Children and young people with special educational needs or disabilities (or both) often receive a number of different services. These can be provided by nurseries, schools or colleges and specialist therapists, as well as professionals in education, health and social care.
​
Under the Children and Families Act 2014, the government placed new duties on the local health, social and education services that provide for these children and young people. The Special Educational Needs Code of Practice was updated to reflect these new duties.
Dudley Special Education Needs & Disability Improvement Programme
Children and young people with special educational needs or disabilities (or both) often receive a number of different services. These can be provided by nurseries, schools or colleges and specialist therapists, as well as professionals in education, health and social care.
​
Under the Children and Families Act 2014, the government placed new duties on the local health, social and education services that provide for these children and young people. The Special Educational Needs Code of Practice was updated to reflect these new duties.
Improving the lives of children with special educational needs and disabilities in the Dudley borough.
​
In March 2019 the Dudley Area Send Strategy was launched which set out our high level aspirations for improving the SEND offer across the board. In September 2021 we launched the revised strategy Dudley Send Strategy. All different, all equal a strategy to SEND us forward.
​
​
​
​
​
Joint Area SEND Inspection
​
In July 2019 Ofsted and the Care Quality Commission published their findings of their joint area SEND (special education needs and disabilities) inspection of services and provision that they carried out in May.
​
We know that every child or young person deserves the very best, but we also recognise that we do not yet deliver this on a consistent basis in Dudley. The inspectors have found a number of areas of significant weakness. But they have also identified some areas of strong practice. However we are reassured that the inspectors have echoed our self-evaluation and understanding of areas for improvement and we fully accept their findings.
​
The inspectors determined that a Written Statement of Action (WSoA) or action plan was required. This was submitted to Ofsted in November and approved on 20 December 2019.
Joint Area SEND Revisit 31 January - 3 February 2022
Ofsted and the Care Quality Commission carried out a re-visit to Dudley between 31 January and 3 February.
​
The purpose of the re-visit was to determine whether the local area has made sufficient progress in addressing the areas of significant weakness detailed in the written statement of action (WSOA - see above) that was approved by the Department for Education in December 2019 following the borough’s joint local area SEND inspection in May 2019.
​
​
​
​
​
Vision, Road Map and Accelerated Action Plan (APP)
Following the revisit in 2022, inspectors found that the Local area had made sufficient progress in eight of the fourteen areas identified at the May 2019 inspection.
​
The Local area was required to submit an Accelerated Progress Plan (APP) for the remaining six areas. This has now been approved by the DfE, and the plan can be viewed in the SEND Key Documents section, alongside the APP approval letter.
​
​
Alongside our AAP we have developed a system-wide improvement programme . We continue to work openly, honestly and closely with parents, carers and partners to ensure good provision of services for all children and young people with SEND.
Managing the Improvement Programme
We have a well established programme office and governance arrangements to oversee and drive improvement.
​
The partnership, who are made up of made up of the council, Dudley CCG, Dudley Parent Carer Forum – , NHS, health providers, schools, colleges, employers, parents & carers and children and young people have worked together to clearly articulate what as a system Dudley is doing to improve our processes, support and ultimately bring about better outcomes for children and young people with SEND.
​
Our SEND Strategy & Road Map clearly articulates a single vision, priorities and improvement actions. It also identifies what achievements the partnership have already secured and what they need to do now and in the future.
​
We are keen to keep you updated of developments and have committed to issuing regular programme briefing mail outs.
Dudley Local Offer
Dudley's Local Offer is a one stop resource of information and services available to children and young people (aged 0-25) with Special Educational Needs and/or Disabilities (SEND), their parents, carers and families.
Dudley’s Local offer has been re-developed to make it easier for young people, with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) to access information and support services in the borough.
​
It is now part of the Dudley Community Information Directory.
​
​
Further information
SEND Strategy 2021
Programme Updates
​
