Asked by: Afzal Khan (Labour - Manchester Rusholme)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to require educational leaders to take steps to narrow the gap between (a) disabled and (b) nondisabled children’s holistic experience of education.
Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)
We have been clear that a more inclusive education system is needed to give children and young people opportunities they need to achieve and thrive. All schools have a duty to support children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND).
Settings are held to account for their support for pupils with SEND through Ofsted, who are focusing on inclusion in their new approach to inspection. Their renewed education inspection framework sets out expectations for how leaders should be aware of and responsive to some pupils’ increased need for help and protection, including those with SEND.
There remains a crucial role for special schools, not only in supporting children and young people with particularly complex needs, but also in building capability across the system.
Asked by: Afzal Khan (Labour - Manchester Rusholme)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether she plans to take legislative steps to guarantee the right to SEN support for children with and without Education, Health and Care Plans.
Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)
This government inherited a special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) system that has failed to meet the needs of families for far too long. This government’s ambition is that all children and young people with SEND receive the right support to succeed in their education and as they move into adult life.
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 and easily. There will always be a legal right to additional support for children and young people with SEND.
The department is continuing to engage closely with children, parents and experts as we develop plans to ensure all children and young people get the outcomes and life chances they deserve. We will be setting out further steps later this year.
Asked by: Afzal Khan (Labour - Manchester Rusholme)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to support students with special educational needs and disabilities.
Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)
By prioritising early intervention, training and inclusive support in mainstream schools, while ensuring special schools can support the most complex needs, we are expanding the capacity to deliver timely, consistent, high quality special educational needs and disabilities provision.
We are engaging with children, parents and experts on wider reforms.
Asked by: Afzal Khan (Labour - Manchester Rusholme)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to ensure that schools are not financially disincentivised from admitting students with SEND.
Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)
This government’s ambition is that all children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) receive the right support to succeed in their education and as they move into adult life. The department is providing an increase of £1 billion for high needs budgets in England in the 2025/26 financial year.
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 are engaging with experts, teachers, parents and young people on wider reforms and are keeping the funding arrangements under review to help ensure that mainstream schools are inclusive for children with SEND. It is important that we establish a fair school funding system that directs funding to where it is needed and that does not inadvertently disincentivise schools from admitting and retaining pupils with SEND.
Asked by: Afzal Khan (Labour - Manchester Rusholme)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what support is available to (a) private, (b) voluntary and (c) independent early years settings in areas of high deprivation to offer (i) healthy and (ii) nutritious meals to children regardless of parental income.
Answered by Olivia Bailey - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Education) (Equalities)
Within the early years foundation stage (EYFS) statutory framework, there is a requirement that where children are provided with meals, snacks and drinks, they must be healthy, balanced and nutritious. The EYFS framework can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/early-years-foundation-stage-framework--2.
Good nutrition in the early years is essential for children’s health and long-term development. For this reason, this year we published new EYFS guidance to support providers to understand and meet the EYFS requirement. Providers are required to have regard to the new nutrition guidance.
The guidance sets out that it is good practice for providers to develop a food and nutrition policy, to help parents and carers understand the obligation to provide healthy, balanced and nutritious food to children and encourage healthier food choices for packed lunches. It also provides information on cost-effective healthy food that can be shared with parents/carers.
As of September 2025, there is a requirement within the EYFS for providers to have ongoing discussions with parents and/or carers regarding known allergies and intolerances and to prepare food in a way to prevent choking. Providers must be clear about who is responsible for checking that the food being provided meets all the requirements for each child including food from packed lunches.
Asked by: Afzal Khan (Labour - Manchester Rusholme)
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 healthy food provision in early years settings on (a) child health and (b) educational outcomes (i) in general and (ii) for disadvantaged children.
Answered by Olivia Bailey - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Education) (Equalities)
Within the early years foundation stage (EYFS) statutory framework, there is a requirement that where children are provided with meals, snacks and drinks, they must be healthy, balanced and nutritious. The EYFS framework can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/early-years-foundation-stage-framework--2.
Good nutrition in the early years is essential for children’s health and long-term development. For this reason, this year we published new EYFS guidance to support providers to understand and meet the EYFS requirement. Providers are required to have regard to the new nutrition guidance.
The guidance sets out that it is good practice for providers to develop a food and nutrition policy, to help parents and carers understand the obligation to provide healthy, balanced and nutritious food to children and encourage healthier food choices for packed lunches. It also provides information on cost-effective healthy food that can be shared with parents/carers.
