Northumberland County Council - Local area SEND Inspection

Local area SEND Inspection

This page explains what a SEND inspection is, who does it and how to get involved.

Ofsted and the Care Quality Commission (CQC) inspected the effectiveness of SEND in Northumberland from 1 - 5 October 2018

This inspection evaluates how effectively we:

identify the needs of children and young people with special educational needs and or/disabilities; and
meet the needs of these children and young people so that their outcomes and chances of participating fully in society improve.

Inspectors gathered the views of children and young people who have special educational needs and/or disabilities in Northumberland, and the views of their parents as part of the inspection process. They visited early years settings, schools, colleges and specialist services, looked at records and spoke to area officers and leaders at educational settings.

The final report has been received and can be read in full here.

Northumberland’s response to the inspection findings

The Local Area Inspection identified three key areas of development for Northumberland and requested that as a Local Area we work together to produce a Written Statement of Action (WSoA). You can read the WSoA improvement plan here.

Northumberland County Council and Northumberland Clinical Commissioning group have now received notification of its approval by the Ofsted's Regional Director which is available to read here.

The Department for Education, alongside NHS England, will work closely with Northumberland County Council and Clinical Commissioning Group to provide feedback and support to enable the Local Area to make the improvements identified by the inspection.

PROGRESS UPDATE: Click here to see the progress made on the WSoA improvement plan.

Important information for parents and carers

Information on the local area duties towards children and young people with special educational needs and/or disabilities can be on found on the Department for Education’s website.