St Helens Metropolitan Borough Council received an official improvement notice in October 2026. The decision resulted from a joint inspection conducted in June 2026 by two UK regulatory bodies — Ofsted, which is responsible for education standards, and the Care Quality Commission (CQC), which monitors the quality of health and social care services. The inspection focused on assessing the support system for children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) across the council's area. Following the inspection, regulators identified deficiencies requiring remediation, and the local authority has been instructed to develop and implement an improvement plan. Such notices typically specify particular areas where progress must be made, along with timelines within which the council must report on measures taken. SEND inspections are conducted regularly to assess how effectively local authorities and health systems jointly ensure that children with special needs have access to education, healthcare, and social support. The issuance of an improvement notice indicates that the identified problems are considered sufficiently serious to warrant formal oversight by regulatory bodies. St Helens Council is expected to develop a corrective action plan and work with Ofsted and CQC to address the identified deficiencies within the specified timeframes.