Watchdogs criticise “inconsistent” level of support for children with SEND who do not attend school full-time

The report, published today (11 December), warns that “missed opportunities” to identify children’s needs early, and to provide the right support, means too many children with SEND are leaving school when it could be avoided.

When they leave school, the inspectorates note that the children are then missing out on the help and support they need from local education, care and health services.

According to the report, parents and carers spoke to inspectors about having “no choice” but to home educate their child – because they believed their child’s needs were not being met in school, and they were struggling to navigate an “overly complex SEND system”.

However, many school leaders stressed that they lack the necessary resources – such as staff with the right expertise – to identify or meet children’s needs effectively. 

Inspectors from Ofsted and the CQC also found “inconsistencies” in the quality of oversight and support across local areas, often due to capacity challenges and a lack of understanding of roles and responsibilities.

Inspectors heard that there was “limited understanding” of how ‘education otherwise than at school’ (EOTAS) arrangements should be applied, which meant parents’ expectations often didn’t align with what local areas could offer.

The organisations said: “Schools and local authorities generally have strong information sharing processes for children with SEND not in school, but health partners are often absent from these arrangements. This means some children with SEND are unable to access key services, such as occupational therapy or speech and language therapy, when they are out of school.”

In light of their findings, Ofsted and the CQC made the following recommendations for national government and the sector:

• The Department for Education (DfE) should prioritise working with local area partnerships to ensure that children’s emerging needs are identified early and accurately.
• NHS England and the DfE should provide local area partnerships with access to resources and training so they can support schools to take a needs-led approach to supporting children with SEND. 
• The DfE should lead on developing guidance for the appropriate use of EOTAS arrangements. 
• Local area partnerships should establish clear and robust processes for sharing information about children with SEND not in school, or those at risk of leaving school, making sure that health partners are involved in these arrangements. 
• Local area partnerships should ensure that all children with SEND who are not in school receive coordinated support to meet their education, health and social care needs.
• The DfE should resolve the lack of consistency in how in-year admissions are coordinated across the country. Guidance should be developed to help ensure all local area partnerships understand expectations and replicate effective models of in-year admissions.

Sir Martyn Oliver, His Majesty’s Chief Inspector, said: “Too many children with SEND are out of school, which is deeply concerning. As well as missing out on the school experience, it also means they are out of sight of local services and don’t always receive the help and support they need. These children deserve better. 

“Although the national picture is worrying, our report also highlights some good practice where local areas have worked together effectively to ensure children with SEND either remain in school or return to full-time education, where appropriate. I hope this report and its recommendations support wider understanding of these issues and real improvements for children with SEND.”

Professor Bola Owolabi, Chief Inspector of Primary Care and Community Services at the Care Quality Commission said: “Well-coordinated support – where colleagues across education, health and social care work together – can make all the difference to ensuring children and young people with SEND have their educational needs met and in the right place. 

“We have seen this done well, with innovative approaches to collaboration and support for children and young people who require these services. However, as highlighted in this report, barriers still remain which inhibit a joined-up approach, and inconsistencies from area to area meaning some children and young people with SEND are missing out on their education. 

“The recommendations laid out in this report should help remove these barriers to education and empower the sector to take forward a partnership approach between health, social care, and education partners.”

Responding to the joint report, Heather Sandy, Chair of the ADCS Inclusive Education Policy Network, said: "This report rightly identifies the valuable role of local area partnerships and the innovative work taking place to help SEND children stay in or return to school, but that more can be done.

“Early identification and timely intervention are crucial, and we welcome the report’s recommendations for DfE and NHS England to work more closely with local partnerships, as well as for greater guidance and information sharing between health, education, and care partners.

“This also needs to be accompanied by greater investment into SEND, including broader, long-term reforms: strengthening mainstream provision, supporting the workforce, ensuring high-quality specialist settings, and embedding a nationally defined, evidence-based, and sustainably funded framework. 

“[...] For ADCS, it remains essential that, alongside tackling current funding challenges and historic deficits, the Government retains a clear and sustained focus on creating a SEND system that is genuinely sustainable for the future - one that consistently meets the needs of all children and young people and enables them to thrive.”

The Department for Education has been approached for comment.

Lottie Winson