Guidance

Area SEND inspection: guidance for inspectors

Guidance for inspecting how well local areas support children and young people with special educational needs and/or disabilities.

• From: Ofsted
• Published: 27 April 2016
• Last updated: 29 November 2022
  Show all updates

  1. 29 November 2022

     Added a link to the new area SEND framework and handbook following the outcome of a consultation.

  2. 7 May 2021

     Edits throughout: see 'Summary of changes' for details.

  3. 19 March 2021

     Added guidance about re-visits that Ofsted will carry out from April 2021 onwards.

  4. 1 April 2019

     Added new Part 3 to the guidance. This sets out arrangements for re-visits to local areas where a written statement of action is required.

  5. 9 November 2018

     Added Re-visits to local areas issued with a written statement of action: guidance document.

  6. 27 April 2016

     First published.

Applies to England

Documents

Area SEND framework and handbook for January 2023

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/area-send-framework-and-handbook

Guidance for carrying out re-visits to local areas required to produce a written statement of action

HTML

The handbook for the inspection of local areas’ effectiveness in identifying and meeting the needs of children and young people who have special educational needs and/or disabilities: for use until 31 December 2022

PDF, 409 KB, 33 pages

The handbook for the inspection of local areas’ effectiveness in identifying and meeting the needs of children and young people who have special educational needs and/or disabilities: for use until 31 December 2022

MS Word Document, 700 KB

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Summary of changes

HTML

Details

We have released a new version of the area SEND framework and handbook that will come into force on 1 January 2023. The existing guidance still applies in the meantime.

We ran a consultation on the framework and draft handbook in summer 2022. We also ran a separate consultation for children and young people.

From April 2021, we began revisiting local areas required to produce a written statement of action.

This handbook is primarily a guide for inspectors on how to carry out local area inspections. The handbook should also support local areas in their self-evaluation and ongoing improvement.

It should be read alongside the framework.

Local areas can share the leaflet about area SEND inspections with children and young people and parents and carers.

Read outcome letters from joint local area SEND inspections.