Asked by: Sarah Hall (Labour (Co-op) - Warrington South)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to support parents with the adoption process.
Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
The government is funding Adoption England with £8.8 million this year to improve adoption services. Adoption England has published national standards for the adopter journey which covers all stages of the approval process from initial contact, through to assessment, approval and matching. A key feature of the standards is that prospective adopters feel welcomed and supported throughout the process. This includes opportunities to meet existing adopters and others going through the approval process. Adoption England regularly undertake mystery shopping exercises to ensure the advice and support adopters receive is consistent and high-quality across the country.
Adoption agencies agree a support plan with prospective adopters when they have been matched with children which evolves over time as the child grows and develops.
Asked by: Sarah Hall (Labour (Co-op) - Warrington South)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to help (a) reduce delays in Education, Health and Care Plan assessments and (b) ensure consistency in provision across local authorities; and whether she plans to provide additional resources to areas with high caseloads.
Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)
The department wants to ensure that education, health and care (EHC) assessments are progressed promptly and, if needed, high-quality plans are issued as quickly as possible so that children and young people can access the support they need.
The department continues to monitor, challenge and work closely with local authorities that have issues with EHC plan timeliness. Where there are concerns about a local authority’s capacity to make the required improvements, we ensure that the cause of these problems is identified with the local authority and that an effective recovery plan is implemented. Where needed, the department deploys specialist special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) advisors to help identify the barriers to carrying out the EHC plan process in a timely way and to address these through practical plans for recovery, alongside addressing other areas of weakness in provision.
Asked by: Sarah Hall (Labour (Co-op) - Warrington South)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to ensure that all new Education, Health and Care Plans are issued within the statutory 20-week timeframe.
Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)
The department wants to ensure that education, health and care (EHC) assessments are progressed promptly and, if needed, high-quality plans are issued as quickly as possible so that children and young people can access the support they need.
The department continues to monitor, challenge and work closely with local authorities that have issues with EHC plan timeliness. Where there are concerns about a local authority’s capacity to make the required improvements, we ensure that the cause of these problems is identified with the local authority and that an effective recovery plan is implemented. Where needed, the department deploys specialist special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) advisors to help identify the barriers to carrying out the EHC plan process in a timely way and to address these through practical plans for recovery, alongside addressing other areas of weakness in provision.
Asked by: Sarah Hall (Labour (Co-op) - Warrington South)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the adequacy of financial education provision in the national curriculum for preparing young people to manage personal finances.
Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)
I refer the hon. Member for Solihull West and Shirley to the answer of 9 April to Question 43513.
Asked by: Sarah Hall (Labour (Co-op) - Warrington South)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether she plans to take steps to improve the delivery of financial literacy skills in secondary schools.
Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)
I refer the hon. Member for Solihull West and Shirley to the answer of 9 April to Question 43513.
Asked by: Sarah Hall (Labour (Co-op) - Warrington South)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to consult (a) disabled children, (b) young people and (c) families on SEND reforms under development.
Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)
My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Education is engaging with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) charities, stakeholders, young people and parents and carers on a wide variety of issues, including through weekly engagement sessions via webinars, meetings and visits. She also conducts roundtables with charities and campaigners, the most recent of which was in June.
As a new Minister, I am committed to engagement with young people, families, teachers and experts in SEND. These engagements will carry on throughout the White Paper consultation period into the autumn and beyond, including consulting with disabled children, young people and families on SEND issues.
Asked by: Sarah Hall (Labour (Co-op) - Warrington South)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to improve the early (a) identification and (b) support of children with special educational needs (i) in areas with lower special educational needs resources, (ii) for children without formal diagnosis and (iii) in all areas.
Answered by Stephen Morgan - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury
The department is determined to ensure that all settings have the tools to identify special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) early, support children and young people, and prevent the escalation of needs later on. Details of the government's intended approach to SEND reform will be set out in a Schools White Paper in the autumn.
We recognise that the early years presents a crucial opportunity to invest in children’s development. We are investing in additional support and improving how funding is distributed to providers, supporting them to strengthen inclusion and early intervention.
Best Start Family Hubs will also provide high quality support in every local authority. Each hub will include access to a professional trained to support parents of children with additional needs, helping to identify SEND early and connect families with local services.
The department is also investing in evidence-based programmes, including the Nuffield Early Language Intervention and the Early Language and Speech for Every Child programme, to support children with their speech and language development. We have published free resources for providers, including an online training module and SEND assessment guidance, and we are funding the level 3 Early Years qualification for an additional 1,000 early years Special Educational Needs Co-ordinators.
Asked by: Sarah Hall (Labour (Co-op) - Warrington South)
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 the Adoption and Special Guardianship Support Fund fair access limit on the mental health of adopted children and children living with a special guardianship.
Answered by Janet Daby
I refer my hon. Friend, the Member for Warrington South to the answer of 2 May 2025 to Question 47954.
Asked by: Sarah Hall (Labour (Co-op) - Warrington South)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how much of the £740 million investment to support inclusive classrooms has been allocated to schools in Warrington South constituency; and what criteria were used to determine allocations for (a) adaptations, (b) specialist units and (c) additional special school places.
Answered by Stephen Morgan - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury
The statutory duty to provide sufficient school places for pupils with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) or who require alternative provision sits with local authorities.
The department provides local authorities with capital funding to support them to meet this duty and has published allocations for £740 million in high needs provision capital allocations for the 2025/26 financial year.
Of this £740 million, Warrington Borough Council has been allocated £3 million.
This funding can be used to adapt schools to be more accessible, to create specialist facilities within mainstream schools that can deliver more intensive support adapted to suit pupils’ needs and to create special school places for pupils with the most complex needs.
It is up to the council to determine how they prioritise this funding to address local need in the most appropriate way.
Asked by: Sarah Hall (Labour (Co-op) - Warrington South)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether any schools in Warrington South constituency are receiving support through the new attendance and behaviour hubs; and how her Department is monitoring the impact of this programme on pupil (a) attendance and (b) behaviour outcomes.
Answered by Stephen Morgan - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury
The department recently announced our Attendance and Behaviour Hubs programme and will be announcing the appointment of lead Hubs and further information about available support in the coming months. Schools in need of support will then be matched with lead hubs.
Each new Attendance and Behaviour Hub will work closely with their respective regional improvement for standards and excellence (RISE) team to help identify and deliver the appropriate support for schools with attendance and behaviour challenges. In addition, lead Hubs will also deliver termly regional events, including open days and training sessions, collectively reaching up to 4,500 schools per year.
The programme will be independently evaluated throughout its lifespan utilising process, impact and economic evaluation methodologies.