Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the Answer of 31 July 2024 to Question 1512 on Special Educational Needs, if her Department will publish a list of local authorities that have breached obligations to fulfil statutory duties to children and young people with SEND.

A new Ofsted and Care Quality Commission Area special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) inspection framework was launched in January 2023. All local areas are due to receive a full inspection within five years, which will support local areas to achieve better outcomes and standards in line with our programme of reform. Ofsted publish final outcome reports on their website, and local areas are required to publish them on their organisation’s website.

Where a council does not meet its duties, the department can take action that prioritises children’s needs and supports local areas to bring about rapid improvement. The department works to monitor, support and challenge local authorities, working closely with NHS England to tackle weaknesses that sit with health partners.

The department collects a range of SEND performance metrics from local authorities on an annual basis and these are publicly available.

The department welcomes the publication of the Big Listen response. It will work with Ofsted to consider how outcomes for children with SEND or in alternative provision are better reflected in both the education inspection and the Area SEND inspection framework going forwards.