SEND Local Area Inspection

The Chair, Vice Chair and Steering Group of Dorset Parent-Carer Council want to say a huge THANK YOU to all parent carers who participated in the Special Educational Needs & Disability Local Area Inspection last week. Over 300 parent carers took part in either the inspection webinar or Dorset Parent-Carer Council online survey . Your views and concerns provided the inspection team with key information which they will consider when evaluating the overall effectiveness of the Dorset Local Area* in implementing the disability and special educational needs reforms as set out in the Children & Families Act 2014.

We would also like to take this opportunity to thank the SENCO’s in schools and colleges and the Parent Support Advisors in the Special Schools who sent text messages, emails and generally raised awareness of the survey and the inspection.

Social Media played a big part in helping to spread information about the Local Area Inspection, so please accept our apologies if you felt bombarded with messages!

How will you know what the report says?

The inspection team will now evaluate all the evidence gathered and then Ofsted and the CQC will write a joint inspection outcome letter. This letter will explain the main findings and make recommendations for improvement. It will also highlight any strengths that inspectors identified to help other services and areas develop and improve.

The letter should be made public in 4-6 weeks and will be published on the following Government website.

Once published Dorset Parent Carer Council will circulate the letter and the survey results as widely as possible, emailing a copy directly to DPCC members and by adding the information to the DPCC website.

For those of you who shared personal stories using the ‘Give us Your Views’ page on the DPCC website we will respond to each of you individually.

THANK YOU, again your voice has been heard and it will make a difference.

Best Wishes

Lesley & Elaine

*What is the local area?

The local area includes the local authority, clinical commissioning groups (CCGs), public health, NHS England for specialist services, early year’s settings, schools and further education providers.