Ofsted rating: Liverpool's children's services were rated
Inadequate at their last full inspection in
May 2023. That inspection is now 3+ years old; councils rated Inadequate typically receive monitoring visits during the improvement period, which may show different findings. Check the
Ofsted reports page for the latest monitoring visits. This rating covers children's social care, not SEND support directly, though SEND provision is scrutinised in separate Area SEND inspections.
Note: Ofsted is phasing out headline children's services ratings from April 2026. DfE 2024 data (June 2025 release)
Issued within 20 weeks97.9%
National average: 46.4%
Based on 1,285 new EHCPs issued in 2024.
Councils must issue new EHCPs within 20 weeks of the request. Exceptions exist but many delays don't qualify.
DfE 2024 data (June 2025 release)
Refusal rate35.5%
National: 25.5%
Lower is better. Refused requests can be appealed to the SEND tribunal, and ~98% of cases heard find in the parent's favour.
DfE 2024 data (June 2025 release)
Appeal rate
National mean: 2.8%
4.5%
Parent wins at hearing
National estimate (HMCTS)
~98%
Parents win the vast majority of SEND tribunal cases at hearing. If your EHCP request is refused, appealing is often worth pursuing. A high appeal rate may indicate contested decisions locally.
DfE 2025 release (2024 calendar year) · First published this year
Review decisions within 4 weeks29.1%
National: 44.4%
Based on 4,998 review meetings held in 2024. 503 expected reviews were not held.
After an annual review meeting, LAs must notify parents of the decision (amend, maintain or cease) within 4 weeks. This data was published for the first time in June 2025.
Pupils across all schools in this LA
Live EHCPs maintained (2024/25)
Total EHCPs in force across the LA
6,814
EHCP pupils (rolled up from schools)
0.0% of pupils · Nat avg: 4.8%
16
SEN Support (no EHCP)
0.1% of pupils · Nat avg: 13.6%
54
SEN Provision in Liverpool
Schools with specialist support
Special schools
Dedicated SEN schools
18
With SEN units
Mainstream schools with a dedicated SEN unit
6
With resourced provision
Specialist places within mainstream schools
14