Oxfordshire’s services for children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) have made “effective progress” since last year’s inspection, according to a new report from Ofsted and the Care Quality Commission (CQC).
The findings follow a monitoring inspection carried out between 15 September and 01 October 2025, which evaluated the local area partnership’s response to five priority actions identified in July 2023.
Inspectors noted major improvements in governance, communication, and opportunities for families to shape services. They highlighted strengthened leadership structures and a clearer process for including the views of children, young people, and parents in planning and evaluation.
Councillor Sean Gaul, Oxfordshire County Council’s Cabinet Member for Children, Education and Young People’s Services, welcomed the progress. “Ofsted and the CQC’s latest report makes it clear that real progress is now being made and I praise our dedicated teams for their tireless efforts over many months,” he said.
“However, we will never allow ourselves to be complacent… We will continue to listen and involve families on this important journey of improvement for children and young people.”
During the visit, inspectors met with local leaders, parent groups, education and health professionals, the Department for Education and NHS England. They reviewed the partnership’s action plans, self-evaluation and evidence of changes since 2023.
Among the developments noted were more effective systems for gathering feedback from young people with SEND and improved structures ensuring stable representation from partners on the SEND Improvement and Assurance Board.
The report found that closer partnership working is beginning to improve support for children and families, with the timeliness and quality of education, health and care plans (EHCPs) showing improvement.
Enhanced training for schools and partnership-funded pathways are helping more children with SEND access appropriate support in mainstream settings.
Pilot schemes, such as early speech and language screening, were highlighted as successful examples of joint-commissioned initiatives, although inspectors raised concerns about their long-term sustainability.
Dr Nick Broughton, Chief Executive at NHS Buckinghamshire, Oxfordshire and Berkshire West Integrated Care Board, said: “We’re making real progress since the 2023 inspection thanks to the dedication of our teams, but we know there’s more to do.”
Inspectors concluded that while effective action has been taken, continued effort is needed to ensure improvements are sustained. The partnership has been asked to update its SEND priority action plan to reflect current progress and future goals.
