Feedback on the Local Offer 2024-2025

We want the Cheshire East Local Offer for  SEND  to be the best it can be for children, young people, and families. Throughout 2025, we gathered feedback, comments, and suggestions to help shape and improve the Local Offer.

To learn more about how the Local Offer has been co-produced, visit our Developing our Local Offer for SEND webpage.

The  SEND Survey

The 2025 Cheshire East SENDSurvey provided valuable insights into the awareness and usability of our online Local Offer for SEND, which outlines the support available for our children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND).

Who gave feedback

Feedback was gathered from a wide range of stakeholders, including young people, parents/carers, educational settings, and Cheshire East SEND Partnership staff.

Awareness levels

• SEND Partnership staff: 88% aware
• Educational settings: 81% aware

Awareness was lower among parents/carers and significantly lower among children and young people.

• Parents/carers: 49% aware
• Children and young people: 18% aware

Usability and effectiveness

Among those who had used the website:

• 90% of educational setting respondents and 81% of SEND Partnership staff found the information they needed.
• 75% of children and young people and 59% of parents/carers found what they needed.

This shows the website works well for many users, but we need to improve visibility and accessibility, especially for children and young people.

Find more details on our SEND surveys and consultation page. 

The Annual SEND Conference

In October 2025, we hosted the Annual SEND Conference at the new  SEND Centre of Excellence at Monks Coppenhall Family Hub. This event brought together members of the SEND Partnership Board and young people.

Highlights

• Celebrate inclusive practice
• Share insights
• Explore innovative approaches to SEND support

A key highlight was the opportunity for children and young people to engage directly with the Local Offer for SEND. Many young people had never heard of the Local Offer before the event. By the end, they understood it is a vital resource that explains the support available and how to access it.

What young people told us

Through interactive sessions and creative activities, young people shared how they prefer to find information about SEND support:

• Google searches
• Social media (TikTok, Instagram, Facebook)
• School websites
• Trusted adults (parents, teachers, friends)
• Digital assistants (Siri, Alexa, Bixby)
• YouTube and ChatGPT

What works best

They want content that is easy to find, visual, and interactive. They suggested:

• Short videos
• Visual content
• Searchable platforms they already use

Young people shared their ideas on where they go to find out important information  (PDF, 415KB)

What this means 

This feedback suggests we should:

• create youth-friendly content across multiple digital platforms
• Share through school communications, and trusted adults
• use keywords young people search for so our pages rank well

Improving the Local Offer website

Young people reviewed the icons on the Local Offer homepage:

• Icons for Education, Money, and Transport were clear
• Icons for Social Care, Preparing for Adulthood, and Early Years/Childcare were harder to understand

Some icons were misinterpreted (for example, “love,” “family,” “growing up”), showing confusion about their meaning. We need clearer language, better visual design, and real-life examples to make the Local Offer easier to understand.

Young people's ideas on Local Offer Images (PDF, 1MB)

Next steps

Cheshire East SEND Partnership has responded positively to this feedback by committing to use this feedback to inform our 2025/2026 improvement plan for the Local Offer for SEND, which will include actions around:

• improving website usability, including simplifying and further improving navigation and enhancing the search function.
• updating content to ensure relevance and accuracy, especially around Education, Health and Care needs assessments and Plans, local services, and support for conditions such as ADHD and Autism.
• re-promoting the website, including through targeted outreach in schools and digital platforms to boost awareness among young people and families.

This proactive approach demonstrates a strong commitment to inclusivity, accessibility, and continuous improvement. By listening to the voices of the community and acting on their feedback, Cheshire East SEND Partnership is taking meaningful steps to ensure the Local Offer for SEND becomes a more effective and widely used resource.

---