Special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) - Strategies, plans, policies and inspections

This is our local strategy for children and young people with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND). The strategy shows how services and the people in them are going to work together to make sure young people with SEND thrive in their communities including home, school and neighbourhood.

You can view the:

• SEND Strategy for County Durham Local Area Partnership (PDF) [1MB]
• SEND Strategy for County Durham Local Area Partnership - children and young people's version of the strategy (PDF) [1MB]

The strategy has been developed with significant contributions from children and young people with SEND, their families and key partners as part of an ongoing commitment to identify and meet the needs of this part of our Durham community.

At the heart of this plan is the principle that all children and young people, including those with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND), be given every opportunity to take control of their lives, be as independent as possible and achieve as much as they are able.

Our current strategy is now ready for review and this is one of our agreed next steps. We still feel the overall vision still reflects what we strive to achieve, this page will be updated on progress.

This guide is aimed at parents and carers of children and young people with SEND to help understand how children and young people should be supported in schools, and other educational settings, in County Durham.

The information contained is good practice for all schools and settings.

Special Educational Needs and/or Disability (SEND) in schools - A guide for parents and carers (PDF) [1MB]

In County Durham we also have a SEND toolkit aimed at staff in schools and colleges, but it also has information for health and social care providers too. This, along with other SEND documents, can be found on the information for professionals and providers section of the local offer.

In November 2022 Ofsted and the Care Quality Commission (CQC) published a new inspection framework and handbook setting out how local area partnerships would be inspected going forward.

The framework and handbook explain how inspections are carried out in areas for children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND). The goal of these inspections is to see how local groups work together to make life better for children and young people with SEND. You can view the framework and handbook at Gov.uk: Area SEND - framework and handbook.

Inspections in Durham

Durham was last inspected in June 2024. As part of the inspection process, inspectors received feedback and views from 1,500 children, young people, families and partners. Inspectors found that: 

• Working together in leadership is effective and that leaders focus on supporting children with SEND.
• Children and young people feel important, seen, included in their communities, and listened to.
• Children and young people learn useful skills that help them join in more activities.
• It is taking less time to finish new assessments because of a recovery plan.
• Most children and young people get their needs recognised and met quickly.
• Children and young people with SEND are attending school well, and this is getting better.
• Fewer children and young people with SEND are missing school, which helps them prepare for their education and jobs.
• Parents and caregivers feel that their opinions are mostly heard, and some have noticed improvements in the support, and services available.
• The way things are organised for children and young people with SEND can vary. 

The report mentioned four main things that the local partnership will work together on to further improve SEND support in County Durham:

• Across education, health, and care, trying to ensure that assessments and plans consistently high quality so that children's needs are well understood and met.
• Providing help quickly in a joined-up way, based on children and young people's needs.
• Making it easier for people to find and get help and support quickly. Offering more resources for those working in education, health, and care to make this happen.
• Building on how we monitor our partnership progress and ensure that we target support to those who need it most.

The full inspection report can be viewed and downloaded from the Ofsted website Ofsted inspection reports for Durham County Council.

Our Durham Local Area SEND Partnership Action Plan (PDF) [540KB] shows how our local partnership will work together to further improve SEND support in County Durham. 

This strategy has been produced in consideration of the significant government reforms to education, health and social care when working with and for children and young people with SEND (0-25) and their families and/or carers.

Locally, we carried out a review of the approach to communication and participation with parents and carers and to implement a Parents Charter. Through engagement, parents and carers gave their views on communication and involvement and those have been used to co-produce the Strategy and Charter.

This strategy will explain what participation is and how best to implement it in your setting or service, by giving useful tips and highlighting practical examples of good practice.

SEND Participation Strategy: Engaging and involving parents and carers (PDF) [1MB]

This strategy is being reviewed and will be published on this page when complete.

The Think Autism strategy is a local strategy for children, young people and adults on the autism spectrum. 

It provides focus and clarity on the priorities for improving services and opportunities for these people and to improve support during the transition from childhood through to adulthood.

The strategy for 2023-2026 can be viewed on our Think Autism in County Durham Strategy page.