Setting

Area SEND inspection of Newcastle upon Tyne Local Area Partnership

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Inspection dates: 13 to 17 July 2026 Dates of previous inspection: 30 April 2018 to 4 May 2018

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Inspection 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.

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Inspection outcome

The next full area SEND inspection will be within approximately 3 years.

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Inspection outcome

Ofsted and the Care Quality Commission (CQC) ask that the local area partnership updates and publishes its strategic plan based on the recommendations set out in this report.

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Information about the local area partnership

Newcastle upon Tyne City Council and NHS North East and North Cumbria Integrated Care Board (ICB) are jointly responsible for the planning and commissioning of services for children and young people with SEND in Newcastle.

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Information about the local area partnership

Since the previous inspection in 2018, the area has been through a period of significant change to the local area partnership senior leadership team. There has been a new director of children’s services and extensive change within the ICB.

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Information about the local area partnership

The commissioning of health services changed across England in 2022. On 1 July 2022, the North East and North Cumbria ICB became responsible for the commissioning of health services in Newcastle.

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Information about the local area partnership

The partnership primarily commissions alternative provision (AP) for children and young people for time-limited intensive placements in an AP setting and longer-term placements to support children and young people’s return to mainstream education or into a sustainable post-16 destination. Area SEND inspection report: Newcastle upon Tyne Local Area Partnership 13 July 2026 to 17 July 2026

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What is it like to be a child or young person with SEND in this area?

Children and young people with SEND experience inconsistent levels of support and provision across the local area partnership. Many children and young people with SEND benefit from effective multi-agency working, passionate practitioners who know them well and services that are committed to helping them achieve. Leaders demonstrate high aspirations for children and young people with SEND, with a clear focus on promoting achievement, independence and preparation for adulthood. However, these positive experiences are not consistent. Variability in access to support, communication between services and the quality of planning means that some children and young people with SEND receive better experiences and outcomes than others.

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What is it like to be a child or young person with SEND in this area?

Many children and young people with SEND have their needs identified at an early stage and access appropriate support through schools, early years settings, and health services. Children and their families can access a comprehensive range of advice, support and intervention from Children and Families Newcastle (CFN). CFN ensures there is a partnership approach to the universal and targeted family help offer, which has an increasing focus on inclusion and early identification of needs for children with SEND.

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What is it like to be a child or young person with SEND in this area?

Children, young people with SEND and their families benefit from knowledgeable practitioners who work together to understand needs and coordinate support. Those receiving support from family help key workers and social workers often develop positive relationships with professionals who know them well. Regular multi-agency meetings help ensure that information is typically shared effectively. Children and young people with SEND receiving specialist support benefit from early transition planning and oversight arrangements that help identify future options and support preparation for adulthood.

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What is it like to be a child or young person with SEND in this area?

Many children and young people with SEND are supported by schools and settings that work hard to meet their needs. In these settings, children and young people with SEND benefit from tailored support through the ‘team around the school’, which helps them access learning, participate in school life and achieve positive outcomes. Some children and young people with SEND attending AP benefit from nurturing relationships, personalised approaches and support that helps them re-engage with learning. However, some children and young people with SEND spend extended periods accessing limited tuition. Reintegration into full-time education is not consistently successful. Consequently, a small proportion of children and young people with SEND are less well prepared for their future educational destinations and adulthood. Area SEND inspection report: Newcastle upon Tyne Local Area Partnership 13 July 2026 to 17 July 2026

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Attendance is improving for most children and young people with SEND through the well- coordinated work between schools, families and services. However, attendance remains too low for some. Persistent absence and interruptions to education are more common among children and young people whose needs have not been identified or met quickly enough. This can create delays in learning and impact negatively on the opportunities available to them.

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Children and young people with SEND are visible within their communities and are given meaningful opportunities to influence the services they use. Through initiatives such as the young inspector’s programme, youth participation groups and decision-making panels, children and young people with SEND help shape local services, activities and community provision. These opportunities help children and young people develop confidence, independence and a sense of belonging within their communities.

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Many children and young people with SEND benefit from effective support to prepare them for adulthood. Robust careers guidance, educational transition planning and targeted interventions help them move successfully into education, employment and training. Children and young people with EHC plans also benefit from early, coordinated planning and effective oversight, enabling professionals to identify needs and put the right support in place. However, some post-16 pathways are not sufficiently flexible to meet the needs of some young people with SEND.

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Delays in accessing some health services, including for occupational therapy and neurodevelopmental assessment, mean that some children and young people with SEND do not receive timely assessment and intervention. As a result, they do not always receive the right help at the right time. In addition, the quality of transition planning, particularly at post-16, is not consistently effective. Consequently, some young people with SEND experience uncertainty and are less well prepared for adulthood and their next steps.

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What is the area partnership doing that is effective?

