Special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) improvement
Our local area partnership works to improve services for children and young people with SEND
On this page
SEND services are provided by the Local Area Partnership which works to improve services for families, children and young people.
What is the Local Area Partnership?
The Oxfordshire Local Area Partnership brings together organisations responsible for planning and delivering SEND services. It includes:
- Oxfordshire County Council
- Oxfordshire schools and education settings
- Thames Valley West Integrated Care Board (TV ICB)
- Oxford Health NHS Foundation Trust
- Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust (OUH)
- Oxfordshire Parent Carer Forum (OxPCF), the official voice of parent carers
Oxfordshire County Council and the TV ICB are jointly responsible for planning and commissioning services for children and young people with SEND.
SEND improvement journey
In July 2023, Ofsted and the Care Quality Commission (CQC) carried out an inspection of SEND services across the Oxfordshire Local Area Partnership and published their findings.
Following this, in November 2023, the Department for Education issued an improvement notice to Oxfordshire County Council. The partnership responded to this notice, setting out how it would address the areas for improvement identified.
In December 2023, Ofsted approved the partnership’s Priority Action Plan, which outlines the key actions needed to drive improvement across SEND services.
Building on this, the SEND Transformation Roadmap (January 2024 to April 2025) sets out the longer-term milestones and activities that will support sustained improvements for children and young people with SEND and their families.
A glossary of SEND terms is also available to help families and professionals better understand the language used across services.
Progress made
In October 2025, Ofsted and CQC’s report confirmed that the partnership had taken effective action in all five priority areas identified in the inspection. They also noted that further work is needed to ensure all families have a consistently high-quality experience.
The national education reform plans were published in February 2026 in the Schools White Paper ‘Every child achieving and thriving’ and the SEND consultation ‘Putting children and young people first’.
Throughout 2026, a new Local Area Partnership SEND Improvement Plan has been developed to build on progress and address remaining challenges.
National and Local SEND reform (2026)
Oxfordshire is developing plans for SEND improvement at both a local and national level.
The Local Area Partnership is:
- Consulting on a new local SEND strategy
- Responding to national reforms set out in government policy
These plans will work together to improve SEND services across Oxfordshire.
National reform
National education reform plans were published in February 2026 through:
- The Schools White Paper “Every child achieving and thriving”
- The SEND consultation “Putting children and young people first”
Oxfordshire’s response
Oxfordshire has developed its own SEND reform plan, which focuses on:
- Providing the right support earlier
- Supporting children closer to home
- Strengthening inclusion in mainstream schools
- Developing inclusion support bases
- Working more closely with families through local services
The plan has been shaped through workshops with:
- Health services
- Schools and education settings
- Oxfordshire Parent Carer Forum
What will change
Over the next three years, the system will:
- Focus on early intervention in mainstream settings
- Increase access to universal and targeted support
- Deliver a needs-led approach
- Strengthen partnership working across services
New Local SEND Strategy for Oxfordshire (2026–2029)
Oxfordshire’s Local Area Partnership’s (LAP) which includes Health, Education and Social Care, in consultation with parents, carers, children and young people, has set out its draft 3-year strategy for our children and young with SEND and their families, parents and carers. You can ‘Have your Say’ on the strategy here.
The partnership’s ambition for children and young people with SEND is that they are:
- valued and included
- supported early
- able to thrive in their communities
- able to prepare confidently for adulthood
The plan provides a clear framework for how the LAP will work together to improve experiences and outcomes for children, young people and their families.
The Strategy will set out plans for SEND services for the next three years.
The SEND Strategic Improvement and Assurance Board
The Oxfordshire SEND Strategic Improvement and Assurance Board was established to lead and oversee improvement work across the partnership.
The board:
- Drives the delivery of improvements to SEND services
- Monitors progress against priorities
- Ensures accountability across partners
It is made up of senior leaders from across the partnership.
The independent chair is Steve Crocker, former Director of Children’s Services at Hampshire County Council and former President of the Association of Directors of Children’s Services.
Information and support for SEND
SEND Local Offer website
Find information, advice and support on our Local Offer.
SEND e-newsletters
- Parents and carers can sign up to receive a SEND e-newsletter to get the latest news from us.
- Families can read previous updates online.
Oxfordshire Parent Carer Forum (OxPCF)
- Parents and carers can also read OxPCF’s SEND Connect newsletters, which include news and information from across the local area partnership.