understanding of probability to the notions of risk and uncertainty. They should also understand the cycle of collecting, presenting and analysing data. They should be taught to apply their mathematics to both routine and non-routine problems, including breaking down more complex problems into a series of simpler steps.

6. Language and literacy

Teachers should develop pupils' spoken language, reading, writing and vocabulary as integral aspects of the teaching of every subject. English is both a subject in its own right and the medium for teaching; for pupils, understanding the language provides access to the whole curriculum. Fluency in the English language is an essential foundation for success in all subjects.

Spoken language

Pupils should be taught to speak clearly and convey ideas confidently using standard English. They should learn to justify ideas with reasons; ask questions to check understanding; develop vocabulary and build knowledge; negotiate; evaluate and build on the ideas of others; and select the appropriate register for effective communication. They should be taught to give well-structured descriptions and explanations and develop their understanding through speculating, hypothesising and exploring ideas. This will enable them to clarify their thinking as well as organise their ideas for writing.

Reading and writing

Teachers should develop pupils' reading and writing in all subjects to support their acquisition of knowledge. Pupils should be taught to read fluently, understand extended prose (both fiction and non-fiction) and be encouraged to read for pleasure. Schools should do everything to promote wider reading. They should provide library facilities and set ambitious expectations for reading at home. Pupils should develop the stamina and skills to write at length, with accurate spelling and punctuation. They should be taught the correct use of grammar. They should build on what they have been taught to expand the range of their writing and the variety of the grammar they use. The writing they do should include narratives, explanations, descriptions, comparisons, summaries and evaluations: such writing supports them in rehearsing, understanding and consolidating what they have heard or read.

Vocabulary development

Pupils' acquisition and command of vocabulary are key to their learning and progress across the whole curriculum. Teachers should therefore develop vocabulary actively, building systematically on pupils' current knowledge. They should increase pupils' store of words in general. Simultaneously, they should also make links between known and new vocabulary and discuss the shades of meaning in similar words. In this way, pupils expand the vocabulary choices that are available to them when they write. In addition, it is vital for pupils' comprehension that they understand the meanings of words they meet in their reading across all subjects, and older pupils should be taught the meaning of instruction verbs that they may meet in examination questions. It is particularly important to induct pupils into the language which defines each subject in its own right, such as accurate mathematical and scientific language.

7. Programmes of study and attainment targets

The following links set out the statutory programmes of study and attainment targets for all subjects except for science at key stage 4.

Schools are not required by law to teach the example content in [square brackets] or the content indicated as being 'non-statutory'.

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National curriculum in England: framework for key stages 1 to 4

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This document sets out the framework for the national curriculum and includes: contextual information about both the overall school curriculum and the statutory national curriculum, including the statutory basis of the latter aims for the statutory national curriculum statements on inclusion, and on the development of pupils' competence in numeracy

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With outcomes for children stalled, families’ confidence undermined and two-fifths of local authorities staring down bankruptcy, PAC report issues urgent warning.

Evidence of postcode lottery for support as Govt urged to better respond to rise in demand.

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Broken SEND system The i Newspaper 26.04.2025 

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Broken SEND system The i Newspaper 26.04.2025 

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‘I have no support to care for my disabled son - the SEND system is broken’

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Leanne Gregory has been unable to return to her community worker job because she has to take care of her five-year-old son, Jude

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If you need to reach out to the SEND team in your part of Hampshire, use the joint inbox emails in this link

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Free guide for school about their role in the EHCP process

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Free guide for school about their role in the EHCP process

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For sharing with schools and school SENCO's

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Setting good quality  EHCP outcomes is becoming increasingly challenging. With tight timeframes, larger caseloads than ever and more EHCP applications flooding in, creating personalised and good EHCP outcomes without several amendments is challenging.

We've lined up an incredible panel of guest speakers, including local authority professionals, health professionals and strategic SEND leaders, who will discuss how to write impactful, measurable outcomes that not only fulfill statutory requirements but also genuinely support the progress of children and young people with SEND.

Here's what we'll cover:
🚀 Actionable insights into setting good quality outcomes
🚀 Real-world experiences, making it relevant for all local authorities, regardless of prior engagement with Invision360

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Microsoft Virtual Events Powered by Teams

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Microsoft Virtual Events Powered by Teams

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Hampshire Local Area Partnership Strategy

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Hampshire Local Area Partnership Strategy

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Strategic outcomes for SEND in Hampshire

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The Hampshire Local Area Partnership draws together organisations that work with children and young people with SEND in Hampshire. This includes Education, Health, and Social Care, as well as voluntary sector organisations and those representing children, young people and families. These organisations are represented on Hampshire's Local Area Partnership Board. The Board ensures all those organisations work together to deliver high quality, joined up care, education and health services across the Local Area in order that that children and young people with SEND achieve the best possible outcomes.

The board is joined by the Executive Lead Members for Children's Services and the Lead Member for Education, and is co-chaired by the Director of Children's Services and the Deputy Chief Delivery Officer and Director for Childrens Care, Mental Health and Learning Disabilities and Autism.

The Board has completed its annual review of Hampshire Self Evaluation Framework (SEF) and has used the findings to develop its strategy and action plan for the next three to five years. You can find more information about the SEF, strategy and action plan below.

Our Vision

Children and young people in Hampshire:

Are heard

Are safe and happy

Have the same opportunities and choices as their peers

Fulfil their potential

Have inclusive learning environments

Have seamless access to services

Lead productive and independent lives.

Our Approach

We will achieve our vision through strong multi agency and parental partnerships, having a shared understanding of challenges and working together on solutions.

We will measure progress by:

Bringing together Health, Education and Social Care data.

Tracking and reducing the gap between outcomes for children and young people with SEND and their peers.

Annually canvassing parents about their confidence in the system.

Annually canvassing professionals about system improvements.

Listening to children and young people about what matters to them and acting on their views.

We will work together well by:

Collectively owning the issues.

Securing cross- partnership agreement to progress all actions.

Spreading the word, creating a system-wide understanding of our ambition.

Routinely seeking the voice of all children and young people with SEND.

Holding ourselves and each other to account on delivery of our action plan.

Monitoring our progress through our Local Area Partnership board.

Supporting and be honest with each other.

Asking for help to solve systemic problems.

Being critical friends for each other.

Reducing inequalities.

Our Success Criteria

We will know we have succeeded when:

The views of children, young people and their families informs all our work.

Children, young people and their families can access the information and services they need when they need it.

Data is routinely shared, and we all work towards the same goals.

Children and young people with SEND are happy and have positive social relationships.

Young people with SEND increasingly live independently and gain meaningful employment.

There is a culture of support to families and carers.

Children and young people with SEND and their families can access services and support that meet their needs at the earliest point, without barriers.

The mental and physical health of children and young people with SEND compares positively with their peers.

Children and young people with SEND are engaged in their education within an inclusive environment.

Everyone in the system, works together to improve educational engagement.

A robust, resilient and skilled education workforce can meet SEND needs.

Children and young people with SEND and their parents are appropriately prepared for adult life from a young age.

There is sufficient provision to meet the needs of all Children and young people with SEND in Hampshire

Our Action Plan

Our Action plan is broken down into the following areas with actions listed under each one:

Action Plan 1: Improving educational engagement, support and practice across education settings

Action Plan 2: Improving the lives and wellbeing of children, young people and their families

Action Plan 3: Providing timely health diagnostics and services

Area SEND Inspection

This is where information on the inspection will be published, once a date for Ofsted to visit has been set.

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Family Information and Services Hub | Local Area Partnership - Hampshire

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The Hampshire Local Area Partnership draws together organisations that work with children and young people with SEND in Hampshire. This includes Education, Health, and Social Care, as well as voluntary sector organisations and those representing children, young people and families. These organisations are represented on…

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A training session that took place in in the Hampshire SEND and commissioning space facilitated by the CDC's RISE partnership

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Summary - Data Voice and Commissioning in Hampshire

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For sharing with nursery settings and parents

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Resources for Educators - Dingley's Promise

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Useful resources from Dingley's Promise for families of children with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities

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Transition videos and more from Dingley's Promise

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Links to Dingley's Promise videos on vimeo including

Laura Butler - Parent of Arlo Kirlees

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Jo Evans is a member of Vimeo, the home for high quality videos and the people who love them.

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SEND learning event

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Labour is preparing major changes to special educational needs provision in English schools, as individual councils raise the alarm over debts running into hundreds of millions of pounds that have pushed many to the brink of bankruptcy.

A Guardian analysis has found the vast majority of English upper-tier councils have accumulated often eye-watering special educational needs spending deficits. At least 12 have forecast accumulated deficits of more than £100m, running as high as £312m, when the debts have to be settled in a year's time.

It is understood ministers are preparing a white paper due to be published in late spring setting out details of what one insider called a "complete recalibration" of the special educational needs and disabilities (Send) system.

The government is believed to be considering changes to existing Send legislation that councils hope would ease the deficits, alongside a series of measures designed to prioritise state school provision and cut council spending in costly private specialist needs schools.

There are frantic calls from English local authorities for ministers to write off a collective £5bn forecast deficit on Send budgets. The deficit - effectively kept off council books through a temporary credit-facility arrangement called an "override" since 2018 - is due to hit council balance sheets on 31 March 2026, a financial shock that could push more than 60 councils into insolvency.

Council Send spending has accelerated in recent years, and the deficit - the gap between the money the government gives councils for Send and the amount they have been legally obliged to spend on provision - has become one of the biggest threats to the viability of many town halls, on a par with the social care crisis.

Local authorities are lobbying for law changes to give them more control over Send costs by limiting parental rights to appeal over Send assessments, and reducing the powers of Send tribunals to direct how a child's needs are provided for in the school system.

Kate Foale, a Labour councillor and Send spokesperson for the County Councils Network, said law changes had to go hand in hand with reform and extra investment in special needs education. Foale said: "It [the Send system] is adversarial, and it doesn't work for children and their families. We are in a really bad place."

Parents' groups warned ministers would have a "massive fight on their hands" over any attempts to dilute children's legal rights to Send support. "Reducing Send entitlement won't make needs go away. You just end up with lots of children with needs but no support," said Tania Tirraoro of the campaign group Special Needs Jungle.

The biggest forecast deficits by next March include Hampshire county council (£312m by March 2026), West Sussex (£222m), Norfolk (£186m), Cheshire East (£154m), Warwickshire (£151m), Wiltshire (£117m), Oxfordshire (£111m), Gloucestershire (£108m), Somerset (£100m), and Staffordshire (£100m).

Guardian analysis of two-thirds of English upper-tier councils found at least 13 have forecast accumulated Send deficits of between £50m and £100m, including Sefton (£86m), Hertfordshire (£81m), Cornwall (£70m), Cambridgeshire (£70m), Leicestershire (£66m), Merton (£65m), Central Bedfordshire (£65m) and Wokingham (£61m).

Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole council, whose deficit will reach £165m in a year's time, said without the deficit override it would be technically bankrupt from next month because its Send deficit exceeds its available financial reserves. It described its position as "an impossible situation".

Many councils have had to take out huge loans to manage cash flow crises caused by Send spending. The Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy estimates the cost of these loans, including interest payments, amounts to around £600m a year, which could have been spent on frontline services.

The Send deficit is also eating into other parts of council budgets, with many town halls reporting unsustainable increases in the cost of home-to-school transport as more children with education, health and care plans (EHCPs) are sent to out-of-borough special schools.

The deficits are driven by huge high-needs budget overspends, especially on EHCPs, which set out a council's legal duty to meet a child's educational support requirements.

A rapid rise in pupils diagnosed with autistic spectrum disorder, social, emotional and mental health needs (including ADHD), and speech, language and communication needs has fuelled a 140% increase in EHCPs between 2015 and 2024, from 240,000 to 576,000.

Although 2014 legislation clarified entitlement to Send support, critics say the previous government failed to anticipate, plan for, properly fund and manage the resulting explosion in need and demand. Guardian analysis indicates that EHCP demand continues to increase rapidly, with some councils reporting 50% rises in the past 12 months.

Bradford, already on the edge of effective bankruptcy because of social care pressures, is one of tiny handful of councils currently in surplus on its Send budget. However, it says an expected surge in EHCPs will rapidly turn this into a £14m deficit by March 2026, rising to £54m in 2027.

Experts say an extension may delay a local financial meltdown across local government but is unlikely to give councils enough time to tackle the underlying causes of the deficit, which if not mitigated could rise to as much as £8bn by 2029. A Guardian analysis of internal documents and budget reports in more than two-thirds of upper-tier English councils, also found:

Some councils have raised concerns about profiteering amid frustration over huge fees from private specialist schools, which can charge between £50,000 and £100,000 per place, typically two to three times the cost of state provision.

Tensions between headteachers and councils over attempts by the latter to shift millions of pounds from local school budgets to ease high needs deficits. Some schools have said such moves would force them to sack Send support staff.

