'Improvement Notice' Lifted for SEND Services in Oxfordshire

On 15 April 2026, the government wrote to the leads of the Oxfordshire Local Area Partnership (LAP) to confirm that the “Improvement Notice” for SEND services in Oxfordshire had been lifted.

The Oxfordshire Local Area Partnership includes:

• Oxfordshire County Council

• Oxfordshire Education Schools and Settings

• NHS Buckinghamshire, Oxfordshire and Berkshire West Integrated Care Board (now NHS Thames Valley Integrated Care Board)

• Oxford Health NHS Foundation Trust

• Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust

• Oxfordshire Parent Carers Forum (OxPCF), the official body representing the voice of parent carers

  
  

This is a significant update for families in Oxfordshire. It means the Department for Education no longer considers SEND services across the local area partnership to require formal intervention following the notice issued in November 2023. The government has said it has seen enough progress to allow local partners to lead the next phase of improvement themselves, while continuing to monitor this closely.

This follows the government’s October 2025 Ofsted monitoring visit, which concluded that Oxfordshire had taken effective action to address the areas of weakness identified following the 2023 inspection. The lifting of the Improvement Notice marks a further step in that journey, but it does not mean the work is complete.

What’s Getting Better

In its letter, the government highlighted four specific areas in where progress is is being made:

• The Local Area Partnership (LAP) is doing a better job of listening to parent carers, children and young people when planning services.

• Partners across the LAP are working together more effectively, including improved communication and information sharing across the partnership.

• There has been improvement in the timeliness of Education, Health and Care plans (EHCPs).

• There has been "significant progress" in reducing waiting times for critical support services.

• The letter recognised the “significant commitment, determination and hard work” of those involved in driving these changes.

What Happens Next?

The government has made clear that improving SEND services must remain a priority. Next steps include:

• Oxfordshire’s LAP (like local area partnerships nationally) must develop a Local SEND Reform Plan by June 2026 to show how they will continue to improve. The plan must be informed by a government-prescribed framework.

• Once that plan is in place, the LAP will be expected to show continued progress against its improvement priorities.

• If the new plan doesn't meet the required standard, the government may support revisions and could consider further intervention measures.  

• The Department for Education will continue its formal monitoring and engagement with the LAP during this period.

What this means for families

The Department for Education has said it has seen enough progress across the LAP to lift the Improvement Notice. This is an important milestone, but we know many families may not yet feel that improvements are being reflected consistently in everyday life.

As the government’s letter highlights better listening to parent carers, children and young people, now is an important time for families to continue sharing their experiences. The LAP must continue to show that it is listening, learning and responding to feedback, and parent carer views remain a vital part of that. There are many ways to share your feedback through us, and later this year families should also look out for opportunities to comment on the SEND Strategy consultation.

The coming months and year ahead will be an important time for OxPCF as we continue working to ensure that parent carer voices have a meaningful seat at the table.

OxPCF Reflections

The government’s letter highlights better listening to parent carers, children and young people as one of the areas of progress. We believe this reflects, in part, the work that OxPCF and parent carers across Oxfordshire have been doing to ensure lived experience is heard more clearly and consistently across the local area.

OxPCF is represented on a wide range of boards, steering groups and partnership meetings across the Local Area Partnership. We also gather feedback from families in a variety of ways, including surveys, events, direct conversations and ongoing contact with parent carers. We share that feedback to help inform discussions, highlight concerns and advocate for what families are telling us, and we communicate this through our “You Said, We Did” updates in our newsletter and on our website, so families can see how feedback has been raised and where there has been a response.

At the same time, it is important to be clear about our role. As a parent carer forum, we advocate, represent, and bring parent carer voice into the room, but we do not control services or make decisions about how systems operate. Sharing feedback does not always mean immediate change, and not every issue raised can be resolved quickly or in the way families may hope. However, making sure those experiences are heard and understood remains an important part of how change can happen.

We know that many families are still facing significant challenges, and that improvements may not yet be felt consistently in everyday life. The next phase of this work will need to show not only that parent carer voices are being heard, but that this is leading to meaningful action and better experiences for children, young people and families.

If you would like to find out more about how OxPCF gathers and shares feedback from parent carers, please visit:  https://www.oxpcf.org.uk/post/what-happens-to-your-feedback

If you are interested in getting involved with OxPCF or volunteering with us, please visit: https://www.oxpcf.org.uk/volunteer