Children's services
Walsall Local Area recognised for its progress to support children with special needs
Published on
The Department for Education has recognised the efforts of Walsall’s Local Area to improve the quality of its offer to children with special education needs and disabilities (SEND).
Following an inspection from Ofsted and CQC in June 2019, and June 2022, an accelerated progress plan (APP) was agreed by the council, NHS England, and the Department for Education, which set out key areas where the council needed to make more progress, and identified actions on how the plan will be achieved.
A progress review of the APP took place on 21 November 2023, which concluded the council no longer needs to be formally monitored against the plan, due to the positive progress that has been made.
Key highlights from the visit showed the strong partnership working in Walsall, with parents and carers, the Integrated Health Board, front-line staff in health and social care and schools, who are all working as one to support children with special educational needs and disabilities.
The visit also highlighted progress that has been made to develop a Walsall-focused Local Offer, which parents and carers found accessible and easy to understand.
“ I’m really pleased the hard work of the council and its partners has been recognised by the Department for Education.
We take pride in the strong partnerships that we have in Walsall, and to receive this formally from Government is a credit to the team who have worked hard to make the necessary improvements.
This plan is all about supporting our most vulnerable children and young people in the borough, and we will continue to build on the successes we’ve achieved in the last twelve months.
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Notes to editors
SEND Local Offer
The SEND Local Offer in Walsall is a single place of information, services and resources for children and young people (aged 0-25) with special educational needs and disabilities.
The Local Offer has been designed specifically for Walsall families and their needs.
Visit the Walsall SEND Local Offer website: https://send.walsall.gov.uk/
