We have been informed that Ofsted and the Care Quality Commission (CQC) will be carrying out a Local Area SEND inspection in Sandwell from 28 September to 2 October 2026. The inspection will look at arrangements across the local area for children and young people with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND).

A key part of the inspection is understanding the experiences of the children, young people and families who receive SEND support, alongside the practitioners and professionals who work with them. Ofsted and CQC are therefore seeking feedback from parents and carers, children and young people, school staff and practitioners across Sandwell. This feedback will form an important part of the evidence considered by inspectors.

At The Westminster School, we would encourage members of our whole school community to participate.

Parents and carers can share their experiences of the support their child receives. The survey is available to parents and carers of children and young people with SEND aged 0–25.

Children and young people are invited to tell inspectors about the support they receive and how this support helps them.

School staff and other practitioners are invited to share their experiences of providing support to children and young people with SEND, including how they work with other agencies to make sure young people receive the right support.

Complete the survey
Ofsted & CQC Local Area SEND Survey:
https://ofsted.smartsurvey.co.uk/p/AreaSend/10436550

The survey closes at 9.00am on Tuesday 22 September 2026. Participation is voluntary and respondents are not asked to provide their name.

We know that our parents, carers, young people, families and practitioners have valuable experiences of SEND services across education, health and care. We would therefore strongly encourage our Westminster community to take this opportunity to share their experiences directly with inspectors and help provide a rich picture of how SEND arrangements are working across Sandwell.