Attempts to rein in local Send demand and spending via "safety valve" initiatives at 42 councils have largely failed, with most failing to hit savings targets on time, despite receiving government grants running into tens of millions of pounds.

A Department for Education spokesperson said the Send system had long been failing to meet the needs of children and families. They said: "Through our Plan for Change, we are determined to improve inclusivity and expertise in mainstream schools, making sure special schools cater to children with the most complex needs and restoring parents' trust that their child will get the right support.

"We are already making progress by investing £1bn into Send, alongside £740m for councils to create more specialist places in mainstream schools, paving the way for significant, long-term reform."

This article was amended on 5 March 2025. An earlier version referred to "special emotional needs" when social, emotional and mental health needs had been the intended term.

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Ministers plan major changes to Send education in England

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White paper being prepared as councils hope for relief from huge deficits in special educational needs budgets

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Bridget Phillipson: parents must ‘think differently’ on Send support for children

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Education secretary says England’s special needs system has not delivered, as school leaders say it is on brink of collapse

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Process for EHCP quality reviewing in Portsmouth and SE Hants 

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Process for EHCP quality reviewing in Portsmouth and SE Hants 

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Guidance on the S1 process used to check health contributions

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Quality checking EHCP contributions in Portsmouth and SE Hants

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EHCP Reviewers Portsmouth and SE Hants   March-June 2025

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March- June 2025

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EHCP Reviewers Southampton City   March-June 2025

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This article is written for plan writers, health contributors will benefit from understanding the challenges!

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When undertaking EHCP writing for the first time, one of the most common pieces of feedback we receive from writers is that they didn't expect it to be so difficult.

It's a unique task, requiring a writer to adhere strictly to the legal requirements, not take liberties in interpreting or paraphrasing the professional advice and follow precise house styles and structures. At the same time, writers also need to have the creativity and discernment to select the most appropriate information, become a detective in negotiating puzzles within the advice and make the draft flow as a coherent whole.

Understanding the legislation and the Code of Practice is only the first step: a lot of basic plan writing training operates on the assumption that the writer has gold-star quality professional advice with which to work. However, the Code provides little (if any) guidance for situations where advice is unclear, or cases are complex. Despite the high degree of analysis and problem-solving involved, there is also often an assumption that plan writing is formulaic and simply involves tasks of collating and summarising that could be replicated by digital software.

In this post we delve into some of the scenarios that call for this high level of judgement and nuanced decision-making within plan drafting, and why specific plan writer training is so important.

Dealing with conflicts

A common occurrence is to find that two (or more!) reports include contradictory (or seemingly contradictory) information. For example, when faced with one piece of advice that says that a child speaks in single words only, and another that says they can join words to make two- or three-word phrases, how do you, as a plan writer, decide what to include in the plan? There are a few things to look at to decide:

What are the dates of the reports? This may answer the question easily, as the child may just have progressed between the two (although you would need to take into account the context, as it's also possible they may have regressed, in some circumstances).

What authority/experience does the advice writer have? For example, you might prioritise the Speech and Language Therapist's advice about something to do with language, or you might take into consideration the fact that the school see the child every day, as opposed to a medical professional who has seen the child only once for a short assessment.

Is the information definitely a conflict? For instance, saying 'they speak in single words' and 'they speak in short phrases' is not necessarily a conflict, as they may do both at different times.

Does any of the rest of the advice support one or other statement? If you have three reports saying one thing and one saying another, then you would probably go with the former.

Are there any other clues or factors that might help make a decision? For example, any indication that some of the text is inaccurate / about a different child etc.

If, after considering all the information, it is still not clear which is correct, then you might consider stating the conflict within the advice (e.g. 'The Speech and Language Therapist states that.... However, the Educational Psychologist states that...') - and flag for this to be followed up before the plan is issued.

Inaccuracies and ambiguities

In any given case, there are likely to be some errors and/or inaccuracies in the advice that need identifying and correcting. Some of these may be obvious, and therefore straightforward to fix, such as advice using the wrong pronouns for the child, or the wrong name. However, in cases like these, it's important to read the information in context - is it only the name/pronouns that are wrong, or is the report actually for a different child?

Some errors are more subtle, and require you to be looking out for inconsistencies or something that 'doesn't feel right'. For example, perhaps a diagnosis is dated before the reported date of the referral, or an annual review is listed as having been carried out in the future: some detective work is necessary to work out what dates are likely to be correct. One common typo is to say that a child/young person 'is now able to do X' as opposed to 'not able to do X', or vice versa. Noticing this requires you to be paying attention to details: holding a picture of the advice in your mind and being on the look-out for unusual phrasing.

Another example would be errors that have come from speech-to-text software used by advice writers, such as 'improve her electricity skills', instead of 'improve her literacy skills', or 'difficulty managing his oceans' rather than 'emotions'. On first glance it appears nonsensical, but with context, and the knowledge that this kind of software is sometimes used, it becomes possible to work out what is meant.

Amendments

The most common issues when processing amendments to plans following annual review are:

not having sufficient relevant new information to fully update the plan

not having any indication of whether information currently in the plan is still relevant.

You must therefore exercise significant judgement in deciding what information to leave in and what information to remove. Factors to consider include:

1. Is there any new information that contradicts something in the old plan or insinuates that something is no longer relevant? If so, you would remove this information - and note if this resulted in there being no description of need for a particular area that still has outcomes/provision, for further investigation.

2. What kind of need is being described, how old is the old information and what age is/was the child/young person?

In other words, is the reason the annual review attendees haven't mentioned it in the new advice more likely to be:

They are just taking it as a given (e.g. for a child/young person with severe learning difficulties, the fact that they have delayed expressive and receptive language skills is going to still be the case, but the annual review probably wouldn't bother restating this), or

It's no longer an issue, so not worth mentioning (e.g. a child was five at the time of the old plan and having some difficulties with toileting - if they're now ten and the annual review hasn't mentioned this, then it's almost certainly because this has resolved and is no longer an issue).

3. If there is no need described in the new advice for an area that previously included a need, then any new information around outcomes/provision may give you some evidence as to whether the need persists.

For example:

If the annual review report indicates that the outcome for that area is achieved and hasn't provided a new one, then we might assume this is no longer a need;

If the annual review report says (or insinuates) that there are no changes to be made to the outcomes/provision (or gives new outcomes/provisions for this area) then you may assume that it's still a need and leave it in from the old plan, flagging that there was no up-to-date information so that this can be followed up.

4. What level of detail is the information in the old plan, and therefore how likely is it to still be relevant?

Sentences such as 'He has moderate difficulties with his expressive language', 'She has difficulty staying on task and is easily distracted', 'They have some difficulty interacting with peers' or 'He lacks danger awareness' are all much more likely to be applicable for several years than sentences like 'She does not yet know number bonds to ten', 'They cannot yet follow instructions with two key words' or 'He cannot stay on task for longer than two minutes'. So, you might decide to remove the very specific wording, but leave in sufficient general wording to indicate that there is a need in this area.

5. What will the parents'/young person's experience be on reading the amended plan?

For instance, if the previous plan contained a large amount of Quality First Teaching provision, whilst this is not legally required in the plan (and many Local Authorities would regard including it as poor practice), you might consider how the parents would feel for large quantities of provision to be suddenly removed from the plan. If a case worker/coordinator has explained the situation and reassured parents that their child will not lose any entitlement to support as a result, then that's a different matter, but removing this information without appropriate explanation/support is likely to be distressing.

Similarly, if the previous plan has been through the tribunal process, and the wording has been agreed, then you might be more cautious with amendments, in situations where the information in the plan is not 'incorrect' in a legal sense, but perhaps is not in keeping with house styles or understood best practice.

Other exceptions

There will always be other exceptions to the 'normal' rules, particularly in cases that are complex or contentious. Plan writing is not formulaic or a simple case of putting the right sentence under the right heading, and it's important to remember the end goal: to produce a legally compliant, comprehensive, accurate, clear and accessible document.

It can be easy to get hung up on house rules (and it's indeed important to strive for consistency where possible!), but there will always be occasions where a piece of information that wouldn't 'normally' be included feels vitally important, in order to be clear and give the full picture. This level of judgement requires plan writers to receive specialist training and the opportunity to interact with a wide variety of different cases.

Enhance EHC offers a unique online EHCP writing training option that combines learning material rooted in legislative requirements and good practice guidance, with practical plan writing assignments and access to instructor feedback. You can explore EHCP writer courses and download an information pack here.

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In this post we delve into some of the scenarios that call for a high level of judgement and nuanced decision-making when writing EHC plans, and why specific training is so important.

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With contributions from specialists across the sector, the handbook is a comprehensive resource for teachers to use over time, with each of the nine sections intended to be used as required rather than being read in sequence. It brings together practical examples of high-quality teaching - placing focus on removing barriers to learning, getting to know and understand individual learners, and bringing to life the graduated approach.

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nasen House
4/5 Amber Business Village
Amber Close
Amington
Tamworth
Staffordshire
B77 4RP

Tel: 01827 311500
Email: welcome@nasen.org.uk

Opening Hours:
Monday to Thursday 09:00 - 17:00
Friday 09:00 - 16:00

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The approach we have taken to writing this handbook reflects the approach that is needed to embed inclusive practice across schools - a shared vision and true collaboration, underpinned by professional challenge and respect for everyone's strengths

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Research and data show us the importance of getting support right from the earliest years, particularly for those children with identified and unidentified Special Educational Needs (SEN) and Disabilities. At national, regional and local levels, there are a vast array of programmes targeting early years children and their families, and supporting their needs, such as Stronger Practice Hubs, Early Language Support for Every Child (ELSEC), Start for Life, as well as the Early Years SEND Partnership programme itself.

But how do we demonstrate what we are doing is making a difference to the children and families we support? What really constitutes as improving outcomes in this space? How do we know what we should be measuring? With so many different external influences on a child’s life, how do we know it is our efforts which are (or are not) improving outcomes? And what about parent/carer outcomes - where do they fit in?

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Measuring What Matters: Improving Lives of Early Years Children with SEND

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Learning from the Lambeth Early Action Partnership (LEAP)

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This workshop is for those who work in schools or education settings in support roles such as teaching assistants, or those who have recently started teaching and want to improve their knowledge of inclusion for children and young people with special educational needs or disabilities.

It will include topics such as:

Definitions of inclusion and how you can apply them to your work

Relevant legislation and what the law says you must do

Practical examples and ideas to take back to your setting

Curriculum and assessment, school policies and fostering a sense of belonging

Discussions with other education staff to develop and refine ideas

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Improving Inclusion in Schools -support staff & recently qualified teachers

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A workshop for support staff and recently qualified teachers who want to improve their knowledge of inclusion.

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nasen’s National Early Years SEND Seminar - Better Together: Working collaboratively to support children with SEND and their families

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This DfE-funded seminar is FREE to attend and is aimed at Early Years SENCOs and managers and Local Authority Teams from across England

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This resource is a quick reference guide which highlights the key messages for SEND in the context of early years.

The resource can be used to raise awareness of Early Years practitioners regarding their responsibilities for SEND.

The benefit of using this resource is an increased knowledge and understanding of the SEND Code of Practice (2015) and the Early Years Foundation Stage Framework (2023) in relation to provision for children with SEND in the Early Years.

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BBC news article referencing the Public Accounts Committee report. PAC Report can be found here Support for children and young people with special educational needs

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Fix Send now or risk a ‘lost generation’ of children, MPs warn

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A report finds the special educational needs and disabilities system in “disarray” and lacking funds.

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BBC news article on Ofstead comments Jan 2025

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BBC news article on Ofstead comments Jan 2025

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Sir Martyn Oliver's comments to the Education Select Committee

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Ofsted says special educational needs ‘biggest issue’ for schools

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Ofsted’s chief inspector says a new inspection system should reward more inclusive mainstream schools.

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Self assessment checklist to monitor the quality of your own health contributions to plans

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Copy of Self-assessment checklist for EHCNA advice given by individual Health Professionals

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Produced by the Council for Disabled children to audit health contributions to plans

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Copy of Audit tool for EHCNA advice given by Health Professionals

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Portsmouth and SE Hants quality checking rota

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Portsmouth and SE Hants quality checking rota

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EHCP Reviewers Portsmouth and SE Hants   March-June 2025

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The seminar consisted of:

A presentation from Warwick Business School on Alternative Provision ( Research Fellow Penny Smith – Warwick Business school)

A presentation on Inclusion of children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities in schools (Assistant Professor Sarah Gorin – Warwick Business School)

A Case study on Developing Ordinarily Available Provision in Portsmouth (PEP and School Inclusion Manager Sarah Christopher – Portsmouth City Council​)

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Learning seminar: inclusive Practice and Exploring the effectiveness of Outreach in Alternative Provision - What Works in SEND

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On Wednesday 22 January 2025, the What Works in SEND (WWiS) Programme ran a learning seminar for key decision makers in SEND systems across education, health and care. The seminar focused on sharing leadership for SEND system improvement. The seminar consisted of: A recording of the session can be found below.

