Lord Mohammed of Tinsley
Main Page: Lord Mohammed of Tinsley (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)Department Debates - View all Lord Mohammed of Tinsley's debates with the Department for Work and Pensions
Schools: Funding
Lord Mohammed of Tinsley Excerpts(1 day, 2 hours ago)
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Baroness Smith of Malvern (Lab)
No, that is not true. The noble Baroness is keen on facts and concerned about the closure of private schools, as would anybody be if a school was closing. I hope she will be somewhat reassured by knowing that, while on average 74 private schools have closed per year over the last 20 years, in this last year 59 closed.
Lord Mohammed of Tinsley (LD)
My Lords, do His Majesty’s Government have in place a monitoring system to look at the numbers of young people with special educational needs accessing private schools? I am deeply worried that when state schools cannot provide that service, parents often then fall upon the private sector.
Baroness Smith of Malvern (Lab)
If a young person has an education, health and care plan that identifies a private school for them, their parents will not be impacted by VAT on private school fees. Equally, most children with special educational needs and disabilities are educated in the state system. It is in order to improve the outcomes of our state system that this Government are committed to reforming our SEND system to make sure that all pupils will be able to access the support that they need within it.