On paper, Ofsted have that power - but they're not ready to use it yet, and how effectively they'll use it is a big question.
The DfE has told Ofsted and the CQC to go and inspect "local areas" - LAs & NHS Clinical Commissioning Groups - on their effectiveness at meeting the new requirements of the Children & Families Act. Page 14 of the DfE document at this link gives you more.
At the moment, Ofsted & the CQC are drawing up the framework that will guide these inspections. They were planning to start inspections early next year, but they're behind schedule because they don't have the slightest Danny La Rue where to start because of prior reform commitments.
We'll all need to take a long hard look at this framework, for a couple of reasons:
- Right now, the idea is that there will be a 3-person inspection team: one from Ofsted, one from the CQC... and the third will be a member of the LA. Nice and cosy. That idea has to be shot into low-earth orbit.
- Ofsted have pockets of expertise in SEN, but nothing at central level except a very harried lead HMI with a special school background, who's been pulled out of retirement for this job.
What Ofsted do have - in spades - are legions of sub-contracted "SEN specialists" who know jack shit about the law, and even less about quality provision - but who know an awful lot about picking up juicy education consultancy contracts from LAs. You'll have encountered one of them on the boards last week. If Ofsted use people like this to inspect SEN services, then it's fucked from the get go.