Ofsted and CQC area SEND inspection
Ofsted and the Care Quality Commission inspect the "local area partnership": the council and NHS North East London together. The latest inspection was 10 to 14 February 2025, and the report was published on 1 April 2025.
Outcome
The local area partnership's arrangements lead to inconsistent experiences and outcomes for children and young people with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). The local area partnership must work jointly to make improvements.
Area SEND inspections have three possible outcomes. This is the middle one. The other two are "typically positive experiences and outcomes" and "widespread and/or systemic failings". The next full area SEND inspection will be within about three years.
What inspectors asked the partnership to improve
- Improve communication with parents, so that services are co-produced with families, parents know how their input has changed things, and families can navigate the Local Offer.
- Strengthen preparation for adulthood, including a broad education, employment and training offer, Year 9 annual reviews that reflect young people's aspirations, and timely Care Act assessment referrals.
- Put in place a multi-agency quality assurance framework for EHC plans and annual reviews, so that plans reflect current needs, set ambitious outcomes, and are updated at transition points.
- Health leaders to improve waiting times "at pace" for neurodevelopmental assessments, CAMHS treatment, continence and wheelchair services.
In the inspectors' words
"Some parents and carers and young people told inspectors that they have lost confidence in the partnership's governance of SEND services."
Ofsted and Care Quality Commission, Area SEND inspection of Waltham Forest Local Area Partnership (April 2025), p. 2
"Sometimes, EHC plans do not reflect the children's and young people's needs or identify specific provision to meet their needs successfully."
Ofsted and Care Quality Commission, Area SEND inspection of Waltham Forest Local Area Partnership (April 2025), p. 3
"Many wait up to a year for an autism or attention deficit and hyperactive disorder (ADHD) assessment."
Ofsted and Care Quality Commission, Area SEND inspection of Waltham Forest Local Area Partnership (April 2025), p. 3
Inspection history
| When | What happened | Source |
|---|---|---|
| January 2017 | Joint local area SEND inspection. A written statement of action was required. | Ofsted and Care Quality Commission, Local area SEND inspection, Waltham Forest (March 2017) |
| March 2019 | Revisit found sufficient progress on the significant weaknesses identified in 2017. | Ofsted and Care Quality Commission, Local area SEND revisit, Waltham Forest (May 2019) |
| February 2025 | Area SEND inspection: inconsistent experiences and outcomes (middle of three outcomes). | Ofsted and Care Quality Commission, Area SEND inspection of Waltham Forest Local Area Partnership (April 2025) |
The council's response
| When | What happened | Source |
|---|---|---|
| April 2025 | SEND Local Area Improvement Plan published. It has six priorities and 46 actions, with measures and March 2025 baselines. | London Borough of Waltham Forest and NHS North East London, SEND Local Area Improvement Plan (July 2025) |
| October 2025 | Highlight report to the Health and Wellbeing Board: 35 of 46 actions complete or on track, 8 at risk of delay, 3 delayed. | London Borough of Waltham Forest, SEND Local Area Improvement Plan - Highlight Report (September 2025) (October 2025) |
| December 2025 | Cabinet asked to approve the SEND Strategy 2025-2028. The strategy says a separate Local Area Plan will hold the 'clear targets'. | London Borough of Waltham Forest, Waltham Forest SEND Strategy 2025 - 2028 (Cabinet report) (December 2025) |
See Targets for how the improvement plan's measures are tracking.