As of September 2025, there is a requirement within the EYFS for providers to have ongoing discussions with parents and/or carers regarding known allergies and intolerances and to prepare food in a way to prevent choking. Providers must be clear about who is responsible for checking that the food being provided meets all the requirements for each child including food from packed lunches.
Asked by: Afzal Khan (Labour - Manchester Rusholme)
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 children bringing packed lunches into early years settings on (a) health and (b) safety.
Answered by Olivia Bailey - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Education) (Equalities)
Within the early years foundation stage (EYFS) statutory framework, there is a requirement that where children are provided with meals, snacks and drinks, they must be healthy, balanced and nutritious. The EYFS framework can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/early-years-foundation-stage-framework--2.
Good nutrition in the early years is essential for children’s health and long-term development. For this reason, this year we published new EYFS guidance to support providers to understand and meet the EYFS requirement. Providers are required to have regard to the new nutrition guidance.
The guidance sets out that it is good practice for providers to develop a food and nutrition policy, to help parents and carers understand the obligation to provide healthy, balanced and nutritious food to children and encourage healthier food choices for packed lunches. It also provides information on cost-effective healthy food that can be shared with parents/carers.
As of September 2025, there is a requirement within the EYFS for providers to have ongoing discussions with parents and/or carers regarding known allergies and intolerances and to prepare food in a way to prevent choking. Providers must be clear about who is responsible for checking that the food being provided meets all the requirements for each child including food from packed lunches.
Asked by: Afzal Khan (Labour - Manchester Rusholme)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the potential merits of introducing a national public awareness campaign on (a) the role of early years education in child development and (b) its wider economic impact.
Answered by Olivia Bailey - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Education) (Equalities)
Ensuring every child has the best start in life is at the heart of this government’s Plan for Change. This is why we are expanding childcare and providing parents with support and information to help their child’s development.
Children attending high quality early education for at least two years gain the equivalent of a higher grade in around seven GCSEs. For parents, particularly women, improved access to childcare enables employment, boosting family income and the wider economy. The Office for Budget Responsibility projects that by 2027/28, around 60,000 parents will enter employment as a result, with an equivalent effect from 1.5 million mothers already in work increasing their hours.
The government is introducing a new Best Start in Life awareness campaign which will support improved outcomes for children and help achieve our goal of 75% of children reaching a good level of development by 2028.
This campaign provides trusted advice for parents and carers from pregnancy through to starting school, covering healthy pregnancy, infant feeding, childcare, home learning, and school preparation which can be found here: https://www.beststartinlife.gov.uk/. Communications activity will continue throughout the autumn.
Asked by: Afzal Khan (Labour - Manchester Rusholme)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the potential merits of a national public awareness campaign on (a) the role of early years education in child development and (b) its wider economic impact.
Answered by Olivia Bailey - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Education) (Equalities)
Ensuring every child has the best start in life is at the heart of this government’s Plan for Change. This is why we are expanding childcare and providing parents with support and information to help their child’s development.
Children attending high quality early education for at least two years gain the equivalent of a higher grade in around seven GCSEs. For parents, particularly women, improved access to childcare enables employment, boosting family income and the wider economy. The Office for Budget Responsibility projects that by 2027/28, around 60,000 parents will enter employment as a result, with an equivalent effect from 1.5 million mothers already in work increasing their hours.
The government is introducing a new Best Start in Life awareness campaign which will support improved outcomes for children and help achieve our goal of 75% of children reaching a good level of development by 2028.
This campaign provides trusted advice for parents and carers from pregnancy through to starting school, covering healthy pregnancy, infant feeding, childcare, home learning, and school preparation which can be found here: https://www.beststartinlife.gov.uk/. Communications activity will continue throughout the autumn.
Asked by: Afzal Khan (Labour - Manchester Rusholme)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to help support local authorities to (a) simplify and (b) standardise the process for accessing (i) SEND funding and (ii) Education, Health, and Care Plans in early years settings.
Answered by Stephen Morgan - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury
As part of our strategy to give every child the best start in life, the department is committed to make it easier for children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) to access early education and childcare by investing in the support available to them in the early years and improving the way funding is distributed to providers.
New early years inclusion funding will give providers additional resources to support inclusion and early intervention, helping to prevent needs from escalating. The department will work with local authorities to reduce bureaucracy, encourage greater consistency and ensure that support reaches the children who need it quickly.
The department works closely with local authorities where education, health and care plan timeliness is a concern, supporting them to identify challenges and put in place effective recovery plans. This includes specialist SEND adviser support where needed.
Further details of the government's intended approach to SEND reform, including for the early years, will be set out in a Schools White Paper in the autumn.