◼ The local area partnership demonstrates high aspirations for children and young people with SEND through its focus on early identification, targeted support and meaningful co-production (a way of working where children, families and those that provide the services work together to create a decision or a service that works for them all). Leaders have established effective arrangements that enable children and young people with SEND to influence the design and development of services. Participation opportunities are well embedded and help ensure that children and young people with SEND contribute to decisions affecting their lives and communities. As a result, children and young people with SEND are increasingly visible in decision- making processes, reflecting the partnership’s commitment to ensuring their voices are heard, valued and acted on. ◼ The SEND information, advice and support service (SENDIASS) is highly visible across

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What is the area partnership doing that is effective?

Newcastle. This service helps families understand their rights, navigate services and participate confidently in decision-making. SENDIASS also makes a valuable contribution to workforce development through the provision of training, information Area SEND inspection report: Newcastle upon Tyne Local Area Partnership 13 July 2026 to 17 July 2026

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and guidance. This helps to strengthen understanding of SEND processes and improve the quality of support available across the partnership. ◼ The parent carer forum (PCF) is highly valued by both families and partners across the SEND system. Regular, transparent two-way communication helps ensure that the experiences of families inform strategic planning and contribute meaningfully to service improvement. ◼ Children and young people with SEND benefit from effective multidisciplinary working across a range of specialist services. Those with visual and hearing impairments access coordinated assessment and support informed by specialist expertise across education and health professionals. Physiotherapy services provide timely assessment and intervention, while collaborative working between professionals helps ensure that support is tailored to individual need. Some services also demonstrate strong practice

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when adapting assessments and resources to ensure meaningful engagement for families who speak English as an additional language. ◼ The partnership demonstrates a clear commitment to improving outcomes for children and young people with SEND through its focus on preparation for adulthood. Effective careers education, information, advice and guidance support young people to successfully progress into further education, employment and training. Schools and services work together to improve attendance and help pupils stay engaged in their learning. ◼ The partnership provides a broad range of support to schools through outreach services, specialist teaching teams, early years services and team around the school arrangements. These services provide advice, training and direct support that help schools identify needs effectively, strengthen inclusive practice and support children and young people through key transition points. School leaders told inspectors that

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they value the responsiveness and quality of this support. ◼ Leaders maintain effective oversight of the needs of children and young people with SEND who are educated otherwise than at school and those who are electively home educated. They have a clear understanding of where children and young people are being educated, the provision they access and their individual circumstances. Robust arrangements are in place to review support, monitor progress and assess the suitability of provision. This enables leaders to make informed decisions, respond to emerging needs and ensure children and young people continue to receive appropriate support. ◼ Children and young people with SEND who require specialist support are generally referred appropriately to health and therapeutic services. Professionals work collaboratively to support children and young people while they await intervention and seek to ensure that provision is coordinated around individual needs and

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aspirations. ◼ Children with SEND who are in care, including those placed in residential special schools outside the local area, benefit from effective multi-agency oversight. Regular review arrangements support shared decision-making across education, health and social care services. This helps ensure that placements continue to meet need and that most children experience stability and maintain important family relationships. Area SEND inspection report: Newcastle upon Tyne Local Area Partnership 13 July 2026 to 17 July 2026

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What does the area partnership need to do better?

◼ Children and young people with SEND wait too long to access some health services, for example waiting times for occupational therapy and neurodevelopmental assessment. Some young people also experience delays in accessing attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) medication following assessment. Leaders have implemented appropriate recovery plans alongside a range of interim support for children, young people with SEND and families while they wait. However, these have not had time to embed to reduce waiting times sufficiently. These remain too long for many children and young people. Consequently, extended delays lead to unmet needs, escalating difficulties and ineffective support due to gaps in understanding of children and young people’s needs. ◼ Leaders have responded proactively to pressures within some health services and developed a range of useful support for families during waiting periods, including

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What does the area partnership need to do better?

autism hubs, welcome events and signposting services. However, communication and information-sharing about these are variable across the partnership. As a result, families are not always clear about available support, next steps or timescales while awaiting assessment or intervention. ◼ The transition from children to adult health services is not consistently effective. Differences in thresholds, eligibility criteria and transition points can result in discontinuity of care, particularly for young people supported by multiple health providers. Consequently, extended delays lead to unmet needs, escalating difficulties and ineffective support due to gaps in understanding of children and young people’s needs. ◼ Children and young people’s access to short breaks is inconsistent. Although the partnership provides a broad range of targeted opportunities and community-based support, waiting times for some provision, including overnight breaks, are too long.

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What does the area partnership need to do better?

