Inspectors say Walsall has made ‘significant development’ to support SEND children and young people
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Following a three-week inspection in December 2025, Ofsted and CQC have published a report on Walsall’s Local Area Partnership.
You can find the report on the Ofsted websiteThe partnership – made up of Walsall Council and the NHS Black Country Integrated Care Board (ICB) - provides services to children and young people with Special Educational Needs and/or Disabilities (SEND) and those educated in Alternative Provision (AP).
You can find the report on the Ofsted website
This report is another milestone in our journey of continuous improvement to make sure children and young people with SEND have the best start in life and can fulfil their fullest potential.
Our previous inspections in 2019 and 2022 showed areas across the partnership where we needed to do better. Since then, through determined leadership and a shared ambition to improve, we have begun to slowly rebuild a system we’re proud of.
This latest inspection brings some real encouragement, as well as some clear areas to build upon. We know there is more to do, and more trust to earn with families, and our attention now turns to setting out clear plans for each area of focus, to ensure that the progress we’ve made continues. We also await the forthcoming SEND white paper from central government, which will shape the national SEND picture.
What is going well:
- The partnership has established a proactive culture of improvement, centred on listening to children and young people with SEND.
- Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP) timeliness has substantially improved, and the majority of plans are completed promptly within statutory time frames.
- Co‑production is a growing strength, with families helping to shape priorities and services.
- There is strong oversight of Alternative Provision with rigorous quality assurance and expansion of specialist resource provision.
- Inclusion is prioritised through a well-established fair access panel, meaning there is quick support for children awaiting places, and tailored packages for those educated outside school.
- Social care practitioners offer consistent, tailored, timely support, including overseeing children in care have smooth transitions into adulthood.
- For young people at risk of being Not in Education, Employment, or Training (NEET), the partnership uses innovative ways to engage opportunities for training and work experience.
The report outlines that children and young people experience delays when trying to access health services such as: Children and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS), speech and language therapy, dietetics and dysphagia (eating and drinking difficulties) services and neurodevelopmental assessments.
The report sets out three recommendations for the partnership to improve on:
- The local area partnership should put effective joint commissioning arrangements in place.
- Health leaders must ensure there is sufficient clinical capacity to deliver specialist services.
- The partnership must improve how information is shared between services to ensure there is a shared understanding of children and young people’s needs.
Sally Roberts, Chief Nurse at NHS Black Country Integrated Care Board, said: “We welcome the inspectors’ recognition of the progress made across the partnership and the strengthened culture of collaboration in Walsall. However, we fully acknowledge the findings regarding delays in access to some health services.
“We are using the learning from this inspection to accelerate work on clinical capacity, strengthening joint commissioning and improving how services work together. Our shared priority is to ensure children and young people receive timely, high-quality support, and we remain committed to delivering sustainable improvement for families across Walsall.”
The partnership will now develop a detailed action plan in response to the recommendations, working closely with families, education settings, health providers and partners to ensure continued progress.
More information about how local area partnership SEND and AP inspections are undertaken can be found on the GOV.UK website.