UK Schools Face New SEND Standards in Ofsted Framework

Author: Idox plc
Published: 2025/09/16
Publication Type: Announcement
Category Topic: European Disability News - Academic Publications

Page Content: Synopsis - Introduction - Main - Insights, Updates

Synopsis: This announcement from Idox highlights two key developments in UK education policy—a new Ofsted inspection framework launching in November and the Children's Commissioner's School Census recommendations—both emphasizing better support for special educational needs and disabilities (SEND). For the first time, Ofsted will grade schools on inclusion, including how they adapt curricula and interventions for over 1.7 million SEND pupils, with inadequate provision now blocking top ratings across six core areas like achievement and well-being. The Commissioner's Children's Plan pushes for a unique ID system tracking education and health needs, plus a digital platform making support plans transparent to parents, which aligns closely with Idox's EHC Hub that already streamlines assessments and collaboration for families, educators, and health providers. It's particularly helpful for parents navigating complex systems, school leaders facing inspections, and professionals in social care, offering practical insights into upcoming changes that could make a real difference for children with disabilities by fostering more accountable and integrated services - Disabled World (DW).

Introduction

Idox welcomes stronger focus on special educational needs and disability provision from Ofsted and calls for greater engagement with Children's Commissioner.

"We understand educators concerns about the pressure Ofsted can bring, but we welcome this renewed focus on SEND," said Jamie Rowell, Head of Product and Strategy (Social Care) at Idox.

Main Content

Ofsted (the Office for Standards in Education, Children's Services and Skills) will introduce a new inspection framework in November. And for the first time special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) is recognized within measures.

The Children's Plan formed from The Children's Commissioner's School Census (launched in the same week as Ofsted's announcement) makes various recommendations including a new focus on a broader range of additional needs and for every child to have details of their education and wider needs on a Unique ID platform, plus a new digital Children's Plan platform for establishing needs and setting out the support children are entitled to. The Commissioner also calls for the plan to be made visible to parents.

Idox, a UK leader in digital education, health and care (EHC) solutions since 2017, has long supported local government, health, education, and not-for-profit sectors with its suite of digital platforms. Its digital EHC Hub streamlines the EHC assessment process, enabling closer collaboration between professionals, families, and education settings.

Under the new framework, Ofsted will:

• Introduce five new performance grades for schools: Urgent improvement, Needs attention, Expected standard, Strong standard, Exceptional.
• Assess schools across six core areas: Inclusion, Curriculum and teaching, Achievement, Attendance and behavior, Personal development and well-being, Leadership and governance.

Crucially, schools will no longer be able to achieve a strong overall Ofsted rating if their SEND provision is inadequate. Inspectors will explicitly evaluate how schools adapt their curriculum, train staff, and deliver targeted interventions to meet the needs of SEND pupils.

"With more than 1.7 million pupils in England identified as having special educational needs in the 2024/25 academic year - an increase of 93,700 (5.6%) compared to 2024 - we understand educators concerns about the pressure Ofsted can bring, but we welcome this renewed focus on SEND," said Jamie Rowell, Head of Product and Strategy (Social Care) at Idox.

"While we are committed to exploring the Children's Commissioner recommendations around education, health and care plans, we call for greater engagement with technology providers in this space. Much of what is recommended, including full transparency for parents and carers, is already an integral feature of our platform."

"Parents, carers, local authority teams, schools, colleges and healthcare providers tell us that our platform streamlines processes and greatly improves collaboration."

"We will work closely with education leaders to ensure our solutions continue to drive process improvement and greater transparency in SEND provision."

Idox plc Information

Idox plc is a UK-based, AIM-listed software company employing over 650 people worldwide. The business provides a broad range of digital solutions that support, the public sector, legal and asset-intensive industries, with a strong market presence in the UK and growing international reach across Europe, North America, and Australia.

Idox's portfolio spans multiple domains, helping organizations to deliver services efficiently, meet regulatory requirements, and manage complex information assets. Its solutions include:

• Social Care & SEND.
• Funding & Information Services.
• Electoral Services - election management systems for local authorities.
• Transport Network Management - tools to plan, monitor, and optimize transport operations.
• Sexual Health Management - it's EPR platform streamlines service delivery in public health.
• Facilities Management (CAFM) - solutions to manage multi-site estates, their assets and maintenance.
• The recent acquisition of Plianz added Caspar financial management for vulnerable adults and Engage AI-enabled citizen engagement tools.
• Hospital Asset Tracking & Records Management - digital systems for healthcare estates to manage and track medical equipment and assets.
• Planning, Built-Environment, Building Control, Environmental Health & Licensing - core systems for local government regulatory and compliance functions.
• Geospatial & Address Data Solutions - GIS services, Gazetteer Management Systems (GMS), address cleansing, APIs, and mapping tools, strengthened by the acquisition of Aligned Assets.

Our specialist software solutions power government and industry, driving productivity and a better experience.

Built around the user and designed collaboratively, our hard-working solutions deliver exceptional functionality. Through automating tasks, reducing complexity and effective management of information, we help you harness the power of digital, so you can do more.

For details on Ofsted changes visit: https://www.gov.uk/government/news/ofsted-confirms-changes-to-education-inspection-and-unveils-new-look-report-cards

For details on the Children's Plan visit: https://www.childrenscommissioner.gov.uk/resource/the-childrens-plan/

Insights, Analysis, and Developments

Attribution/Source(s): This quality-reviewed publication was selected for publishing by the editors of Disabled World (DW) due to its relevance to the disability community. Originally authored by Idox plc and published on 2025/09/16, this content may have been edited for style, clarity, or brevity.