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A presentation from Warwick Business School on (Middle) Level Leadership in the SEND system (Professor Graeme Currie – Warwick Business school)

A presentation from Shropshire Council on their WWiS effective practice case study: Shropshire – implementing the role of the DSCO (Sharon Griffiths – Designated Social Care Officer (DSCO), Shropshire Council)

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Learning seminar: sharing leadership for SEND system improvement - What Works in SEND

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A WWiS learning seminar on leadership for SEND system improvement.

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Recorded seminar

A presentation from Isos Partnership on Enablers and improvement cycles: Lessons learned from the WWiS effective local practice case studies (Ben Bryant, Director, Isos Partnership)

A presentation from Islington Council on their WWiS effective practice case study: Co-operation and assistance – sustaining strong partnership working in Islington (Candy Holder, Assistant Director for Inclusion, Islington council)

A presentation from Rotherham Council on their WWiS effective practice case study: Genuine Partnerships and the four cornerstones approach to co-production in Rotherham (Dr Claire – Marie Whiting, Genuine Partnerships Co-Lead, Rotherham council and Eva Ogden, Business Manager, Genuine Partnerships & Rotherham Charter)

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What Works in SEND learning seminar: Enablers and improvement cycles

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Parents lose hope as watchdog says Send system broken

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The special educational needs system is financially unsustainable, the National Audit Office warns.

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Training for Practitioners in Early Years and parents

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Training for Practitioners in Early Years and parents

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EY SEND training clendar

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Teamup is a free sharable online calendar for groups and projects.

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Summary of research from the CDC on defining the DCO role

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ITV Lunchtime News 20-12-24 featuring Special Needs Jungle

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Parliamentary Inquiry "Solving the SEND crisis"

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Parliamentary Inquiry "Solving the SEND crisis"

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(IPSEA) Independent Provider of Special Education Advice

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New parliamentary inquiry into “solving the SEND crisis”

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MPs are investigating the SEND system (again), with a new inquiry into “solving the SEND crisis” - read our response

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Hayley Clarke Education reporter, BBC NewsElaine DunkleyEducation correspondent, BBC Newsbbcelaine

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Schools given £740m to adapt buildings for Send pupils

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The money is the “first step” towards major Send reforms, the education secretary tells BBC News.

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Hampshire SEN support for Early Years Providers

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Hampshire SEN support for Early Years Providers

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Telephone Advice Line Childrens Therapy Service

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Telephone Advice Line Childrens Therapy Service

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Call the Children's Therapists for support, advice or information 0300 300 2019

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A resource freely available for all from the Childrens Therapists. Advice on screening and intervention/ support for children with additional needs in school.

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What is the Local Offer?

The Local Offer is a hub of information about the services and support available in Southampton for children and young people aged 0-25 with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND).

Southampton's SEND Local Offer is co-produced with parents, young people and professionals.

Introduction to SEND

Find out about what Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) covers and the conditions within it.
Find out about SEND

Document hub

Our central hub where you can find Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) local offer information, including key guidance documents and forms relating to education, health, social care and short breaks.
View document hub

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Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) Local Offer

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This is a hub of information and documentation of the services and support that Southampton City Council provides for children and young people aged 0-25 with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities.

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Skip to content This error message is only visible to WordPress admins Error: No feed found. Please go to the Instagram Feed settings page to create a feed. We use cookies on our website to give you the most relevant experience by remembering your preferences and repeat visits.

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Family Information and Services Hub | Hampshire's Local Offer for Special Educational Needs and / or Disabilities

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Your Local Offer - Information and services available in Hampshire for children and young people (birth to 25) who have Special Educational Needs and/or Disabilities (SEND) The Local Offer includes information about education, health, social care, preparation for adulthood, leisure services and impartial information advice and support....

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Resources for schools

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Interactive map of children's participation groups in the UK

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Interactive map of children's participation groups in the UK

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Find links and contact details for young people’s support and participation groups across the country.

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Explainer summarising the legislation and how Dynamic Support Register and Care (education) Treatment Review's work to support children and young people with Autism and Learning Difficulties.

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Dynamite, the voice of young people in Portsmouth with a disability or special educational need

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Dynamite What do we do? Dynamite’s job is to make sure that young people with …

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The Neurodiversity (ND) Profiling Tool < Portsmouth Local Offer

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Children and young people who are showing signs of neuro-developmental needs can now access a new tool which can help identify what support a child or young person may need.

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1. This document sets out the framework and handbook for inspecting local area arrangements for children and young people with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). It was devised jointly by Ofsted and the Care Quality Commission (CQC) for use from 2023 and will be periodically reviewed and amended.

2. This document has 2 parts:

The area SEND inspection framework – the framework sets out the purposes and principles of inspection and its statutory basis, along with the inspection approach, model, frequency and timing

The area SEND inspection handbook – the handbook sets out the evaluation criteria that inspectors use to make judgements, and examples of the kinds of evidence they gather and activities they carry out to evaluate the local area’s arrangements for children and young people with SEND. It includes information about the inspection process before, during and after the inspection

3. These inspections are carried out jointly by Ofsted and the CQC. Inspectors who specialise in education, health and social care will work together as a single inspection team.

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This guidance came into force on 30 January 2024.

Introduction

1. This document sets out the framework and handbook for inspecting local area arrangements for children and young people with special educational needs and/or disabilities ( SEND). It was devised jointly by Ofsted and the Care Quality Commission ( CQC) for use from 2023 and will be periodically reviewed and amended.

2. This document has 2 parts:

The area SEND inspection framework - the framework sets out the purposes and principles of inspection and its statutory basis, along with the inspection approach, model, frequency and timing

3. These inspections are carried out jointly by Ofsted and the CQC. Inspectors who specialise in education, health and social care will work together as a single inspection team.

Collecting and processing personal information

4. During an inspection, inspectors will gather personal data and information that are necessary to help them evaluate local SEND arrangements. Ofsted's privacy notice and the CQC's privacy statement set out what data we collect, what we do with it, how long we keep it and people's rights under data protection legislation.

The area SEND inspection framework

5. This framework sets out the purposes and principles of inspection and its statutory basis, along with the inspection approach, model, frequency and timing.

Principles and purpose of inspection

6. 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

7. Inspectors will uphold the highest professional standards in their work. They will treat everyone they meet during inspections fairly and with the respect and sensitivity they deserve. Inspectors will work constructively with leaders and staff, demonstrating professionalism, courtesy, empathy and respect at all times. Inspectors will evaluate a range of evidence against the evaluation schedule. They will follow Ofsted and the CQC 's published policies and relevant legislation in areas such as safeguarding and equality.

8. Our inspections of local area partnerships:

lead to judgements about the impact of the local area partnership's arrangements for children and young people with SEND

include an evaluation of the local authority's commissioning and oversight arrangements for children and young people in alternative provision; our reports include information on this, to help local authorities improve their arrangements

Statutory basis for area SEND inspections

9. Ofsted and the CQC carry out joint inspections of local areas at the request of the Secretary of State for Education under section 20(1)(a) of the Children Act 2004. At their discretion, they may also carry out monitoring inspections of local areas using their power in section 20(2) of the Children Act 2004.

Local area partnership duties

10. Inspectors assess the extent to which the local area partners are complying with relevant legal duties relating to arrangements for children and young people with SEND. Relevant legal duties may include duties under the Children and Families Act 2014, the Equality Act 2010 and the Human Rights Act 1998.

Overarching approach to inspection

11. Inspections evaluate how well members of a local area partnership work together to improve the experiences and outcomes of children and young people with SEND. The focus is not on inspecting the specific individuals that work in the local area partnership.

14. The inspection will consider whether local authorities' approach to commissioning and overseeing alternative provision arrangements for children and young people in the local authority area meets their duties as set out in section 19 of the Education Act 1996 and in statutory guidance.

Inspection model

15. Under this framework, we use previous area SEND inspection outcomes, as well as other information that we have, to inform our decisions about the timing and type of inspection.

16. The area SEND inspection system includes:

full inspections, which evaluate and report on the impact of the local area partnership's arrangements for children and young people with SEND. We ask all areas to update and publish their strategic plans after a full inspection. Where we have identified areas for priority action, we will require publication of a priority action plan (area SEND), in line with Regulations 3 and 4 of the Children Act 2004 (Joint Area Reviews) Regulations 2015 (this requirement will replace the requirement to produce a written statement of action ( WSoA) under the previous framework)

engagement meetings between Ofsted and the CQC 's representatives and representatives of the local area partnership to review the partnership's self-evaluation and action plan and discuss what is happening in the area, including any challenges and how leaders are addressing them

area SEND thematic visits to a small number of areas, with the aim of investigating a particular aspect of the SEND system in depth. Ofsted and the CQC will share learning from these visits in national reports.

The guidance for each set of thematic visits will be published separately

17. Following a full inspection, inspectors will report on the effectiveness of the local area partnership's arrangements for children and young people with SEND. The report will include:

the inspection outcome

what it is like to be a child or young person with SEND in the local area

what the local area partnership is doing well and what needs to be improved

recommendations for improvements that the local area partnership should act on

whether any areas for priority action have been identified and which area partners are responsible for addressing them

the likely type and timing of the next inspection activity

Frequency and type of area SEND inspections

18. The frequency and type of inspection activity for areas are based on inspection outcomes. All local areas will receive a full inspection at least once during a 5-year period. However, the frequency and type of inspection activity in any individual local area will be based on previous inspection outcomes and any relevant additional information received by Ofsted and the CQC.

19. We use the information we have when deciding how best to inspect each local area partnership. There will be times when concerns arise about a local area partnership. When this happens, the Ofsted regional director will decide whether to carry out an inspection. The information that informs our scheduling process includes regional intelligence, engagement meetings between inspectors and the local area partnership, and performance analysis.

20. There are 3 possible full inspection outcomes, leading to different subsequent inspection activity:

Inspection outcome

Subsequent meetings and inspection activities

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.

Engagement meetings

Full inspection usually within 5 years

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.

Engagement meetings

Full inspection usually within 3 years

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.

Engagement meetings

Submission of priority action plan (area SEND)

Monitoring inspection usually within 18 months of the publication of the full inspection report

Full reinspection usually within 3 years

21. If we become aware of information that suggests a significant deterioration in performance or a serious concern, Ofsted and the CQC may carry out a monitoring inspection or bring forward an area's full inspection to take place sooner than originally planned.

22. If the local authority in the local area is also receiving monitoring visits under the 'Inspecting local authority children's services' framework', there will usually be no more than 3 monitoring visits across both frameworks within a 12-month period.

24. New local areas will have a full inspection within 3 years of coming into existence. Any monitoring inspections that were planned for the predecessor local area or areas will not be carried out.

25. There are other Ofsted and CQC inspections that will involve local area partners. As far as possible, we will take the timing of all these inspections into account when planning the overall inspection schedule.

The area SEND inspection handbook

27. The handbook balances the need for consistency in inspections with the flexibility required to respond to the individual circumstances of each local area. It should not be regarded as a set of inflexible rules, but as a broad account of inspection procedures.

28. During the inspection, inspectors will visit providers such as early years settings, schools, alternative provision, colleges and specialist services to gather evidence. These providers will not be under inspection; they will remain subject to separate inspection arrangements in line with Ofsted and the CQC 's statutory and regulatory duties and powers.

29. This handbook has 4 parts:

Part 1: The evaluation schedule - how we will judge local areas

31. Inspectors will evaluate the impact of the local area partnership's SEND arrangements on the experiences and outcomes of children and young people with SEND, including the extent to which:

32. Inspectors will evaluate how the local area partners work together to plan, evaluate and develop the SEND system, including the extent to which:

leaders are ambitious for children and young people with SEND

leaders actively engage and work with children, young people and families

leaders have an accurate, shared understanding of the needs of children and young people in their local area

leaders commission services and provision to meet the needs and aspirations of children and young people, including commissioning arrangements for children and young people in alternative provision

leaders evaluate services and make improvements

leaders create an environment in which effective practice and multi-agency working can flourish

33. The evaluation schedule is not exhaustive. In applying it, inspectors will use their professional judgement, together with the instructions and guidance in part 2.

34. The evaluation schedule is a guide for inspectors. It can also support the local area partnership in its self-evaluation and ongoing improvement activities.

Approach to judgements

35. Following a full inspection, inspectors will make an overall summary judgement about the local area partnership. This judgement reflects the inspectors' evaluation of the impact of the local area partnership's arrangements on the experiences and outcomes of children and young people with SEND.

36. Inspectors will use their professional judgement to decide how much evidence they need to gather against each of the evaluation criteria, following lines of enquiry as they emerge, to reach the final inspection outcome.

