Area SEND Inspection: Warwickshire Local Area Partnership (April 2026)
Overview
In April 2026, Ofsted and the Care Quality Commission (CQC) carried out a three-week inspection of the Warwickshire Local Area Partnership.
The inspection evaluated how effectively education, health and care services work together to support children and young people with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND).
In its first inspection under the new national framework, which introduces three possible outcomes rather than a single overall rating, Warwickshire was assessed as meeting the ‘middle’ outcome, representing an improvement on the previous inspection. This judgement reflects inspectors’ findings of inconsistent experiences and outcomes for children and young people with SEND and highlights the need for the Warwickshire local area partnership to work collaboratively to drive further improvement.
The next full Area SEND inspection is expected to take place within approximately three years.
What the inspection found
The report highlights a number of established strengths across the Warwickshire Local Area Partnership, alongside areas where further improvement is required.
What is working well
Inspectors recognised that:
- Leaders have a strong and well-developed understanding of the needs of children and young people with SEND
- Data is used effectively to identify priorities and target areas for improvement
- Warwickshire Parent Carer Voice plays a positive and increasingly mature role in shaping services
- Collaboration across education, health and social care is strengthening, supporting partners to work more effectively together
- This partnership approach is helping to deliver tangible improvements for children, young people and their families
Where improvement is needed
The report also identifies areas where further work is required to improve consistency and experience for families. These include:
Reducing waiting times for assessments and support, including:
- ADHD
- Autism
- Speech and language therapy
- Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS)
- Strengthening strategic leadership and joint commissioning across the partnership
- Improving the timeliness and quality of Education, Health and Care (EHC) plans
What happens next
We welcome this report, which recognises the continued commitment of our staff and partners, alongside the progress made in key areas.
As a local area partnership, we are clear about the work that still needs to be done to further improve outcomes for children and young people with SEND. We recognise that not all families consistently receive the timely and effective support they need, and we are committed to addressing this.
By working together, we will:
- Build on our existing strengths
- Address the areas identified for development
- Deliver sustained improvements across service
Our shared ambition is to ensure that all children and young people with SEND in Warwickshire can thrive and have the best possible opportunities in life.
About the Warwickshire SEND Partnership
The Warwickshire Local Area SEND Partnership includes Warwickshire County Council and the NHS Coventry and Warwickshire Integrated Care Board.
Together, they are responsible for planning and delivering services for children and young people with SEND.
The partnership works closely with Warwickshire Parent Carer Voice, IMPACT (Children and Young People’s SEND Forum), Schools and education settings, local partners and stakeholders. This collaboration ensures services are co-produced and continue to evolve in line with the needs of children, young people and families.