Top marks for Barnsley’s SEND support under new Ofsted framework

Barnsley’s support for children and young people with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) has been recognised in a new Ofsted and Care Quality Commission (CQC) Area SEND inspection, carried out between 2 and 6 February 2026. 

Under the new national inspection framework, which no longer gives ratings such as Good or Outstanding, local areas now receive one of three outcome statements.

Barnsley’s inspection concluded: 

“The local area partnership’s SEND arrangements typically lead to positive experiences and outcomes for children and young people with SEND. The local area partnership is taking action where improvements are needed.”

 This places Barnsley in the highest of the three possible outcomes categories, reflecting that children and young people with SEND generally have positive experiences, with clear actions underway to further strengthen support.

Inspectors found that: 

• Most children and young people have their needs identified early and accurately, across education, health and social care.

• Families benefit from strong early help, with professionals working together to ensure needs are met effectively.

• Children and young people access a wide range of responsive health services, including specialist school nursing and targeted support while waiting for autism, ADHD or mental health assessments.

• Co‑production is strong, with parents, carers, and young people actively shaping services and the local offer.

• Transitions into adulthood are well supported, with joined‑up assessments and planning.

• Clear partnership working across education, health and social care ensures personalised support for children and young people with the most complex needs.

The report notes that these strengths mean many children and young people in Barnsley experience sustained improvements in both their outcomes and day‑to‑day experiences. 

Inspectors identified two areas which require improvement: 

• The local area partnership should implement and embed their revised Alternative Provision strategy so that it secures increased high-quality education provision for children and young people with SEND. Leaders across the partnership should implement recovery plans to reduce the waiting times for children and young people with SEND to improve timeliness of health services including speech and language therapy, neurodevelopmental assessment, and diagnosis, and mental health services.

• Leaders should continue to strengthen the communication to children and young people with SEND and their families on the support available to them while they are waiting to access health services.

The partnership must now update and publish its strategic plan to address these recommendations. Due to the positive outcome of this latest inspection, the next full inspection is not expected for another five years. 

Barnsley Council and the South Yorkshire Integrated Care Board, who jointly lead the local area SEND partnership, welcomed the findings.

They have committed to continuing to work closely with families, schools, health partners and the Parent Carer Consortium to build on the improvements already under way.

Cllr William Brown, Leader of Barnsley Council, said:

“The positive findings in this report are a testament to the dedication of professionals across education, health and care who support children and young people with SEND every day.

“For families, this means needs are identified and understood more effectively, children receive the right support at the right time, and there are improved day-to-day experiences in settings that help them feel safe, included and able to achieve.

“We are determined to build on this progress, working with partners to achieve better outcomes for children and families.”

Carly Speechley, Executive Director for Children’s Services said:

“We welcome this inspection outcome and are pleased that Ofsted and the CQC have recognised the typically positive experiences and outcomes for children and young people with SEND in Barnsley. This reflects the dedication of our staff, our schools, our health partners, and—most importantly—our families and young people, who contribute so much to shaping services.

"We know there is always more to do, and we are fully committed to addressing the areas identified for improvement, especially around waiting times and strengthening specialist support. Working together as a partnership, we will continue to build on the progress already made so every child and young person with SEND in Barnsley can thrive.”

 

Christopher Edwards, Interim Chief Executive, NHS South Yorkshire ICB, added:

“This inspection confirms the strength of our joint partnership work in Barnsley and reflects our shared ambition for children and young people with SEND. We are pleased the new inspection framework recognises the positive impact of health and care services and the improvements we have already put in place.

We are determined to go further. Reducing waiting times for key health pathways and improving the consistency of support for families are top priorities, and we are investing in the changes needed to deliver this. Our partnership remains fully committed to ensuring every child and young person receives the right help at the right time.”

The report can be read in full on the Ofsted website (reports.ofsted.gov.uk) Area SEND inspection of Barnsley Local Area Partnership