Inspection outcomes

37. There are 3 inspection outcomes:

The local area partnership's 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 next full area SEND inspection will be within 5 years.

Ofsted and the CQC ask the local area partnership to update and publish its strategic plan based on the recommendations set out in this report.

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.

The next full area SEND inspection will take place within approximately 3 years.

Ofsted and the CQC ask that the local area partnership updates and publishes its strategic plan based on the recommendations set out in this report.

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.

A monitoring inspection will be carried out within approximately 18 months. The next full area SEND inspection will take place within approximately 3 years.

HMCI requires the local area partnership to prepare and submit a priority action plan (area SEND) to address the identified areas for priority action.

Reaching a judgement that the local area partnership's arrangements typically lead to positive experiences and outcomes

38. Inspectors will make this judgement if, having gathered and evaluated evidence using the evaluation criteria, they find that:

Reaching a judgement that the local area partnership's arrangements lead to inconsistent experiences and outcomes

39. Inspectors will make this judgement if:

either of the points in relation to the experiences and outcomes of children and young people in paragraph 38 are not met, and

there are no areas for priority action

Reaching a judgement that there are widespread and/or systemic concerns

40. Inspectors will make this judgement when:

they have identified one or more areas for priority action; this will happen when there are significant concerns about the experiences and outcomes of children and young people, because of particular systemic or widespread failings that have a significant negative impact on the experiences and outcomes of children and young people

Experiences and outcomes

41. The evaluation criteria describe the features of effective SEND arrangements. Inspectors will judge the impact of the local area partnership's SEND arrangements through the experiences and outcomes of children and young people.

42. Inspectors will evaluate individual children and young people's outcomes as part of their assessment of the local area partnership's self-evaluation of its strategic outcomes. Individuals' outcomes will be evaluated through inspection activities such as tracking and sampling. Strategic outcomes are those outcomes that partnership leaders want to see for all children and young people in their local area. Themes are likely to include: health and well-being, communication, independence, positive relationships, community participation, and moving into further and higher education and/or employment.

44. When evaluating experiences, inspectors will assess whether children and young people's experiences of education, health and care in their local area are positive, and why. They will evaluate whether children and young people with SEND:

45. Inspectors will also seek to understand how children and young people have been supported through any adverse experiences they may have had.

46. Inspectors will not emphasise one type of evidence above others. Inspectors will gather evidence that is balanced and connected, to form a picture of the typical experiences and outcomes of children and young people and how the local area partnership's SEND arrangements have led to these.

The evaluation criteria

47. This section provides detail about what inspectors will consider when evaluating against each criterion.

49. Inspectors will evaluate the local authority's commissioning and oversight of alternative provision for all children and young people who attend, not only those with SEND.

Children and young people's needs are identified accurately and assessed in a timely and effective way

50. Inspectors will take account of the extent to which:

Children, young people and their families participate in decision-making about their individual plans and support

51. Inspectors will take account of the extent to which:

Children and young people receive the right help and support at the right time

52. Inspectors will take account of the extent to which:

Children and young people are well prepared for their next steps and achieve strong outcomes

53. Inspectors will take account of the extent to which:

Children and young people with SEND are valued, visible and included in their communities

54. Inspectors will take account of the extent to which:

Leaders are ambitious for children and young people with SEND

55. Inspectors will take account of the extent to which:

leaders have an ambitious strategy that defines the shared outcomes they will work collectively to achieve for all children and young people with SEND, and they embed an aspirational culture of high expectations and quality across services and provision.

leaders understand their responsibilities and accountabilities, including their statutory duties and their individual responsibilities in the wider area strategy

responsibilities are delegated in line with leaders' legal duties and there is strong oversight of these resulting activities

processes for making decisions are structured so that the leaders responsible can swiftly agree to the changes that are required to improve services

leaders challenge themselves and each other to improve experiences and outcomes for children and young people with SEND

Leaders actively engage and work with children, young people and families

56. Inspectors will take account of the extent to which:

leaders consider the specific needs of groups of children and young people with SEND, and how best to engage them in co-production

leaders ensure that decisions relating to services are appropriately shaped by children and young people's needs, experiences, ambitions and outcomes

leaders give feedback to children, young people and parents on changes they have made to their area's services, and explain where change is not possible and why

57. Inspectors will take account of the extent to which:

leaders gather accurate, timely information about children and young people with SEND in their local area and monitor the changing needs of the population, including using the perspectives of children, young people and families

leaders understand the experiences and outcomes of children and young people with SEND in their area; their backgrounds and identities, including any barriers to them accessing support; and their needs and strengths

leaders share information across education, care and health services so they can learn from different perspectives and approaches

Leaders commission services and provision to meet the needs and aspirations of children and young people

58. Inspectors will take account of the extent to which:

services and systems have been designed around the needs of children and young people, and are informed by evidence of what works in achieving good outcomes

joint commissioning arrangements enable partners to make best use of all the resources available to improve outcomes for children and young people in the most efficient, effective, equitable and sustainable way

joint commissioning arrangements meet the local area's statutory responsibilities for identifying, assessing and meeting needs

leaders understand that children and young people with SEND may be more vulnerable to abuse, and ensure that this is carefully considered when commissioning and evaluating services

the local authority identifies children and young people's needs accurately and arranges suitable full-time educational provision to meet the needs of children or young people who require alternative provision as early as possible, for example, ensuring that full-time education for children and young people who have been excluded begins no later than the sixth day of the exclusion

the local authority ensures that there are intervention plans for each child and young person in alternative provision, including clear objectives and plans for their next steps, such as returning to mainstream education

Leaders evaluate services and make improvements

59. Inspectors will take account of the extent to which:

leaders jointly evaluate whether their services and provision are improving outcomes for children and young people with SEND, not only whether children and young people have received the services

leaders monitor whether there are sufficient services and provision to meet the needs and aspirations of the children and young people in their area and take appropriate action as a result

leaders use information from a range of sources in their evaluation, including feedback from representative groups, children and young people using services and data relating to outcomes to improve their services and provision

leaders have established clear processes to enable services and providers to evaluate and improve their provision regularly

the local authority evaluates how well the alternative provision it commissions is improving outcomes for children and young people, and takes action if needed

the local authority maintains strong oversight arrangements for alternative provision it commissions, including oversight of each alternative provision's safety and suitability, and in particular of alternative providers that are not registered as schools

Leaders create an environment for effective practice and multi-agency working to flourish

60. Inspectors will take account of the extent to which:

processes and systems are set up to support practitioners to work together and share appropriate information in a timely manner, including strong systems for identifying and responding to risks to children and young people with SEND

leaders ensure that practitioners are clear on their individual roles and how they can best work together to improve outcomes for children and young people

leaders ensure that practitioners have the appropriate skills to understand children and young people's needs and aspirations, and to create an inclusive environment

leaders encourage practitioners working together to focus on the child or young person, identifying alternative solutions when existing options do not meet needs and aspirations effectively

Alternative provision

61. Inspectors will use the evaluation criteria to evaluate the local authority's commissioning and oversight of alternative provision for all children and young people in placements directly commissioned by the local authority. This includes evaluating how the local authority ensures that placements: meet the needs and aspirations of children and young people; provide the support they need; prepare them for their next steps; and enable them to feel valued and included in their community. Inspectors will consider whether the local authority's use of unregistered and online provision is lawful and appropriate to children and young people's needs.

62. Inspectors will gather evidence to help evaluate the experiences and outcomes of children and young people with SEND in local authority-commissioned alternative provision. Where local authorities work with schools or trusts to commission and oversee placements, inspectors may gather and evaluate evidence about the local authority's role. In graded education inspections, we look at the experiences of pupils in alternative provision commissioned directly by schools.

63. Section 19 of the Education Act 1996 places a duty on local authorities to arrange alternative educational provision in school or elsewhere 'for pupils who, because of exclusion, illness or other reasons, would not otherwise receive suitable education'. The education provided under section 19 should be full time (unless medical needs make this impossible) and suitable for the child, taking account of their age, ability and special educational needs (if any).

64. When evaluating the local authority's commissioning and oversight of alternative provision, inspectors will:

Legal duties

66. The legal duties that may be considered include duties outlined in the SEND code of practice and in the Department for Education (DfE)'s alternative provision guidance.

Other areas of focus

67. Inspectors may gather evidence in relation to the oversight for children and young people with SEND who are not attending a school or alternative provision. This includes children and young people with SEND who are educated somewhere other than a school, are not on a school roll or are home educated.

68. Inspectors may also consider the local area partnership's approach to improving attendance of children and young people with SEND at education settings. Some pupils with SEND face greater barriers to attendance than their peers and may need additional support to help them access their education. Inspectors will also evaluate information in relation to part-time timetables, and may request further information. Children and young people with SEND have, on average, lower attendance rates than their peers, which affects their education. The DfE's attendance guidance explains the responsibilities of all partners, including local authorities.

69. Inspectors may consider the local area partnership's oversight and commissioning for children and young people who are placed in residential special schools, including those who are placed outside their local authority area and those who are in residential special schools for more than 295 days a year. Inspectors may evaluate how effectively the local area partnership is ensuring that these children and young people are being safeguarded, having positive experiences and achieving strong outcomes.

Liberty Protection Safeguards

70. The government consulted on changes to the Mental Capacity Act 2005, and implementation of the Liberty Protection Safeguards, in summer 2022. Following the outcome of the consultation, the area SEND inspection framework and handbook may be updated to include an approach to monitoring and reporting on Liberty Protection Safeguards in area SEND inspections.

Safeguarding

71. Safeguarding is not a specific judgement area, but inspectors will always consider it as part of any inspection activity. Inspectors will look at how well children and young people are helped and protected so that they are kept safe. Inspectors will follow established procedures if they receive information during the inspection that raises concerns about the safeguarding of children or young people. This includes following up concerns with the appropriate leaders in the local area.

72. 'Safeguarding concerns: guidance for inspectors' should be read alongside this guidance. It sets out the approach inspectors should take to inspecting safeguarding. It is essential that inspectors, local area partners, and individual providers are also familiar with, and follow, statutory guidance on safeguarding:

Part 2: How local area partnerships' provision for children and young people with SEND will be inspected

73. This part sets out the methodology for full inspections.

How local areas are selected for inspection

74. All local areas will have a full inspection at least once during a 5-year period. The type and timing of the inspection will be based on the area's previous inspection outcomes, as set out in paragraphs 18 and 20 of the framework. The selection of local areas to be inspected will, wherever possible, take account of the timing of other Ofsted and CQC inspection activity. Inspections will usually take place during school term time.

75. Where intelligence suggests that there are concerns about arrangements for children and young people with SEND in a particular local area, we may inspect that local area earlier than originally planned.

Composition of the inspection team

76. The inspection team will be led by one of His Majesty's Inspectors ( HMI) from Ofsted, and will include Children's Services Inspectors from the CQC, and education and social care inspectors from Ofsted.

77. Ofsted and the CQC may vary the composition and size of the inspection team. We base this decision on several factors, including the complexity of the local SEND system, and the size and nature of the geographical area.

78. At times, other Ofsted and the CQC inspectors may visit on site, to shadow the work of the inspection team. This is done for training, development and quality assurance purposes only. Any activities carried out by these inspectors will not form part of the evidence gathered by the inspection team or contribute in any way to the team's judgement.

Overview of the inspection

79. Area SEND full inspections will follow the structure set out below. The lead inspector will provide a detailed timeline when they notify leaders in the local area of the inspection.

80. Inspection activities are structured to enable inspectors to draw together evidence from across education, health and care services and form a connection between the different findings to reach an inspection outcome. Inspectors will use their evaluation of children and young people's experiences and outcomes to build a picture of the impact of the local area's SEND arrangements. During the inspection, inspectors will need to speak to a range of people. They will do so in line with our code of conduct, and act at all times with professionalism, courtesy, empathy and respect. Inspectors should take careful account of the well-being of leaders and staff and adjust their approach or activity, as appropriate, as they go about their inspection work. If inspectors see or suspect that a staff member (including all leaders) is upset or distressed at any point during the inspection, inspectors should respond sensitively. Where appropriate, inspectors will consider suitable adjustments to enable the staff member to continue. Where appropriate, inspectors will inform those responsible for the person's well-being. The lead HMI should contact the duty desk to discuss what action to take. There may be exceptional occasions when a pause to inspection needs to be considered. We will consider these on a case-by-case basis.

Activities in week 1

Inspectors notify the local leaders of the inspection 8 working days before the fieldwork begins and 10 working days before coming on site. This will usually be on a Monday, but may be in the previous week if there is a bank holiday in week 1 or 2 of the inspection.

Inspectors request information to support the inspection (this information is set out in Annex A of this guidance).

Inspectors and local leaders hold a set-up discussion (this is carried out virtually).

