Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment her Department has made of the adequacy of SEND provision in a) Dorset and b) the Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole council area.

Dorset had their Ofsted and Care Quality Commission (CQC) Local Area special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) inspection in March 2024, which identified positive experiences and outcomes for children and young people with SEND. The report, published on 15 May 2024, included no Areas for Priority Action (APAs), and highlighted that leaders in Dorset are ambitious and focused on improving the lives of children and young people with SEND. The report also stated that children and young people with SEND and their families are placed at the heart of all that leaders do. Effective co-production across the partnership ensures that the needs of children and young people lead decision-making.

The department has been working closely with Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole local area partnership since their Area SEND Inspection in June 2021, where Ofsted and CQC identified eight areas of significant weakness. The department has since been holding regular monitoring meetings with the local area, in partnership with NHS England, focussing on the impact of actions taken on improving the lives of children and young people with SEND and their families. The latest monitoring meeting highlighted that the local authority and partners are taking positive steps to improve services, with some evidence of early impact. However, there are still ways to go to ensure that all children and families receive the service they require and deserve.

The department has put in place a wider range of support for Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole Council and local area partners through the appointment of a Sector Led Improvement Partner and SEND advisor support. The department will continue working with the local area to ensure they deliver further improvements in services for all children and families in the local area, including those in the constituency of Bournemouth West.