These inspections look at:
- Education, health and social care services
- How organisations work together
- How well children and young people's needs are identified and met.
What inspectors look for
Inspectors focus on:
- How effectively local areas identify SEND
- How well they assess and meet needs
- The impact of support on children and young people’s outcomes
They gather evidence by:
- Reviewing documents and data
- Visiting schools, colleges and early years settings
- Meeting with parents, carers, children and young people
- Talking to professionals from education, health and social care
Staffordshire's inspection
Staffordshire was inspected in 2018. The inspection found:
- Strengths in some areas of SEND provision
- Areas that needed significant improvement
As a result, Staffordshire was required to produce a Written Statement of Action. This is a formal plan showing how the council and health partners will address the weaknesses identified.
Written statement of action
The written statement of action sets out:
- What needs to improve
- Actions we will take
- Timescales for delivery
- How progress will be monitored
Progress updates
We regularly report on progress against the written statement of action. Updates include:
- Improvements of joint working between education, health and social care
- Better processes for identifying and assessing SEND
- Actions to improve outcomes for children and young people.
Future inspections
Ofsted and CQC now use a new Area SEND Inspection Framework. This focuses on:
- The experiences and outcomes of children and young people
- How well local areas work together
- Continuous improvement in SEND
Staffordshire will be inspected under this new framework in the future.