What we’re working on
Local Area SEND Inspection
What is happening?
The services across the areas of Education, Health and Social Care in South Gloucestershire are being inspected by OFSTED and the CQC, with a focus on SEND provisions.
The reason for this is so that inspectors can find out how support is working for children and young people aged 0-25 years with SEND in the local area.
“The only people able to say how SEND services are working across South Gloucestershire are those who experience it every day”
How you can get involved…
As part of the inspection, there is a survey that you can take part in to have your say on the local SEND services.
The voice of families in our community is a crucial part of the inspection and will be used to decide what areas the inspectors look at. So it is really important that you share your views and experiences.
There are three surveys available for:
Children with SEND (over 11 years) - support can be provided by a parent carer or an adult who works with them to complete the survey
Parents and carers of children with SEND
Practitioners working with children with SEND across education, health and social care.
The surveys are anonymous and can be completed online or in paper form. You may receive these from:
The Council
Your child’s school or college
Or from another service that supports your child(ren).
There will also be audio recordings and explanatory videos available to help complete the survey.
IMPORTANT: The survey will only be open for the first week of the inspection, so it is vital that you get your questionnaire responses back in time.
How the inspection works…
Notification
The Local Authority and SGPC are notified of the inspection on the first day.
Week 1
Preparation
Parent carers give their views, via an online survey here.
Week 2
Gathering Evidence
SGPC meet with inspectors, who decide key lines of enquiry based on the information provided.
Week 3
Inspection Report
Inspectors meet with the Local Authority and visit a variety of settings.
Outcome
The outcome from the inspection will only be published once the report has been finalised. The average time until a report is published is around two months. This will depend on whether any queries are submitted to the inspectors regarding their findings.
Other ways families will be involved
The inspectors will select up to 6 children and young people with SEND to be involved in Tracking Meetings. Tracking meetings are an opportunity for inspectors to hear directly about children and young people’s experiences and outcomes.
The names of the children will be chosen completely at random based on a list of all children and young people on the SEND data base, including those on the SEN Support Register.
The six children and young people will be chosen to ensure that a broad range of experiences and needs are represented in their review.
Once the inspectors have confirmed the names of the selected children, the professionals involved with the child will need to:
Contact the child or young person and parent carer to ask for their consent to be involved in a meeting with the inspectors.
Prepare and/or upload the specific documents required by the inspectors within 2 days.
Arrange a meeting with professionals from all sectors (health, education and social care) who are working with the child.
In addition, the inspectors will carry out ‘Case Sampling’ to evaluate the experiences and outcomes for children by reviewing documents and talking to practitioners directly involved in the decision-making and oversight of their support. Examples of topics that may be a subject for focused sampling are the quality of EHCPs or use of the Dynamic Support Register.
Inspectors may also want to meet with a group of children and young people with SEND.
Useful Links
Information from Ofsted and the Care Quality Commission
Information from South Gloucestershire Council including the results of previous inspections