The local area partnership distributes surveys for children and young people with SEND, parents and carers, and practitioners (please see paragraph 88 for additional information).

The local area partnership shares information to support the inspection.

Inspectors select individual children and young people, and ask the local area partnership to set up tracking meetings.

Inspectors carry out planning and pre-inspection analysis.

Activities in week 2

Inspectors work with the local area partnership to agree an inspection timetable.

Inspectors hold tracking meetings.

Inspectors carry out pre-inspection analysis and review the information set out in Annex A.

Inspectors may meet virtually with local leaders, staff, representative groups and stakeholders.

Activities in week 3

Pre-inspection activity

Week 1: notification, set-up and information request

Notification

82. On day 1 (10 working days before the on-site evidence-gathering), inspectors will contact the relevant leaders in the local area to notify them of the inspection:

83. Each local area will be asked to nominate a representative - a local area nominated officer ( LANO) - who will act as a single point of contact on behalf of the local area partnership throughout the inspection. Their role will be to liaise with the lead inspector throughout the inspection, so that inspection activities can be coordinated effectively.

84. While it is important that we carry out our planned inspections wherever possible, sometimes there may be reasons that a planned inspection may not go ahead. Ofsted and the CQC will only defer the inspection of a local area in exceptional circumstances. If a local area partnership has a concern about the timing of an inspection, it may submit a deferral request in line with Ofsted's deferral policy.

Set-up discussion

85. Once the inspection has been confirmed, the lead inspector and the CQC inspector will make an extended telephone call to the LANO and the ICB representative. The lead inspector will make it clear that the LANO and the ICB representative are encouraged to have someone present during the call to assist and support them if they wish. This should be at least one other senior leader who typically deputises for them and can understand and discuss the content of the call. The purpose of this call is to:

check on the leaders' well-being and whether any steps need to be taken to ensure any issues or concerns are addressed, including that appropriate support is available. The lead inspector should ascertain how to contact whoever is responsible for the leaders' well-being on a day-to-day basis, so that they can pass on well-being concerns when appropriate and necessary

discuss the arrangements for the inspection, including the timetable of activities, arrangements for talking to children and young people and families, the key officers and representatives to involve in specific meetings, and arrangements for giving regular feedback and having discussions regarding the emerging findings of the inspection

discuss the arrangements for distributing the surveys for children and young people, parents and carers, and practitioners

discuss the information requested for the inspection ( Annex A)

ask that the key stakeholders involved in arrangements for children and young people with SEND and the commissioning of alternative provision are made aware of the inspections, including providers, services and parents and carers

Information request (Annex A)

86. Annex A sets out the information inspectors will request and the timeline for the local area partnership to share it. The information includes:

information about the local area partnership's strategy and commissioning arrangements for children and young people with SEND

information about the local authority's commissioning arrangements for alternative provision

person-level data, which inspectors will use to select the children and young people whose experiences they will evaluate

information about providers and services (including alternative education providers)

87. Inspectors may ask for additional information not set out in Annex A, and may agree to look at additional information provided by the area partners. Any additional information must be:

Arrangements for surveys

89. The 3 surveys will remain live for 6 working days from the notification day. Inspectors will ensure that they work with the local area partnership to consider accessibility issues, including making paper copies available on request.

Selecting children and young people for tracking meetings

90. During week 1, inspectors will select approximately 6 children and young people to be involved in tracking meetings. These are meetings with children and young people, their parents or carers (if appropriate) and the practitioners who are directly involved with them. The meetings are for inspectors to hear directly about children and young people's experiences and outcomes. Tracking meetings will help inspectors to establish initial lines of enquiry before they begin their on-site activity. Other evidence will also feed into the initial lines of enquiry, including: evidence gathered from area-wide surveys; information from the local area partnership; and information from meetings with leaders, parents and carers, and groups of children and young people. Inspectors will test their initial lines of enquiry through other inspection activities, such as having meetings with stakeholders and sampling of larger groups children and young people across education, health and care.

91. When selecting the children and young people to track, inspectors will take into account: information shared by the local area partnership; the demographic make-up of the local area, including protected characteristics defined by the Equality Act 2010; and any contextual issues specific to the local area. They will choose children and young people with a range of needs, who access a range of services, from a range of age groups and who are at different stages in their involvement with health and social care services. The scope is children and young people who live in the area, including those who are educated out of area. However, the scope does not cover children and young people who live in other areas, but attend education within the local area boundaries.

92. Inspectors will usually include at least 1 child or young person who is studying in alternative provision, and at least 2 children who are receiving SEN support. Inspectors will usually include at least one child or young person whose needs are in each of the 4 categories of need: communication and interaction; cognition and learning; social, emotional and mental health difficulties; sensory and/or physical needs.

93. Once children and young people have been selected, the LANO will:

arrange for a practitioner who knows the child or young person well to approach them, and their parents or carers, for their agreement to be involved

share information about the child or young person as outlined in Annex A

arrange tracking meetings with children and young people, their parents and carers

arrange a multi-disciplinary tracking meeting with practitioners who work with the child or young person

Off-site analysis

94. Inspectors will review the information requested from the local area partners outlined in Annex A. Any evidence submitted should be a part of the local area partners' business as usual, and not produced solely for inspection.

96. When creating the timetable, the Ofsted lead inspector and the CQC lead inspector will:

consider which activities should be carried out in person, and which should be carried out by phone or video call

include enough time for inspectors to travel between appointments

include time for inspectors to review and analyse their evidence, individually and together

ensure that the timetable is flexible enough to be changed in response to emerging findings

work with the LANO to ensure that local leaders and practitioners are aware of the timetable and any changes to it

97. Inspectors will meet during week 2 to discuss the plan for the inspection and any matters arising from their off-site analysis.

Weeks 2 and 3: discussions with children, young people, parents and carers, and tracking meetings

98. Discussions with children and young people, and parents and carers, and tracking meetings will take place off site in week 2, and on site in week 3. The lead inspector will agree the timetable of activities with the LANO.

Discussions with children and young people

99. Inspectors will meet with groups of children and young people to:

understand their experiences and outcomes

understand how the local area partnership engages with children and young people, and the impact this engagement has

identify any common themes that will contribute to lines of enquiry for the inspection

discuss their views on effective practice and how the local area partnership could improve its arrangements for children and young people with SEND

100. Inspectors will meet with one group of children and young people at the start of the inspection. They will also meet with children and young people as part of the tracking meetings. Inspectors may arrange to meet with additional children and young people to discuss relevant lines of enquiry, discuss their individual experiences or seek their views on a specific aspect of the local area's arrangements.

Discussions with parents and carers

101. Inspectors will meet remotely with representatives from the Parent Carer Forum and/or other representative groups of parents and carers at the start of the inspection. This is to:

102. Inspectors will also meet with parents and carers during the inspection to:

understand the impact on their child of the local area's SEND arrangements

understand the impact on the wider family

identify effective practice and how arrangements could be improved

gain more information about specific lines of enquiry

Tracking meetings with children, young people, parents and carers

104. Inspectors will discuss the child or young person's experiences with them. Inspectors will ask the LANO to work with practitioners and families so as to understand how inspectors can best support the child or young person to share their experiences. Inspectors may also discuss children and young people's experiences with their parents and/or carers, either together with or separately from their child, depending on the age of the child or young person and the family's preferences.

Multi-agency tracking meetings with practitioners

105. Inspectors will have a multi-agency discussion with the child or young person's health, care and education professionals, and any other practitioners involved. Where relevant, this may include providers of commissioned services (for example, practitioners working directly with the child or young person at a children's home or through children and young people's mental health services) or other services that may be relevant to understanding the child or young person's experience. The lead inspector will ask the LANO to ensure that the practitioners involved in the discussion include any staff who coordinate the child or young person's overall plan of support, or who have the greatest awareness of it. Leaders and/or practitioners may always be accompanied by a colleague of their choice when speaking to inspectors if they wish. However, it is important that they are able to express their views freely to inspectors.

106. Inspectors may discuss children and young people's records with practitioners, using their knowledge of the child or young person, file structure and recording systems. They may also consider any case supervision notes. Where case records are held wholly or partly electronically, the service should arrange for identified inspectors to have secure access to the electronic system. This activity will be carried out in line with our privacy notice.

107. Inspectors will base their findings on contemporary practice that has an impact on the child or young person's current situation. However, they will also review some historical information to understand the child or young person's journey.

Week 3: focused sampling of decision-making and oversight

108. Inspectors will evaluate the decision-making processes and oversight, including those related to legal duties, for specific groups of children and young people with SEND, by sampling cases from these groups with officers from the local area partnership.

109. Inspectors will ask to discuss a selection of children and young people's experiences with one or two officers who are directly involved in the decision-making and oversight of their support. Leaders and/or practitioners may always be accompanied by a colleague of their choice when speaking to inspectors if they wish. However, it is important that they are able to express their views freely to inspectors.

110. Inspectors will choose which children and young people they want to discuss. They may do this before the meeting, using the information provided by the local area partnership. Alternatively, they will ask the officers to show them records based on certain criteria, and will choose the children and young people that way.

111. Topics that may be a subject for focused sampling include the decision-making and oversight of the quality of EHC plans, fair access protocols, and use of the dynamic support register. Inspectors may also use focused sampling to review the local area partnership's oversight for particular cohorts of children and young people with SEND, for example those who have high rates of absence from school, are educated somewhere other than a school, are known to youth justice, are not on a school roll or are home educated.

Week 3: sampling visits to providers and services

112. Inspectors will visit a number of providers and services across education, health and care to review the experiences of a wider group of children and young people, in line with their specific lines of enquiry. These visits are not to directly inspect the quality of provision, as these providers are subject to other inspection arrangements. Leaders and/or practitioners may always be accompanied by a colleague of their choice when speaking to inspectors if they wish. However, it is important that they are able to express their views freely to inspectors.

113. These sampling visits enable inspectors to review the impact of the local area partnership's arrangements on a larger group of children and young people with SEND. Inspectors will evaluate children and young people's experiences and outcomes by reviewing documents and talking to practitioners.

114. Ofsted and the CQC will select providers and services to visit, and will discuss their suitability with the LANO and the ICB representative. The lead inspector will provide the LANO with notification letters to send to the chosen education, health and care providers. The LANO will set up the visits and arrangements for case sampling.

115. During sampling visits, inspectors will visit a specific provider or service and ask for information about individual children and young people's experiences. These may include children and young people who have a specific need, who are receiving a specific service and/or who are at a particular point in their care or education.

116. Inspectors will choose the children and young people. They may do this before the visit, using the information provided by the local area partnership. Alternatively, they will ask practitioners to show them records based on certain criteria established from the lines of enquiry, and will choose the children that way.

117. Inspectors will look at any documents relating to the children and young people, and will discuss their experiences and outcomes with the practitioners in that provision or service. Inspectors may also look at case supervision notes. Where case records are held wholly or partly electronically, the provider should arrange for the inspectors to have secure access to the electronic system.

118. Inspectors sampling in education settings will include children and young people receiving SEN support. This may include meeting children and young people and, if appropriate, scrutinising files and talking to practitioners. These visits may include settings such as nurseries, schools, colleges, alternative provision and specialist services. The scope of the inspection covers children and young people who live in the local authority area, including those educated out of area. However, it does not cover those who live in other areas but attend an education setting within the local authority's boundaries.

119. Inspectors sampling in health providers and services will gather evidence of the assessment, intervention and transition stages of health support. These visits will include universal, targeted and specialist health teams, such as speech and language therapy services and children and young people's mental health teams.

120. Inspectors sampling in social care will consider the identification, assessment, intervention and transition stages of social care support. This may include visits to services such as the disabled children's team, early intervention support and adult social care teams.

121. Findings will be based on contemporary practice, and on practice that has an impact on the child or young person's current situation. However, inspectors will read some historical information about the children and young people in the group to understand each child's journey.

Week 3: inspection team meetings

122. The inspection team will meet at different points during the 5 on-site days, and remotely during the 2 working days before being on site. In particular, the team should, as far as is practicable, meet each day to discuss and record emerging findings and ensure that the lead inspector has the most recent evaluative information to feed back to the LANO and the ICB representative.

123. During the final team meeting, inspectors will summarise the key evidence and make final evaluative judgements. The main points for feedback to the local area partners will be recorded as the meeting progresses, including the overall inspection outcome, strengths and recommendations for improvement.

Week 2 and 3: meetings with leaders

Initial meeting with leaders

125. At this first meeting, the LANO and other colleagues will share information on the local area partnership's context.

Meeting to discuss the local area partnership's self-evaluation and strategic planning

126. The lead inspector and the LANO will arrange a meeting with leaders on the first day on site, to review the local area partnership's self-evaluation, strategy and associated action plans.

