Improvement notice issued to Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole Council: April 2026

This improvement notice replaces the SEND statutory direction issued to Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole Council on 26 February 2024.

The Department for Education (DfE) recognises the progress made by the local area partnership in addressing the significant areas of weakness identified in their 2021 Ofsted and Care Quality Commission (CQC) SEND report. The council and its partners have submitted a Local Area SEND Reform Plan, which is subject to DfE review and approval.

The improvement notice provides continued oversight while DfE seeks assurance that the improvements identified in the Local Area SEND inspection published on 8 February 2026 will be sustained in the long term. This assurance will be provided through the approval of a high-quality Local Area SEND Reform Plan that demonstrates the local area’s ability to maintain and build on the progress made to date.