Asked by: Neil Duncan-Jordan (Labour - Poole)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, when she will publish The Schools White Paper covering SEND matters.
Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)
To create a reformed special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) system that will stand the test of time, we have undertaken a national engagement campaign on SEND reform, building on extensive engagement over the past year with children, young people, parents and professionals.
The upcoming Schools White Paper will outline our proposed SEND reforms and will be followed by a formal consultation and further engagement.
Asked by: Vikki Slade (Liberal Democrat - Mid Dorset and North Poole)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will take steps to ensure that any changes to SEND provision include access to occupational therapy for children and young people with SEND in mainstream schools.
Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)
The department is working closely with the Department for Health and Social Care and NHS England to improve access to community health services, including occupational therapy for children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND).
As we look to reform the SEND system, we want to improve how services that support early identification and intervention and whole school inclusive practice are jointly commissioned and made available to schools. The local authorities and the Integrated Care Board as joint commissioners of services will continue to play an important role in this.
Asked by: Vikki Slade (Liberal Democrat - Mid Dorset and North Poole)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the adequacy of the availability of specialist occupational therapists to support children and young people with SEND in schools.
Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)
The department is working closely with the Department for Health and Social Care and NHS England to improve access to community health services, including occupational therapy for children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND).
As we look to reform the SEND system, we want to improve how services that support early identification and intervention and whole school inclusive practice are jointly commissioned and made available to schools. The local authorities and the Integrated Care Board as joint commissioners of services will continue to play an important role in this.
Asked by: Caroline Johnson (Conservative - Sleaford and North Hykeham)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the potential effect of cuts to teacher training bursaries in 26/27 on teacher recruitment in Lincolnshire.
Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)
The government committed, in our Plan for Change, to recruiting an additional 6,500 new expert teachers across secondary and special schools, and in colleges, over the course of this parliament.
We are making progress. The latest workforce data reported over 2,300 more secondary and special school teachers in 2024/25 than in 2023/24, and this year over 32,000 trainees began training, a rise of 11% on the previous year.
Initial teacher training (ITT) bursaries are offered to incentivise more applications to ITT courses. In reviewing these annually, we take account of historic recruitment, forecast economic conditions, and teacher supply need in each subject. We are continuing to offer bursaries worth up to £29,000 tax-free to encourage more talented people to train to teach key subjects such as mathematics, physics, chemistry and computing.
In addition, we offer a Targeted Retention Incentive worth up to £6,000 after tax for mathematics, physics, chemistry and computing teachers in the first five years of their careers who work in disadvantaged schools. In Lincolnshire, there are 56 schools where teachers are eligible for these payments.
Asked by: Joshua Reynolds (Liberal Democrat - Maidenhead)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will review arrangements allowing academies to act as admissions authorities, particularly for children who (a) live within a school’s designated catchment area but do not attend a primary school operated by the school’s sponsoring trust and (b) attend a trust‑run primary school outside the catchment area receiving higher priority for admission; and what steps she is taking to ensure that admissions policies do not disadvantage local children.
Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)
Admission arrangements are set and applied locally. Provided they are lawful and comply with the School Admissions Code, it is for the school’s admissions authority to decide what criteria to set, as long as they are fair, clear and objective.
Admission authorities may choose to give priority to children living within a designated catchment area or those attending named feeder schools, however, these must be clearly defined and made on reasonable grounds.
Admission authorities must consult locally before making any changes to their admission arrangements, or at least once every seven years, to ensure they continue to meet local need.
Once a school’s admission arrangements have been determined, anyone who believes they are unfair or unlawful may submit an objection to the Schools Adjudicator. Where the Adjudicator finds that a school’s admission arrangements are unfair or unlawful, they must be revised.
Asked by: Andy McDonald (Labour - Middlesbrough and Thornaby East)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what guidance her Department provides to local authorities on the SEND support that should be available to children with education, health and care plans while families are awaiting the outcome of a tribunal appeal.
Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)
The special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) Code of Practice is statutory guidance for local authorities and other organisations that work with children with SEND. It explains the duties, policies and procedures in Part 3 of the Children and Families Act 2014. The Code sets out the support that families should receive from local authorities whilst they are awaiting the outcome of their Tribunal appeal. It explains that, in such circumstances, local authorities should continue to ensure the provision that is set out in an education, health and care (EHC) plan is delivered. It also stipulates that amendments to the cessation of EHC plans are not lawful whilst an appeal is ongoing. This is to ensure continuity of support for children and young people.
Asked by: Vikki Slade (Liberal Democrat - Mid Dorset and North Poole)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will take steps to provide dedicated funding for (a) sensory-friendly adaptations and (b) other environmental adjustments in schools to support the inclusion of children and young people with SEND.
Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)
In December, the department announced at least £3 billion for high needs capital between 2026/27 and 2029/30, to support children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities or who require alternative provision. This funding is intended to create facilities within mainstream schools that can deliver more intensive support adapted to suit the pupils’ needs. It can also be used to adapt mainstream schools to be more accessible and to create special school places for pupils with the most complex needs.
The department will confirm local authority allocations later in the spring.
Asked by: Neil Hudson (Conservative - Epping Forest)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to support pupils with SEND in Epping Forest.
Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)
On 16 January, the government announced a £200 million investment over the course of this Parliament to upskill staff in every school, college and nursery, ensuring a skilled workforce for generations to come. This builds on the landmark £3 billion investment to create more specialist places and ensure more children and young people can thrive at a setting close to home.
We are also determined to deliver reform that stands the test of time and rebuilds the confidence of families, which is why we are currently engaging a wide range of people and organisations, including parents and young people, in every region of the country to inform development of our proposals and ensure that lived experience and partnership are at the heart of our solutions.
We will set out our proposals for reform in the upcoming Schools White Paper, and we will consult widely on these proposals and continue to work with a wide range of partners to refine them and deliver them.
Essex is currently undergoing a local area special educational needs and disabilities inspection by Ofsted and the Care Quality Commission, the results of which will be published in due course.
Asked by: David Davis (Conservative - Goole and Pocklington)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, by how much they plan to reduce their Department's budget to help fund the digital ID scheme.
Answered by Olivia Bailey - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Education) (Equalities)
Digital Identity policy is in development, with a dedicated team inside the Cabinet Office working to develop the proposals.
Costs in this Spending Review period will be met within the existing Spending Review settlements.
We are inviting the public to have their say in the upcoming consultation as we develop a safe, secure, and inclusive system for the UK. No final decisions will be made until after the consultation.
Asked by: Alex Brewer (Liberal Democrat - North East Hampshire)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether her Department plans to implement (a) statutory requirements on safer sleep in nursery settings, (b) a strengthened Ofsted inspection process for nurseries and (c) mandatory CCTV in nurseries.
Answered by Olivia Bailey - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Education) (Equalities)
The Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) statutory framework includes a requirement for babies to be placed down to sleep in line with the latest government safety guidance. The department plans to add in more detail to the EYFS frameworks. We have worked with safe sleep experts, including the Lullaby Trust, on proposed new wording and plan to make these changes as soon as possible.
Ofsted inspects early years providers under the Education Inspection Framework against the full range of EYFS requirements, including safeguarding, children’s welfare, leadership and management. Inspectors assess whether providers are meeting statutory requirements and taking appropriate action to keep children safe. The EYFS requires providers to have safeguarding policies that address the use of mobile phones, cameras and other electronic devices with imaging and sharing capabilities. Decisions about installing and using CCTV are for individual providers, subject to safeguarding and data protection requirements.
As part of the department’s ongoing review of safeguarding requirements, an expert advisory group will be appointed to inform guidance on the safe and effective use of digital devices and CCTV within safeguarding, including whether CCTV should be mandated and setting out best practice, technical advice and clear expectations.