127. This meeting may include the following people:

the ICB representative

representatives of the Parent Carer Forum

senior managers responsible for the strategic development and operational management of education, health and social care provision for children and young people with SEND

senior local authority managers responsible for the commissioning and oversight of alternative provision

a colleague chosen by the DCS, the ICB representative or the LANO, if they wish, such as another senior leader who typically deputises for them and can understand and discuss the content of the meeting

Keep-in-touch meetings

128. At the heart of our inspections is a professional dialogue between inspectors and leaders. The lead inspector will establish keep-in-touch meetings at key points during the inspection. This will enable the inspection team to feed back to the DCS, the ICB representative and the LANO on any emerging lines of enquiry, identify any additional evidence required, answer any questions and make changes to the timetable if necessary. The DCS, the ICB representative and the LANO may always be accompanied by a colleague of their choice, if they wish, such as another senior leader who typically deputises for them and can understand and discuss the content of the meetings.

129. The local area partnership is responsible for providing evidence of the impact of its arrangements for children and young people with SEND. This includes the local area partnership providing appropriate information and data, such as any analysis of the experiences and outcomes of children and young people with SEND in its local area. It also includes opportunities to meet relevant managers and other local area representatives.

130. The local authority is responsible for providing evidence of its arrangements for commissioning and overseeing alternative educational provision for children in its area.

131. Inspectors may also work with the LANO and the ICB representative to arrange additional meetings with leaders and/or practitioners throughout the on-site inspection. This will enable inspectors to discuss specific lines of enquiry or information that they have gathered through tracking meetings or sampling visits. Leaders and/or practitioners may always be accompanied by a colleague of their choice when speaking to inspectors if they wish. However, it is important that they are able to express their views freely to inspectors.

The feedback meeting

the DCS and elected members with responsibility for SEND from the local authority

the ICB representative

a colleague chosen by the DCS, the ICB representative and the LANO to accompany them

the Parent Carer Forum representatives

133. During the final feedback meeting, the lead inspector will ensure that all attendees are clear:

on inspectors' evaluation of the local area partnership's effectiveness in improving the experiences and outcomes of children and young people with SEND

about any areas of significant concern that will result in further monitoring and the requirement for a priority action plan (area SEND)

the inspection outcome and resulting time frame for the next inspection activity

that any safeguarding concerns identified during the inspection have already been fed back to senior leaders and/or acted on

that all feedback remains confidential to those present at the meeting, until the report is published; that, on receiving the draft report, the local area partnership must ensure that the report remains restricted and confidential to the relevant senior personnel; and that the information it contains is not, under any circumstances, to be published. Leaders may share inspection outcomes, in confidence, with others, provided the information is not made public. This may include leaders' colleagues, family members, medical advisers and/or their wider support group

that, in addition to being able to raise concerns at any stage during the inspection, the local area partnership has an opportunity to raise any issues, concerns or to seek clarification about the inspection, and can also contact Ofsted on the working day after the end of the inspection, if needed

After the inspection

Arrangements for publishing the report

134. The lead inspector is responsible for writing the inspection report and submitting the evidence to Ofsted shortly after the inspection ends. Findings and inspection outcomes are reached jointly by the inspection team. The lead inspector is responsible for writing the report, with contributions from the full inspection team across education, health and care.

135. The text of the report should explain the judgements and reflect the evidence. The findings should be consistent with the feedback given to the local area at the end of the inspection, but are likely to be a succinct account.

136. Inspection reports will be quality assured before we send a draft to the local area. In most circumstances, the local area will receive the draft report within 14 working days of the end of the inspection. The draft report is restricted and confidential to the relevant personnel, and should not be shared more widely or published.

137. The local area has 10 working days to comment on the draft report, inspection process and findings. We will consider all comments. We will respond to them when we share the final report with the local area, in most circumstances within 30 working days of the end of the inspection.

138. If the local area wishes to make a formal complaint, it has 5 working days after we have shared the final report with it to do so. If a complaint is not submitted within 5 working days, we will normally publish the report on our reports website 3 working days later. If a complaint has been submitted, the publication of the report may be delayed.

139. Once a local area has received its final report, relevant recipients of the report are required to publish it on their organisation's website and supply a copy to a member of the public, on demand, for a reasonable charge. The local area partnership should ensure that the Parent Carer Forum receives a copy of the report.

140. As required by The Children Act 2004 (Joint Area Reviews) Regulations 2015, Ofsted and the CQC will disseminate the report to:

the Secretary of State for Education

the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care

the local authority for the area inspected

the principal authority that is responsible for making the action plan, if HMCI has determined that the principal authority is different from the local authority

any other people or organisations HMCI considers appropriate for the nature of the inspection

141. In all cases, the inspection process should not be regarded as complete until all inspection activity has been carried out and the final version of the inspection report has been sent to the local area.

142. The evidence base for the inspection must be retained in line with Ofsted's retention and disposal policy. We may decide that retaining it for longer is warranted for research purposes. The evidence base for the CQC will also be retained in line with the CQC 's retention and disposal policy.

143. We ask all local area partnerships to update and publish their strategic plans after a full inspection. The plan should include the actions it is taking, or will take, in response to the recommendations made in the inspection report. Local area partnerships may update existing plans or choose to produce new plans.

144. Local area partnerships should aim to update their strategic plans within 35 working days of receiving the inspection report intended for publication. They should follow the recommendations in the inspection reports, and are expected to engage with all partners and stakeholder when deciding what actions they need to take.

145. All strategic plans and priority action plans (area SEND), including those produced as described in paragraphs 146 to 150, should be published in a way which ensures that they are accessible to children and young people with SEND, and their parents and carers.

Requirement for local area partnerships to produce a priority action plan (area SEND)

147. The inspection report will name the principal authority responsible for making the priority action plan. The principal authority may be the local area partnership as a whole or one particular partner.

149. The priority action plan (area SEND) must include: the local area partnership's proposed measures to address the areas for priority action areas identified in the inspection report; the responsible partner for each proposed action; and the period within which the action is to be taken.

150. Ofsted and CQC ask that the principal authority, and any other local area partners who were involved in making the priority action plan (area SEND) publish it within 5 working days of receiving confirmation that it meets the criteria outlined above, and supply a copy to a member of the public on demand (a reasonable charge may be specified for this).

Quality assurance and complaints

Quality assurance

151. All inspectors are responsible for the quality of their work. The lead inspector must ensure that inspections are carried out in accordance with the principles of inspection and the Ofsted code of conduct.

152. We monitor the quality of inspections through a range of formal processes, and HMI/Senior HMI may be on site in some local areas, or may monitor remotely, to quality assure inspections. We may also evaluate the quality of an inspection evidence base. The lead inspector will be responsible for giving team inspectors feedback on the quality of their work and their conduct.

153. Additionally, quality assurance inspectors from the CQC may either join inspectors on site or provide off-site quality assurance of area SEND inspection activity.

154. All local areas are invited to take part in a voluntary post-inspection survey in order to contribute to our ongoing improvement of our inspection work. The link to this survey is provided when the local area receives the final copy of its inspection report.

Handling concerns and complaints

155. The great majority of our work is carried out smoothly and without incident. If concerns do arise during the inspection, they should be raised with the lead inspector as soon as possible in order to resolve issues before the inspection is completed. Any concerns raised, and actions taken, will be recorded in the inspection evidence. If an issue remains unresolved, the local area partnership can contact a senior Ofsted leader the working day after the inspection using the number provided during the notification process. This will be an opportunity for the local area partnership to raise informal concerns about the inspection process or outcomes, queries about next steps or to highlight information they feel was not fully considered during the inspection. This will be directed to an inspector separate to the inspection to discuss and to resolve where appropriate, at the earliest opportunity.

156. If it is not possible to resolve concerns during the inspection, through a phone call the working day after the inspection, or through submitting comments in response to the draft report, the local area partnership may wish to lodge a formal complaint on receiving the final report. The lead inspector will ensure that the local area is informed that it is able to make a formal complaint, and that information about how to complain is available on GOV.UK.

Part 3: Monitoring inspections

157. When a local area is judged to have widespread and/or systemic concerns and required to produce a priority action plan (area SEND) following a full inspection, Ofsted and the CQC will carry out a monitoring inspection around 18 months after the initial inspection.

158. The purpose of the monitoring inspection is to assess the extent to which the local area partners are taking effective action to address the areas for priority action set out in the inspection report.

159. Inspectors will carry out activities that are similar to those carried out during full inspections, such as discussions with leaders; sampling visits to education, healthcare and social care providers; and holding meetings with children and young people, parents and carers, and professionals. Depending on the areas of focus, this may include tracking meetings and surveys of children and young people, parents and carers, and practitioners.

160. However, inspectors will tailor their enquiries and evidence gathering to focus on the issues that the area was required to address in the priority action plan (area SEND). If inspectors identify any new significant weaknesses during the monitoring inspection, the monitoring inspection outcome letter will refer to these.

161. In monitoring progress, inspectors will take account of:

Arrangements for monitoring inspections

163. The process for notifying the local area is the same as for full inspections (see paragraph 82). On the same day as the notification to the local area, the lead inspector will also notify the Parent Carer Forum or other parents' groups involved in the priority action plan (area SEND), if known. The inspector will handle any deferral requests as set out in paragraph 84.

165. The local area partnership is responsible for providing the monitoring inspection team with any relevant data/information. However, this must only be what the local area partnership produces as part of its routine practice. We do not expect the local area partnership to provide any data or information in a particular format.

166. The local area partners should provide evidence to show how they have assured themselves that they are making the necessary progress in addressing the areas of significant weakness set out in the priority action plan (area SEND).

The inspection team

168. The monitoring inspection will always be led by a lead inspector from Ofsted, accompanied by a Children's Services Inspector from the CQC. The team will normally comprise inspectors from education, health and care.

The on-site week

169. Typically, inspectors will spend a minimum of 2 days on site, although this may vary depending on the circumstances of the local area. Inspectors and local areas will discuss and agree on the precise timing of activities.

Feedback to leaders

The monitoring inspection letter

171. The lead inspector is responsible for writing the monitoring inspection outcome letter and submitting the evidence to Ofsted shortly after the end of the monitoring inspection. The CQC inspector will contribute to the process of finalising the letter.

172. The letter will include:

173. In cases where Ofsted and the CQC have had reason to carry out a monitoring inspection of a local area that was not previously required to produce a priority action plan (area SEND) (see also paragraph 161, the contents of the letter will directly address the issues that gave rise to the decision to inspect. Inspectors may decide that the local area should produce a priority action plan (area SEND) and/or that the next planned full inspection should be brought forward.

174. As far as possible, and subject to the outcome of the quality assurance process, the findings in the letter will be consistent with the feedback given to the local area partners at the end of the inspection.

Quality assurance and publication of the monitoring inspection letter

175. Ofsted will publish the monitoring inspection letter on the local authority section of Ofsted's reports website. The final letter will normally be shared with the local area partnership within 30 working days of the end of the monitoring inspection.

176. The process and arrangements for quality assuring and finalising the monitoring inspection letter are the same as for inspection reports (please refer to paragraphs 134 to 141).

177. The process for ensuring the quality of monitoring inspections is the same as that for full inspections, as set out in paragraphs 151 to 154.

After the monitoring inspection

178. Any complaints about monitoring inspections will be subject to the same arrangements as for complaints about full inspections. Information about this is set out in paragraphs 155 to 156.

179. Arrangements for securing, retaining and disposing of the evidence base for monitoring inspections are the same as for full inspections, as detailed in paragraph 142.

Part 4: Engagement meetings

180. Ofsted and the CQC will invite local area partnerships to hold engagement meetings between inspections. These events are not inspections. They are intended to support local area partnerships as they work to improve the experiences and outcomes of children and young people with SEND.

181. These events will help keep a spotlight on SEND provision. Through these engagement meetings, Ofsted and the CQC will seek to:

be assured that the local area partnership understands the needs of children and young people in its area, and is working to improve its services for children and young people with SEND and their families

identify any issues of concern

remain up to date with any changes to the local SEND system

Self-evaluation in advance of engagement meetings

182. Local area partnerships will be asked to provide a self-evaluation before the engagement meeting. This should draw on existing documentation and activity. It should reflect the local area partnership's business as usual. We do not expect local areas to carry out additional work specifically for the purpose of the meeting. We will ask the local area partnership to provide the self-evaluation early enough for us to analyse its content, but not so far in advance that the information becomes out of date by the time of the engagement meeting.

183. There is no prescribed format for the self-evaluation, but it should be kept concise and include information about recent developments to the local SEND system. It should also include any improvements to areas of weakness identified by Ofsted and the CQC (for example, at a previous inspection) or by the local area partnership. The local area partnership's self-evaluation should:

184. The 3 questions for local area partnerships to cover in their self-evaluations are:

What do you know about the impact of your arrangements for children and young people with SEND?

How do you know what impact your arrangements for children and young people with SEND are having?

