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SEND in Sandwell

Everything parents of children with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) need to know about Sandwell: the Local Offer, EHCP timeliness, tribunal stats, and all 135 schools with their SEN provision.

OFFICIAL LOCAL OFFER
Sandwell's SEND Local Offer
Services, support, education, health and social care for children and young people with SEND (birth to age 25)
Visit Local Offer →

EHCP Timeliness

DfE 2024 data (June 2025 release)
Issued within 20 weeks27.2%
National average: 46.4%
Based on 474 new EHCPs issued in 2024.
Councils must issue new EHCPs within 20 weeks of the request. Exceptions exist but many delays don't qualify.

EHCP Assessment Requests

DfE 2024 data (June 2025 release)
Requests received
940
Refused (no assessment)
86
Refusal rate9.1%
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.

SEND Tribunal

DfE 2024 data (June 2025 release)
Appeals registered
41
Appeal rate
National mean: 2.8%
1%
Appealable decisions
4,158
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.

Annual Review Decisions

DfE 2025 release (2024 calendar year) · First published this year
Review decisions within 4 weeks12.8%
National: 44.4%
Based on 1,868 review meetings held in 2024. 1,683 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.

SEN Population

Pupils across all schools in this LA
Live EHCPs maintained (2024/25)
Total EHCPs in force across the LA
4,064
EHCP pupils (rolled up from schools)
0
SEN Support (no EHCP)
0
Total pupils
62,606

SEN Provision in Sandwell

Schools with specialist support
Special schools
Dedicated SEN schools
6
With SEN units
Mainstream schools with a dedicated SEN unit
3
With resourced provision
Specialist places within mainstream schools
14
Open SEN Finder →

Primary Needs of EHCP Pupils in Sandwell

DfE 2024/25 data (June 2025 release)
Most common need in Sandwell
Speech Language & Communication, 31.3% of EHCPs
Speech Language & Communication31.3%
Autism23.1%
Social Emotional & Mental Health21.4%
Moderate Learning Difficulties15.7%
Physical Disability3.1%
Hearing Impairment1.4%
Visual Impairment1%
Severe Learning Difficulties0.4%
Profound & Multiple LD0.4%
Multi-Sensory Impairment0.4%
Specific Learning Difficulties0.2%
Other0.2%
The primary need is the main reason the EHCP was issued. Many children have co-occurring needs. ASD is the most common primary need nationally.

Schools with SEN provision in Sandwell

21 schools, special schools, SEN units, and resourced provision
Devonshire Infant Academy
Resourced
Crocketts Community Primary School
Resourced
Devonshire Junior Academy
Resourced· Good
Grace Mary Primary School
Resourced· Outstanding
Christ Church Church of England Primary School
Resourced
Tipton Green College
Special
Q3 Academy Great Barr
Resourced· Good
Hargate Primary School
Resourced· Outstanding
Great Bridge Primary School
Resourced· Good
Ocker Hill Academy
SEN UnitResourced· Good
Bristnall Hall Academy
Resourced· Outstanding
Wodensborough Ormiston Academy
Resourced· Good
The Orchard School
Special· Requires Improvement
Ferndale Primary School
Resourced· Good
St Michael's Church of England High School
Resourced· Good
The Westminster School
Special· Good
The Meadows School
SpecialSEN Unit· Requires Improvement
Galton Valley Primary School
Resourced· Good
Dudley Port School
Special
Compass Community School Victoria Park
Special
Uplands Manor Primary School and Nursery
SEN Unit· Good

Helpful resources

EHCP Guide →
What an EHCP is, how to apply, appeal process
Annual Review Tracker →
Timeline and stages of EHCP annual reviews
Choosing a SEN School →
Practical guide for SEN parents
Our SEN Methodology →
How we calculate SEN Experience Indicator
DATA SOURCES
School-level SEN data: DfE Education Health and Care plans release + GIAS. LA-level stats: DfE EES + HMCTS SENDIST. Local Offer: Sandwell Council. National benchmarks are most-recent published values. Last updated: 20 April 2026.