Here is the evaluation of our area SEND inspection framework: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/an-evaluation-of-the-framework-for-inspecting-local-areas-special-educational-needs-andor-disabilities-services

We found that the area SEND inspections allow us to collect good evidence on how well areas identify children and young people with SEND and assess and meet their needs.
However, they are better able to collect good evidence from health and education than social care.

Inspectors felt that the framework encouraged a focus on whether areas are meeting their statutory duties, and that this could mean less of a focus on the impact of decisions on children and young people with SEND.

Adjusting the framework further towards the lived experience of children and young people could bring the quality of service and its impact more to the fore. We are working on this

The breadth and nature of the inspection framework present some challenges to areas in deciding what evidence to make available to inspectors and who it would be best for inspectors to meet. We are looking at this as well.

Area leaders and frontline professionals told us that the inspections had raised the profile of SEND within their areas. They said that SEND was given a higher priority following inspection, which had helped with strategic planning.

Area leaders and frontline staff also thought that receiving a joint inspection from both Ofsted and the CQC reinforced collective responsibility.

Areas also said that they are being held to account for some practices that they have no practical influence over. This may reflect the complex accountability for SEND in local areas, in which different actors are independently responsible for different parts of the system.