What are your plans for the next 12 months to improve the experiences and outcomes of children and young people with SEND?

187. Ofsted and the CQC will also want to explore how the local area partnership has ensured that strategic planning and decision-making are informed by the views and aspirations of children and young people and their families.

Arrangements for engagement meetings

the content of the self-evaluation - what leaders know about children and young people's needs, aspirations, experiences and outcomes, and the impact of the strategies and commissioning, and the evidence that supports this

the impact of the information shared - what local area leaders are doing to address weaknesses and maintain or improve good practice, including evidence demonstrating the effectiveness of their actions

actions taken in response to previous inspections, including what progress has been made against the local area partnership's action plan and any recommendations for improvement, or, where relevant, progress made in addressing areas of concern as set out in a WSoA from the previous framework or a priority action plan (area SEND)

the broader issues that affect delivery of services, for example closures of schools and early years provision

the approximate timing of the next engagement meeting

the date of the meeting and who attended

a factual summary of the agenda items discussed

the approximate timing of the next engagement meeting

any next steps

Annex A: information requested to support inspections

192. This annex sets out the information that inspectors request when they notify the local area partnership of an area SEND full inspection. It also sets out the information that the inspectors will request to assist them in selecting children and young people's cases for tracking, and the further information they will request about those selected. Inspectors may request some or all of the Annex A information for monitoring inspections. The table below sets out the high-level timeline for sharing this information.

Week 1, Monday

Inspectors request the information set out in Annex A

Week 1, Tuesday, by 11am

Local area partnership provides person-level data to assist inspectors in selecting children and young people to track
Local area partnership provides list of providers and settings to assist inspectors in selecting which providers will have sampling visits
Local area partnership provides requested information about SEND arrangements

Week 1, Tuesday, by 5pm

Inspectors select children and young people's cases to be tracked

Week 1, Friday, by 5pm

Local area partnership provides additional information about children and young people selected for tracking
Local area partnership provides additional information about SEND arrangements

193. Inspectors will provide details for accessing an online system that the local area partnership can use to share the information.

194. Inspectors will gather personal information, including some sensitive personal data, that is necessary to help them evaluate local arrangements for children and young people with SEND. Ofsted's privacy notice and the CQC's privacy notice set out what data we collect, what we do with it, how long we keep it for and people's rights under the Data Protection Act 2018.

195. If information is shared that is relevant to more than one of the requests, it does not need to be replicated in each section, but the lead inspector should be made aware of it.

Week 1: person-level data

196. When the lead inspector contacts the local area partnership, they will ask for lists containing person-level data. The local area partnership should provide the person-level data lists by 11am on the day following notification. The person-level data lists should be as up to date as possible. However, if the most recent available data is a historic snapshot, such as from the special educational needs survey (SEN2) or the alternative provision census, this will be acceptable. Please provide these lists in Excel.

List 1

All children and young people with an EHC plan for whom your local authority is responsible.

List 2

All children and young people who are in receipt of SEN support educated in settings within your local area.

197. Below is an outline of the broad contents of each list. Detailed guidance about the fields for each list is available in the person-level data guidance and template. Included in the spreadsheet is a template for each person-level list.

198. Where possible, we have aligned the information in the person-level lists with DfE guidance on SEN2 and the school/alternative provision census. The spreadsheet template includes an overview of the codes to use, sourced from the SEN2 or school/alternative provision census guidance.

199. The person-level data lists should represent the local area partnership's most recent available data at the point of notification. When the local area partnership shares the lists, they should indicate what date(s) the data in each list represents as far as possible.

200. If certain data is unavailable, the lead inspector may wish to discuss how the local area partnership monitors those areas.

201. In the future, we may request different information, but this will always happen following engagement with local area partnerships.

202. Queries about the person-level data should be sent to Area.Send@ofsted.gov.uk. However, if you have any queries after you have been notified that an inspection is to take place, please contact the lead inspector.

Week 1: information about the local area partnership's SEND arrangements

203. In the first week of inspection, the local area partnership should provide the information set out below.

204. The local area partnership should not provide all of the information that it holds on each subject. The inspectors will want only the local area partnership's best and most recent information that relates to the scope of the inspection. Inspectors will not review information that they deem to fall outside the scope of the inspection.

Information to be provided by the local area partnership following notification

Additional information to be provided by the local area partnership at the end of week 1

Information about education at the end of week 1

Information about care at the end of week 1

Information about health at the end of week 1

Information from the local authority about alternative provision at the end of week 1

Week 1: selecting providers and settings for sampling visits

Week 1: additional information about children and young people selected for tracking

206. The lead inspector will ask the LANO to coordinate the sharing of information with the inspection team about the children and young people who are being tracked. For each child or young person, this information will include:

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Area SEND inspections: framework and handbook

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This guidance came into force on 30 January 2024. 1. This document sets out the framework and handbook for inspecting local area arrangements for children and young people with special educational needs and/or disabilities ( SEND). It was devised jointly by Ofsted and the Care Quality Commission ( CQC) for use from 2023 and will be periodically reviewed and amended.

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Good advice for writing person centred outcomes for EHCP's

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Setting good EHCP outcomes: How to write outstanding Section E EHCP outcomes every time

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Setting good quality Section E EHCP outcomes is becoming increasingly challenging. We share examples of good EHCP outcomes and how to win every time.

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Yesterday, England's HM Courts and Tribunals Service issued their annual set of statistics about the activities of the Special Educational Needs and Disability First-Tier Tribunal (SENDIST).

SENDIST is a legal tribunal where families can appeal against a specified range of local authority decisions that affect their children or young people. These decisions revolve around the Education, Health and Care Plan ( EHCP) process. EHCPs, for the uninitiated, are statutory plans that are supposed to underpin support for many children and young people with SEND. SENDIST also hears appeals about particular types of disability discrimination.

The figures released yesterday cover the 2023-24 academic year. The numbers are at the national level: they aren't broken down for each local authority. If you want to get at the SENDIST data directly, you can find it here.

If you want a quick, visual, summary of the headline numbers, check the infographics at the bottom of this article. But, if you want to dive deeper, and find out what it all means, keep reading!

The SENDIST 2024 statistics-not pleasant reading for anyone

The number of SENDIST appeals and hearings has been increasing steadily for years. This year, numbers have gone through the roof.

Families registered 21,106 appeals with the SEND First Tier Tribunal in the 2023-24 academic year - 54.53% up on the previous year. That's the largest number of appeals ever recorded in a single year, and the largest increase in any year. It's more than six times the number of annual appeals registered when the last SEND reforms were introduced in 2014.

In 2023-24, roughly one in ten of these appeals was registered as an 'extended appeal,' where SENDIST can make non-binding recommendations about health and social care, as well as its standard binding orders regarding education.

SENDIST saw 16,726 appeals through to completion in 2032-24. That's 40% up on last year: the largest total ever, the fastest growth rate ever, and a number that's 3.5 times larger than 2014-15, when the SEND reforms were introduced.

Two-thirds of these 16,726 appeals went all the way to a formal Tribunal hearing, without being settled beforehand. The number of SENDIST appeals decided this way is now 14 times larger than it was when the SEND reforms began in 2014.

Most families who appeal to SENDIST are already in the EHCP system. As has been the case for a while now, the most common types of appeal are disputes about the contents of a plan ( 62%), rather than the process of getting a needs assessment or securing a plan ( 35%).

Some of this growth reflects the overall rise in EHCP numbers- but not much of it. The number of children and young people with statutory SEN plans has more than doubled in a decade - but the number of SENDIST appeals has grown sixfold over the same timeframe.

What do appeal outcomes look like, and how much does this cost the public purse?

In 2023-24, SENDIST panels upheld the local authority's original decision in just 150 of the 11,157 appeals that went to a full hearing. That's an LA success rate of 1.3% - the lowest on record.

That doesn't mean that every single aspect of 99% of appeals went families' way - but our previous Freedom of Information requests on the subject tell us that it's very close to that.

The cost to the public purse of defending the indefensible? Over £165 million in the last academic year alone, and more than £600 million over the last decade

We estimate that in aggregate, LAs allocated £153 million of resources to Tribunal appeal defence in 2032-24.

Department for Education payments data shows that the Department paid HM Courts & Tribunals Service £13.5 million in the 2023-24 academic year to help keep SENDIST going. £152.8m + £13.5m + unknown extra cost to HMCTS = Over £165m

Since the SEND reforms were implemented in September 2014, we estimate LAs have consumed over half a billion pounds (£580 million) of resource defending SENDIST tribunals, scoring an average 4% success rate at hearings over that period.

The additional wider costs to the public purse (mostly the costs to the Ministry of Justice of running the appeals) probably run into the tens of millions of pounds per year, according to academic research.

The financial and human cost to children and young people with SEND and their families is incalculable. But it's absolutely real, almost entirely avoidable, and utterly indefensible.

Grim numbers, but it's worse for families

These are grim figures, and it's important to put them in the right context. So it's worth remembering the following three things:

First up: Parent carers do not 'win' Tribunal appeals. Ever. And though local authorities do not prevail, they don't really 'lose' them either.

If a SENDIST appeal is allowed, and if goes the families' way, what they've 'won' is the same right to an appropriate education that millions of families of children without SEND take for granted -just with extra delay, cost and pain.

For financially hard-pressed local authorities, even if their original decision gets overturned at SENDIST, then the lengthy appeal process means that expenditure has been deferred, and that potential appellants are deterred. That's why so many LAs are willing to prolong and defend the indefensible in this setting.

Secondly: there is certainly inequity in the appeals process, but it's not what you think.

As a family, you need resources to mount a SENDIST appeal. Time most of all, but also capacity, a lot of mental resilience, sometimes money, sometimes reasonable adjustments. Families who already have those things are better placed to mount a SENDIST appeal than those who don't. But according to judges, most families do not have legal representation.

It's frustrating to see commentators express head-tilting concern about inequity of opportunity between families, while ignoring the resource inequity between the appellant and the respondent.

Families appealing at SENDIST, almost always legally inexperienced, are putting themselves up against a public body with vastly greater resources, superior knowledge of the SEND system, and long familiarity with the Tribunal process and procedure. Put bluntly, talk to families who appeal to SENDIST, and you'll find people who have drained their life savings, pawned their engagement rings, left employment, or even deferred chemotherapy simply to sustain their appeal. The same isn't the case on the respondent side.

Some families find themselves turning to advocacy support that isn't always top-quality. If you need help finding and choosing support, I'd strongly recommend reading this guide, co-produced by parents, SEND specialists, and legal professionals earlier this year. We also have our own article as a taster.

So when you hear people complain about inequity in the SENDIST process, ask them two things:

Who should be changing their behaviour to reduce that inequity, without compromising outcomes for the child or their rights? Is it families, or is it the public sector?

And who is currently doing most to reduce that inequity at ground level? Is it families, or is it the public sector?

And finally: the Tribunal's rulings and outcomes have nothing to do with parental feelings, and very little to do with parental preference.

SENDIST isn't a divorce counsellor; it steps into the shoes of the local authority, looks at the decisions that the LA made, and amends those decisions if law and evidence show that they were faulty. There aren't many places where the quality of official SEND decision-making is laid bare. SENDIST is one of those places. The Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman is another.

SENDIST data shines a clear light on the quality of official SEND decision-making at the operational level-where it affects individuals. And as the figures above demonstrate, that decision-makingis predominantly awful. It's worse than any other English first-tier tribunal domain where public sector decisions are examined.

And it's not just predominantly awful-it's consistently awful over time. The same outcomes happen month after month, year after year, decade after decade, with no real professional consequences for the decision-makers, and no indication whatsoever that they learn anything from the experience.

Appeal rates are not the whole story

Central government likes to say that the vast majority of LA decisions aren't contested. It points to an official appeal rate statistic that shows that only 2.5% of LA decisions are appealed to SENDIST. The problem with that figure is it assumes a fantasy world where the SEND system works. And as we all know, it doesn't.

This appeal rate stat is calculated by theoretical opportunities to appeal. Most of these opportunities just don't exist in reality. Roughly 80% of them are for decisions that LAs make at EHCP annual reviews, a process that has largely broken down.

Narrow things down by specific types of SENDIST appeal where it's possible to measure more accurately, and the appeal rate jumps up sharply:

For appeals against a local authority refusing to conduct an EHC needs assessment, the appeal rate is around 15%

For appeals against LAs refusing to issue an EHCP after an assessment, the appeal rate is around 25%-one in four-and climbing fast.

By way of comparison...

One in four. Let's imagine a different scenario. The Department for Education and its agencies employ over 13,000 people. The DfE is put through only a handful of employment tribunals each year. But let's imagine the DfE conducts itself like local authority SEND services do. Let's imagine one in four of the DfE's 13,000 employees takes the Department to an employment tribunal each year, every year.