Some families experience difficulties securing personal assistants when direct payments or personal budgets have been agreed. Consequently, some children and young people with SEND wait too long for support intended to improve their quality of life and independence, as well as meet their needs. ◼ There continue to be challenges in the sufficiency of social care placements for disabled children. As a result, a small number of children and young people with SEND are placed in unlawful unregistered children’s homes. Although leaders maintain suitable oversight and have plans to address these pressures, the current position does not ensure that these children and young people access the most appropriate provision at the earliest opportunity. ◼ There is variability in the quality of children and young people’s EHC plans. Although plans generally identify appropriate outcomes and provision and provide a useful

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What does the area partnership need to do better?

framework for coordinating support, some key elements are less consistently developed. In particular, preparation for adulthood outcomes are not always well defined, and health advice is not routinely reflected in EHC plans. As a result, some EHC plans do not fully capture children and young people’s long-term aspirations or Area SEND inspection report: Newcastle upon Tyne Local Area Partnership 13 July 2026 to 17 July 2026

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the health support needed to help them to achieve their goals. ◼ Arrangements to identify, support and monitor children and young people with SEND receiving SEN support are less consistent than those in place for children and young people with EHC plans. As a result, oversight is not always sufficiently systematic to ensure emerging needs are identified and addressed at the earliest opportunity. ◼ While many young people with SEND benefit from coordinated transition planning as they move into post-16 education, this is not the experience of all. Post-16 pathways are not sufficiently flexible for some learners, particularly when placements break down mid-year and alternative options are limited. As a result, some young people with SEND experience disruption to their education and training and are less well supported to achieve positive outcomes in further education, employment and adulthood. ◼ Leaders do not systematically evaluate the long-term impact of transition and re-

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engagement initiatives for children and young people attending post-16 provision. This limits their ability to identify trends, understand what is working well and use this information to strengthen strategic planning and improve outcomes, particularly for those at risk of not accessing education, employment or training. ◼ Oversight and evaluation of AP is not consistently strong. Although leaders undertake suitable checks on providers and have a clear understanding of the available provision, evaluation of outcomes over time is less well developed. As a result, leaders cannot yet demonstrate consistently the impact of AP on attendance, achievement, progression to qualifications or long-term outcomes for children and young people with SEND. ◼ Too many children and young people with SEND spend extended periods in AP or access limited tuition for prolonged periods. Reintegration into full-time education has

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limited success, particularly for permanently excluded children and young people with SEND. Consequently, some children and young people experience disruption to their education and are less well prepared for their future destinations and adulthood.

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Areas for improvement

The local area partnership should improve the quality and timeliness of EHC plans so that they routinely include health advice and clearly describe children and young people’s needs accurately. The local area partnership should improve the consistency and quality of transition pathways for children and young people with SEND for post-16 education and children’s to adult health services. The local area partnership should strengthen its AP offer by ensuring that: ▪ there is sufficient, flexible and high-quality AP available to meet the diverse needs of children and young people with SEND; ▪ children and young people with SEND who are permanently excluded can access timely, high-quality education and support, alongside clear and well- Area SEND inspection report: Newcastle upon Tyne Local Area Partnership 13 July 2026 to 17 July 2026

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supported pathways into appropriate educational settings where reintegration is suitable; and ▪ oversight and planning arrangements are strengthened to monitor provision, evaluate its impact and secure positive outcomes for children and young people with SEND. The local area partnership should work at pace to strengthen their plans to ensure children and young people with SEND are not waiting for significant amounts of time to receive some health services. Specific attention should be given to occupational therapy and diagnosis of neurodevelopmental needs.

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The local area partnership should also ensure that children and young people with SEND are directed to the most appropriate help and support while waiting for these services. The local area partnership should develop and enhance the range and opportunities for children, young people with SEND and their families that require access to short breaks to meet their needs. Area SEND inspection report: Newcastle upon Tyne Local Area Partnership 13 July 2026 to 17 July 2026

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Local authority Integrated care board

Newcastle upon Tyne City Council NHS North East and North Cumbria Integrated Care Board Cath McEvoy-Carr, Director of Children and Families Sam Allen, Chief Executive Officer

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Local authority Integrated care board

https://new.newcastle.gov.uk/ www.northeastnorthcumbria.nhs.uk Newcastle upon Tyne City Council Civic Centre Barras Bridge Newcastle upon Tyne NE1 8PU North East and North Cumbria Integrated Care Board Pemberton House Colima Avenue Sunderland Enterprise Park Sunderland SR5 3XB

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Information about this inspection

This inspection was carried out at the request of the Secretary of State for Education under section 20(1)(a) of the Children Act 2004.

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Information about this inspection

The inspection was led by one of His Majesty’s Inspectors (HMI) from Ofsted, with a team of inspectors, including: two HMI from education and social care; a lead Children’s Services Inspector from the CQC; and another Children’s Services Inspector from the CQC.

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Ofsted Care Quality Commission

Zoe Lightfoot, Ofsted HMI, Lead inspector Lesley Perry, CQC Lead inspector Nikki Heron, Ofsted HMI Amy Louise Butler, CQC inspector Julie Knight, Ofsted HMI Area SEND inspection report: Newcastle upon Tyne Local Area Partnership 13 July 2026 to 17 July 2026

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excellence in the care of children and young people, and in education and skills for learners of all ages. It regulates and inspects childcare and children’s social care, and inspects the Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service (Cafcass), schools, colleges, initial teacher training, further education and skills, adult and community learning, and education and training in prisons and other secure establishments. It assesses council children’s services, and inspects services for looked-after children, safeguarding and child protection.

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