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<p>To ensure local authorities comply fully with their obligations under the Children
and Families Act (2014), including on education, health and care plans, we introduced
new local area special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) inspections by Ofsted
and the Care Quality Commission in 2016. All local areas will be inspected by 2021.
These inspections do not give a pass/fail judgement. They instead identify areas of
strength and where improvement is required, including asking an area to produce a
Written Statement of Action if there are significant concerns. Where we have concerns
with a local area’s performance, we work with partners, including NHS England, to
support and challenge the area to improve.</p><p> </p><p>The inspection reports have
proved a catalyst for local change, both where Written Statements of Action have been
required and where they have not. Local authorities and their health partners have
embraced the process and used inspection findings to prioritise areas for improvement.</p><p>
</p><p>In terms of ensuring schools are inclusive, the Children and Families Act (2014)
reinforced the presumption of mainstream education for children with SEND. The attached
SEND Code of Practice provides detailed guidance to schools about how to support children
with SEND. The new Ofsted common inspection framework, introduced from September 2019,
emphasises the need for leaders to offer high-quality, inclusive education and training
to all.</p><p> </p><p>We launched a call for evidence on how the special educational
needs funding system operates in May 2019 to help us understand how the current available
funding is distributed, and what improvements to the financial arrangements could
be made in future.</p>
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