Ofsted and the Care Quality Commission (CQC) carried out a Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) Local Area Partnership Inspection in Surrey, from 21 September to 9 October 2026.
The inspection looked at how well education, health and care services work together to support children and young people with SEND, from birth to age 25. All areas in England are inspected regularly as part of a national programme.
What is a SEND Local Area Partnership Inspection?
In a Local Area SEND Inspection, Ofsted and the CQC look at how well the whole Local Area Partnership works together to identify, assess, and meet the needs of children and young people with SEND.
The Local Area Partnership includes:
- The Local Authority (Surrey County Council)
- The NHS Integrated Care Board (NHS Surrey and Sussex Integrated Care Board and NHS services)
- Education providers (schools, colleges, early years settings and alternative provision)
- Social care services
- Other commissioned SEND services and partners who support children and young people with SEND.
Inspectors are interested in:
- The experiences of children, young people and their families
- How well services are working, both individually and together
- Whether support is making a positive difference to life and educational outcomes for children and young people.
To build this picture, inspectors:
- Review a wide range of data and information
- Meet with a selection of children, young people and families to hear about their experiences and feedback (Inspectors determine who they will meet with, and meetings are usually online)
- Speak to professionals from across the Local Area Partnership
- Review a small number of individual cases in more detail.
The Area SEND inspection webpage contains videos and guides with more information about Local Area SEND inspections.
Share your views and experiences
As part of the inspection, Ofsted and CQC want to hear directly from young people, families, and the professionals who work with them, about their experiences of SEND support in Surrey.
During the period of the inspection, young people, parents/carers and practitioners were able to complete a short anonymous, confidential survey that was sent directly to Ofsted. This survey closed on Wednesday 30 September 2026.
What happens next
Once the inspection is finished, Ofsted and the CQC will publish a report. This report will set out:
- What the Local Area Partnership is doing well
- What it needs to improve
- Clear recommendations for the Local Area Partnership to act on.
The Local Area Partnership will use the findings from the inspection to continue improving support for children and young people with SEND.
We will share the results of the inspection with you once they are published.