Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Clive Jones and Georgia Gould

Monday 22nd June 2026 Commons Chamber

[Clive Jones (Wokingham) (LD)]

2. What assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of planned SEND reforms on the ability of local authorities to effectively co-operate with multi-academy trusts on the delivery of local area SEND improvement plans.

[The Minister for School Standards (Georgia Gould)]

Through the national consultation and local special educational needs and disabilities reform plans, we are ensuring that multi-academy trusts play a key role in SEND reforms. New national inclusion standards will create shared expectations for all schools around inclusive education, and the SEND reforms make clear our expectations that all multi-academy trusts and schools work in partnership with local authorities to ensure the needs of every child in an area are met.

[Clive Jones]

I thank the Minister for her answer. Without clear levers, accountability cannot be guaranteed and the Department cannot ensure that SEND reforms translate into consistent, high-quality support for children and their families on the ground. Will the Minister clarify what specific and enforceable powers local authorities will have to ensure that multi-academy trusts play their full part in delivering local area SEND plans?

[Georgia Gould]

The Government will be setting national standards for all schools, including multi-academy trusts. National inclusion standards will be developed by an independent expert panel and all schools will need to ensure they are delivered. We are also introducing new inspections for multi-academy trusts that will focus on a range of levers, including the importance of inclusion in education. Through our focus on area partnerships, we are really clear that every player, whether schools, health services or local authorities, needs to work together to deliver for children.

Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Clive Jones and Georgia Gould

Monday 1st December 2025 Commons Chamber

[Georgia Gould]

In this financial year we have already put £1 billion into the high needs budget and £740 million into specialist places around the country. We are committed to helping schools to provide an inclusive service, and we will be setting out more plans in the schools White Paper.

[Clive Jones (Wokingham) (LD)]

15. What steps she is taking to provide adequate funding for special educational needs provision.

[The Minister for School Standards (Georgia Gould)]

We are committed to investing in improving the SEND system, and, as I said a moment ago, we have invested an extra £1 billion in the high needs block and £740 million in specialist places. The core schools budget for 2026-27 will total £67 billion, an increase from £65.3 million in 2025-26. That additional funding will provide an above-real-terms per-pupil increase in overall schools funding, which will take per-pupil funding to its highest ever level and help us to transform the SEND system.

[Clive Jones]

In Wokingham there are not enough SEND places for pupils, which means that they have to travel outside the borough and sometimes a long way from their homes to go to school. In 2022, Wokingham bid for two SEND schools and were given those two schools, but nothing has happened since then; the Government have still not committed any funding to the schools. Will the Minister tell me now when the funding will be released so that the council can start building them?

[Georgia Gould]

We are absolutely committed to the education of children in their local communities, and I have seen the difference that the £740 million we have put into specialist places has made: children can now be educated in resource bases linked to schools. In relation to the two schools that the hon. Gentleman mentioned, as the Under-Secretary of State for Education, my hon. Friend the Member for Whitehaven and Workington (Josh MacAlister), said earlier, we hope to provide those answers as soon as possible.

Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Clive Jones and Georgia Gould

Monday 20th October 2025 Commons Chamber

[Georgia Gould]

I look forward to working with the APPG. We agree that we need to equip young people with key knowledge and skills to adapt to a rapidly changing world, and the curriculum and assessment review will say more about the wider curriculum.

[Clive Jones (Wokingham) (LD)]

T5. According to a survey carried out by campaigners from the adoption and special guardianship support fund, just 40% of respondents believed that the previous £5,000 fair access limit was sufficient to meet their children’s needs. Following its reduction to £3,000, 71% reported a reduction in the number of therapy sessions. What will the Minister do, as a matter of urgency, to address the detrimental impacts of the changes to the ASGSF?