Asked by: Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi (Labour - Slough)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what her expected timetable is for the (a) publication of the White Paper, (b) consultation and (c) implementation of reform on SEND provision in schools.
Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)
This government’s ambition is that every child or young person in our country deserves the best possible educational experience, one that is academically stretching, where every child or young person feels like they belong, and that sets them up for life and work.
Over the last year, my right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Education, supported by expert advisers like Tom Rees and Dame Christine Lenehan, has engaged intensely with parents, teachers, experts and children and young people on the shape of solutions. We are continuing to engage closely with children, parents and experts as we develop plans to ensure all children get the outcomes and life chances they deserve.
We will build a better system which is grounded in evidence, identifies and supports need at the earliest opportunity, and ensures families can secure support swiftly without a fight. There will always be a legal right to the additional support needed by children with special educational needs and disabilities.
Asked by: Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi (Labour - Slough)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what recent discussions has she had with SEND service providers on Government proposals on SEND reform.
Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)
This government’s ambition is that every child or young person in our country deserves the best possible educational experience, one that is academically stretching, where every child or young person feels like they belong, and that sets them up for life and work.
Over the last year, my right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Education, supported by expert advisers like Tom Rees and Dame Christine Lenehan, has engaged intensely with parents, teachers, experts and children and young people on the shape of solutions. We are continuing to engage closely with children, parents and experts as we develop plans to ensure all children get the outcomes and life chances they deserve.
We will build a better system which is grounded in evidence, identifies and supports need at the earliest opportunity, and ensures families can secure support swiftly without a fight. There will always be a legal right to the additional support needed by children with special educational needs and disabilities.
Asked by: Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi (Labour - Slough)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what recent assessment she has made of the (a) effectiveness and (b) timeliness of the delivery of EHCPs.
Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)
The department recognises that some parents have struggled to get the right support for their children, particularly through long and difficult education, health and care (EHC) plan processes. We know that even after fighting to secure a plan, support is not always necessarily guaranteed or delivered quickly enough.
The department wants to ensure that needs assessments are progressed promptly, and high-quality plans are issued quickly. This will provide children and young people with the support they need, when they need it.
Our priority is improving outcomes for children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) so that they get the chance to achieve and thrive in their education.
Details of our intended approach to strengthening the SEND system will be set out in a schools white paper, which will be followed by a public consultation.
Asked by: Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi (Labour - Slough)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what recent assessment she has made of the adequacy of the availability of mental health support within schools.
Answered by Olivia Bailey - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Education) (Equalities)
41% of schools and colleges in Slough constituency were supported by an NHS-funded Mental Health Support Team (MHST) in March 2025. Data on the coverage of MHSTs in England in 2024/25 can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/transforming-children-and-young-peoples-mental-health-provision. This has been available since 16 May 2025 at national, regional and local authority level and at constituency level since 10 July 2025.
Data on MHST coverage is collected annually, as part of the government’s commitment to expand MHSTs to every school, so every child and young person has access to early support to address problems before they escalate.
Around six in ten pupils nationally are expected to have access to an MHST by March 2026.
Asked by: Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi (Labour - Slough)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what recent mental health support her Department has provided within schools for pupils in Slough.
Answered by Olivia Bailey - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Education) (Equalities)
41% of schools and colleges in Slough constituency were supported by an NHS-funded Mental Health Support Team (MHST) in March 2025. Data on the coverage of MHSTs in England in 2024/25 can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/transforming-children-and-young-peoples-mental-health-provision. This has been available since 16 May 2025 at national, regional and local authority level and at constituency level since 10 July 2025.
Data on MHST coverage is collected annually, as part of the government’s commitment to expand MHSTs to every school, so every child and young person has access to early support to address problems before they escalate.
Around six in ten pupils nationally are expected to have access to an MHST by March 2026.
Asked by: Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi (Labour - Slough)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what information her Department holds on the number of children (a) with epilepsy and (b) without an individual healthcare plan in Slough.
Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)
The department does not collect data on pupils who have specific health issues, such as epilepsy, and only collects information where a pupil has a learning need. As such, we do not hold figures on either the number of children with epilepsy, or the proportion who do not have an education, health and care plan.
Asked by: Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi (Labour - Slough)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what recent assessment she has made of the adequacy of the levels of educational support available to autistic children in mainstream schools.
Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)
The Neurodivergence Task and Finish Group brought together experts to provide advice and recommendations to the department on how to best meet the needs of neurodivergent children and young people within mainstream education settings.
To support schools, the department is also strengthening the evidence base of what works to improve inclusive practice in mainstream settings and has commissioned evidence reviews, including one on autism, from Newcastle University and University College London. The What Works in special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) research programme is researching tools that schools can use to identify the needs of neurodivergent children.
The Partnerships for Inclusion of Neurodiversity in Schools programme provides health and education specialist support to upskill mainstream primary schools to better meet the needs of neurodivergent children, including pupils with autism. The programme is being evaluated, and the learning is informing future policy development around how schools support neurodivergent children.
Asked by: Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi (Labour - Slough)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of smartphone bans in (a) primary and (b) secondary schools on educational attainment.
Answered by Stephen Morgan - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury
Mobile phones have no place in our schools.
Schools should prohibit the use of mobile phones and other smart technology with similar functionality to mobile phones throughout the school day, including during lessons, the time between lessons, breaktimes and lunchtime, as set out in the ‘Mobile phones in schools’ guidance, published in 2024.
The department expects all schools to take steps in line with this guidance to ensure mobile phones do not disrupt pupils’ learning.
New research from the Children’s Commissioner, with responses from nearly all schools and colleges in England, shows that the overwhelming majority of schools – 99.8% of primary schools and 90% of secondary schools – already have policies in place that limit or restrict the use of mobile phones during the school day.
Asked by: Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi (Labour - Slough)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what estimate she has made of the number of vacancies for educational psychologists.
Answered by Catherine McKinnell
This government’s ambition is that all children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities or in alternative provision receive the right support to succeed in their education and as they move into adult life.
The department does not hold any specific data regarding the number of vacancies for educational psychologists.
As the employers of educational psychology services, local authorities are responsible for ensuring that their services are adequately staffed. The department is, however, taking measures to support local authorities by investing in building the pipeline.
The department is investing over £21 million to train 400 more educational psychologists from 2024. This is in addition to the £10 million currently being invested in the training of over 200 educational psychologists who began their training in September 2023. As these trainees complete their studies, they will join the workforce to support local authority educational psychology services.
To support local authority services to recruit and retain their educational psychology workforce, following graduation, trainees who have had their training funded by the department are required to remain in local authority employment for a minimum period. For trainees beginning their course in September 2024, this requirement has increased to three years.
Asked by: Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi (Labour - Slough)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the adequacy of financial support available for therapy for adoptive children.
Answered by Janet Daby
The adoption and special guardianship support fund (ASGSF) continues to offer adopted and kinship children a good standard of support, tailored to meet their individual needs. Where needed, local authorities and regional adoption agencies can use their own funding to increase the amount of therapy.
The ASGSF is an important source of support, but it is not the only support available to adoptive families. The department is funding Adoption England with £8.8 million this year to improve services, including specific projects to improve adoption support. This includes the establishment of Centres of Excellence as multidisciplinary teams across health, social care and education.
We are also making £500 million available to local authorities to roll out Family Help and Child Protection nationally to transform services and transition towards earlier intervention. This will nearly double direct investment in preventative services.