Special educational needs and disabilities (SEND)

Between 3 and 21 November 2025 Ofsted and the Care Quality Commission (CQC) undertook the Local Area SEND Inspection of arrangements for children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) in Cheshire West and Chester (CWaC). The inspection has provided an important and timely reflection on how effectively the partnership across education, health and care is supporting children and young people with SEND.

Inspectors undertook an extensive review of our arrangements, drawing on more than 400 strategic documents, performance reports and individual plans submitted for scrutiny. They supplemented this with engagement activities involving children and young people, parents and carers, school and setting leaders, frontline practitioners, and key strategic partners from across the system. Their work included visits to schools and settings, discussions with over seventy professionals, and in‑depth tracking of the journeys of selected children and young people. 

The inspection concluded that there is a strong foundation of commitment and partnership working across CWaC. Inspectors noted clear strengths in the quality of many Education, Health and Care Plans, the dedication of Early Help teams, and the positive impact of youth initiatives such as SEND Choices. They also recognised health partners’ active approach to quality assurance and their advocacy for families, alongside the benefits of multi‑agency oversight in shaping Alternative Provision. These strengths reflect a shared ambition across the partnership to improve outcomes and lived experiences for children and young people with SEND. 

However, the inspection also brought into focus several areas where improvement is essential if we are to deliver consistently high‑quality support. Families told inspectors that communication about available services is not always clear or accessible, leading to frustration and uncertainty. Although EHCPs are improving, delays and inconsistencies in updating them continue to impact the timeliness and relevance of support. Health partners face significant pressures, particularly in neurodevelopmental pathways, where waiting times remain unacceptably long. Social care services continue to be affected by staff turnover and resource pressures, making it harder to maintain continuity for families. Additionally, the local area’s reliance on unregistered Alternative Provision providers and the need for earlier, more integrated Preparation for Adulthood planning were highlighted as ongoing challenges. 

Taken together, the inspection findings make clear that the partnership must now move with pace and shared purpose to address these systemic issues. While the values and commitment of professionals across the area are unquestionable, the inspection demonstrated that more coherent strategic coordination, stronger communication with families, more consistent quality assurance, and improved capacity within key services are necessary to ensure children and young people receive the right support at the right time.

In line with the inspection findings the overall judgement or outcome of the inspection was that “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”. This outcome aligned with our own self-assessment, and supports us to continue our delivery of actions and aspirations to improve the lived experience and outcomes for children and young people with SEND.

This Post‑Inspection Action Plan sets out the steps the partnership will take collectively to respond to the four Recommendations within the inspection report findings. It defines a clear programme of improvement that builds on our strengths, tackles the challenges identified, and ensures that all partners are accountable for delivering sustainable change. 

This revised action plan responds directly to the four recommendations from the November 2025 Ofsted/CQC area SEND inspection and to subsequent consolidated DfE, SEND Adviser and NHS England feedback. It sets out a focused programme of improvement across education, health and care, with clear outcomes, ambition and accountability.

It is anticipated that the content of this action plan will be transposed into our Local Area SEND Reform Plan, alongside the other areas identified for improvement within the Inspection Report (PDF, 163KB). As such, this plan only reflects the specific recommendations laid out in the report, but is not the exclusive or only focus of our improvement journey going forward.

The partnership believes this plan demonstrates the pace, scale and sustainability of improvement required following inspection. It provides clear assurance to DfE and NHS England that the right actions are in place, progress can be transparently monitored, and tangible improvements in lived experience for children, young people and families will be delivered and sustained.