QUALITY INDICATORS FOR SNE

The quality of special education is included within wider quality assurance mechanisms rather than being a discrete issue.  All schools are subject to inspection by the responsible  government department,  Ofsted (www.ofsted.org.uk), and are also assessed by their local education authority, which has specific responsibility for raising standards of achievement in schools and, in accordance to the Code of Practice for an LEA’s relations with its schools, intervenes in its schools in inverse proportion to the school’s effectiveness (www.dfes.gov.uk/lea/annex.shtml).  The quality of education for all pupils, including, specifically, those with special educational needs, is part of the inspection framework (www.ofsted.gov.uk/publications).  Ofsted also assesses and  inspects LEA provision and services and LEAs are also scrutinised by the Audit Commission, which reports specifically on special education provision from time-to-time (www.auditcommission.gov.uk/performance), usually focusing on efficiency and value-for-money.