Let's imagine that the Department's conduct was found faulty in 99% of appeals taken to court - each year, every year, and for the same reasons each year, avoidably harming the lives of thousands of people. In this imaginary world, people would assume-rightly-that the Department was rotten to the core: morally spavined, incapable of improvement, astonishingly, arrogantly, and unjustifiably wasteful of human capital and public resources.

But we don't live in an imaginary world. This is SEND. This is how things work, right here, right now.

And things are not looking up. The very people who are making indefensible SEND decisions-each year, every year, for the same reasons each year-are now advising central government that it's the Tribunal itself that's the problem. Not them.

And, shockingly, central government is listening.

Will upcoming reform cripple SENDIST?

The new government has indicated it's planning deep and lengthy reform of the SEND system. In response, local authorities are pushing hard- very, very hard -to clip SENDIST's judicial freedom.

The reasoning behind local government's proposals isn't sophisticated. It's basically the same reasoning as you get from a deadbeat dad in a urine-and-Special Brew-stained Batman costume, yelling that the courts have ruined his life and turned the weans against him.

But the SEND funding crisis makes this political, and people with influence and power are taking their proposals seriously.

Local government's main proposals can be found in evidence that the Local Government Association (LGA) submitted to the Public Accounts Committee recently, as one of several recommended reforms to the SEND system:

"In order for the system to be equitable and sustainable, the state must be clear on where the limits of individual choice and entitlement lie. A reformed SEND statutory framework should include new, independent, non-judicial mechanisms for dealing with disagreements about decision-making (where we see a role for an ombudsman) and about access to specific provision (where we envisage a role for the National Institute [of Inclusive Education], as opposed to the Tribunal)."

This so-called "National Institute of Inclusive Education" doesn't exist-yet-it's a clearing house that local government and its flying monkeys are proposing for setting national SEND standards and lightly regulating the system. This particular proposal cannot happen without changes to the law: it's not imminent, and central government would have to agree to it and make it happen.
Have you joined our growing community of like-minded #SEND souls on Bluesky yet? Find us here #SENDsky
Local Government wants to decimate your disabled child's rights

In the interim, the LGA has recommended one way of dealing with the backlog at SENDIST- scrapping an entire class of appeal, to stop families contesting council refusals to conduct an EHC needs assessment. If agreed, it would effectively choke off the future appeal rights of many children who need an EHCP but don't yet have one. That's because you'd only be able to appeal about the contents of an EHCP that the LA deemed your child worthy of. Again, this can't happen without a change to the law.

In the short-term, one LA - Norfolk County Council, a council working under a Safety Valve SEND financial agreement, has made a pitch to the Department for Education. It wants the DfE to force SENDIST to "take account" of the LA's financial position when making appeal decisions against SENDIST rulings. We don't know how the DfE responded to this pitch, but (again) it would require a change to the law.

Local government's message is simple: SENDIST is biased toward families, it doesn't take financial reality into account, and it needs to be cut out of the SEND system. This is also bollocks.

No, SENDIST is not biased towards families. Yes, their decisions do take the efficient use of resources into account. To hammer this home, local authorities' dismal outcomes at SENDIST are mirrored almost exactly in a completely different domain, the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman, where 92% of complaints about LA SEND administration are upheld.

LA SEND decision-making incompetence laid bare

There is no Venn diagram here; SENDIST and LGSCO operate as two separate circles of scrutiny. The LGSCO went to the High Court to make absolutely sure that's the case. SENDIST and LGSCO employ different people. They handle different types of SEND casework. There is no cross-over at all. The common denominator here is local authority incompetence and maladministration, and local authority leaders' near-total disinterest in learning any lessons from the external scrutiny they receive.
It's a vital thing to remember for those reforming the SEND system. The quality of strategic and operational local authority decision-making is the main reason why every gleaming white SEND policy lever works like a marzipan dildo when it gets pulled.
You can try nudging and incentivising impotent SEND stakeholders until the heat death of the universe. But if you change the system without changing the powerful people who make those decisions, the results are predictable. And our kids are the ones who bear the cost of that.

Here comes the infographic

Download the infographics in a PDF:

These graphics are offered free for non-commercial download and sharing only.

Also read:

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55% rise in 2024 SEND Tribunal appeals. LAs' 1.3% success rate cost £153m. The cost to families? Incalculable - Special Needs Jungle

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A 55% rise in 2024 SEND Tribunal appeals. LAs' 1.3% success rate cost £153m. The cost to families? Incalculable. Read our analysis

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PfA outcomes and resources to support child centred planning

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Preparing for Adulthood: All Tools & Resources - NDTi

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Great stories and discussions where inclusion really works helping us to learn from each other and to try and build a more inclusive society for all children and young people.

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Fix SEN funding to avoid ‘absurd’ council deficits in England, IFS says

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Thinktank calls on government to set a long-term vision for radical change

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Re:Minds is a Southampton based organisation supporting families whose children/young people have Autism, ADHD or other neurodiverse needs and/or mental health needs - with or without a diagnosis. Our aim is to allow people whose children face similar issues to meet up in an informal setting to share knowledge and talk about any challenges our families are facing. We don’t claim to be experts, just other families who understand what it can feel like to be on this journey.

​

We are the primary link between families and Southampton Specialist CAMHS and offer speakers on a range of topics.

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Re:Minds is a Southampton based organisation supporting families whose children/young people have Autism, ADHD or other neurodiverse needs and/or mental health needs - with or without a diagnosis. Our aim is to allow people whose children face similar issues to meet up in an informal setting to share knowledge and talk about any challenges our families are facing. We don't claim to be experts, just other families who understand what it can feel like to be on this journey.

​

We are the primary link between families and Southampton Specialist CAMHS and offer speakers on a range of topics.

As well as groups, we have a multiple large, private Facebook Groups for peer support for families and up-to-date information about our work.

​

We also share regular updates on Twitter and in our monthly newsletter.

​

All of our speaker meetings are shared on our youtube account so nobody misses out. The videos offer a wealth of advice and strategies from CAMHS and other services on autism, ADHD, anxiety, emotional regulation and more.

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Re:Minds is a parent-led support group for families who have children/young people with autism or mental health issues and is based in Southampton.

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Hampshire and IOW Healthcare team comprising OT and Physiotherapist who can support transition to college for specific children with needs which meet the referral criteria.

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We run regular small group workshops on a wide variety of SEND topics that will give you the information and techniques you need to support your family.

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Hampshire Parent Carer Network (HPCN) offers parents and carers of children and young people aged 0-25 with any additional needs, or disability including mental Health (diagnosed or undiagnosed) the opportunity to tell the Local Authority, Health and other services, what life is really like. email participation@hpcn.org.uk or visit our YouTube page.

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The Young People’s Hub from Kids is our online platform created by young disabled people. It offers information and advice, support services, and opportunities to tell your story or get your voice heard.

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Our platform for young disabled people with information, advice, wellbeing support, and the chance to tell your story and change the world.

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Information and support for families

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Find out more about our JR Initiative, The PAP Project!

SOS!SEN is an independent registered charity started in 2002 by a small group who had spent much of their lives in education or related services. We help parents secure the right educational support for children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND).

We now have a team of over 70 volunteers advising parents, many of whom have been in your shoes, seeking to get the right provision for their children.

We are able to fund the important lifeline we provide to parents through your donations for our services and our Surrey-based charity shop.

We provide a range of information, advice and support to help parents find their way through the daunting legal and bureaucratic maze of securing SEN support for their children.

Parents are not always aware of their children's entitlement to SEN provision; we help them navigate the process, with advice underpinned by current legislation and best practice.

I would like to say thank you to everyone at SOS!SEN for their direction and invaluable expertise, which helped me work through an appeal... Your workshops [webinars] on appealing against the contents of EHCP and SEND Tribunal video hearings gave me the confidence to represent myself, and succeed at a SEND Tribunal hearing, to secure needed provisions for my son...

I just wanted to write a huge and heartfelt thank you to SOSSEN. I attended the walk in session in Thornton Heath...and spoke to Sarah who was truly wonderful! I have been feeling very overwhelmed...and my head has felt like a tangled ball of wool. Sarah calmly untangled it all and gave me lots of brilliant advice and next steps to work towards...

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Find out more about our JR Initiative, The PAP Project! SOS!SEN is an independent registered charity started in 2002 by a small group who had spent much of their lives in education or related services. We help parents secure the right educational support for children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND).

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Video hearings at the Special Educational Needs and Disability Tribunal

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When appealing, you may be able to ask the Tribunal to also make recommendations about health and social care needs and provision (as an extended appeal).

The Tribunal now receives about 10,000 appeals each year. Parents of school age children (or others with parental responsibility) and young people over compulsory school age and up to the age of 25 can appeal. Before appealing, in most cases you must contact a mediator to consider mediation within 1 month of your decision letter from the LA. That letter should give you the relevant contact details. If you do not pursue mediation or resolve your dispute, you must normally appeal within 2 months of the LA's decision letter or within 1 month of contacting the mediator.

Appeals are heard by independent panels consisting of a judge and 1 or 2 specialist members who have relevant specialism and experience. We understand that these appeals can be complicated and that approaching the Tribunal can be challenging for those who are not used to it. Free help and advice is available from Information, Advice and Support Services Network for SEND (external link) and charities such as IPSEA (external link) or SOS-SEN (external link). You may also be entitled to Legal Help (under the Legal Aid scheme (external link). Our judges and registrars (legally qualified officers of the Tribunal) keep appeals on track by making case management directions and, in some cases, holding telephone or video case management hearings. We are used to working with parents and young people who are not legally represented.

Hearings are held in private and are normally carried out by video. They are generally more informal than other courts or tribunals but it is important to remember that they are still a formal legal process. We give parents and young people an opportunity to express their views, ask questions of witnesses and consider all of the evidence very carefully. We give our decisions in writing, with reasons, normally no later than 10 working days after the hearing.

Where the Tribunal orders the Local Authority to take action, it must do so within the deadlines set out in law. The deadlines vary from two to five weeks after the decision is issued, according to the relevant legislation.

I hope that you find this page and the links to further guidance and documents to be useful.
District Tribunal Judge Jane McConnell
Lead Judge - Special Educational Needs and Disability
More information

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Special Educational Needs and Disability - Courts and Tribunals Judiciary

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The Tribunal deals with disputes in England between a Local Authority and parents or young people over school leaving age, about special educational needs and provision including Education, Health and Care (EHC) Plans. You can appeal to the Tribunal if you do not agree with the decision that your Local Authority has made, if they: [...]

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Guidance for those acting as expert witnesses

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Guidance for those acting as expert witnesses

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PART 25 – EXPERTS AND ASSESSORS – Justice UK

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See also Practice Direction 25A, Practice Direction 25B, Practice Direction 25C, Practice Direction 25D, Practice Direction 25E, Practice Direction 25F

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Paediatricians as expert witnesses in the family court

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Paediatricians as expert witnesses in the family court

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HCPC guidance on being an expert witness

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HCPC guidance on being an expert witness

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What you need to know about being an expert witness |

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Expert witnesses don’t just crop up in TV courtroom dramas – as a health and care professional, you may come across an expert witness in a tribunal, fitness to practise hearing or a coroners court, as well as in a family, civil or criminal court.

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SEND tribunal: if you’re asked to be a witness

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What witnesses need to do in special educational needs appeals and disability discrimination claims hearings. Includes rules for summonsed and expert witnesses.

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We use some essential cookies to make this website work.

We'd like to set additional cookies to understand how you use GOV.UK, remember your settings and improve government services.

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Appeal an education, health and care (EHC) plan decision

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What to do if you disagree with a decision about an EHC plan: how to appeal to the Special Educational Needs and Disability (SEND) Tribunal

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How to appeal a decision made by the local authority

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Appeal to the Special Educational Needs and Disability Tribunal if you disagree with a decision your local authority has made about a child or young person's education, health and care ( EHC) needs or plan.

You can appeal if you do not agree with the EHC plan your local authority has made, or if they:

refuse to carry out an EHC assessment or reassessment

refuse to create an EHC plan after carrying out an assessment or reassessment

refuse to change the sections of an existing EHC plan which are about education (sections B, F and I)

decide you or your child does not need an EHC plan any more

The process is different if you're in Wales.

Who can appeal

In most cases, you must talk to a mediation adviser before you appeal.

You can appeal as either:

Help you can get

Check if you can get legal aid.

You can also get free help and advice from:

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Appeal an education, health and care (EHC) plan decision

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Skip to main content We use some essential cookies to make this website work. We'd like to set additional cookies to understand how you use GOV.UK, remember your settings and improve government services. We also use cookies set by other sites to help us deliver content from their services.

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Preschool assessment of children with SEND

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Preschool assessment of children with SEND

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Support and guidance for settings

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Help for early years providers : SEND assessment guidance and resources

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The resources have been developed by Dingley’s Promise in collaboration with the Department for Education.