Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to ensure that the forthcoming National SEND and Alternative Provision Improvement Plan will consider the whole journey of young people with SEND through a 0 to 25 system; what assessment she has made of the different needs and challenges of schools and FE colleges in supporting young people with SEND; and what steps is she taking to ensure these differing needs and challenges are reflected in that Plan.

The Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) and Alternative Provision (AP) Green Paper, published in March 2022, set out proposals for a single national SEND and AP system, from early years to adulthood. These proposals offer children and young people the opportunity to thrive, with access to the right support, so they can fulfil their potential and lead happy, healthy and productive adult lives.

Throughout the 16-week consultation period, the department attended 175 events to listen to and engage with several thousand people, including children and young people of different ages. These conversations covered a broad range of sectors, including schools and further education colleges, to understand the challenges facing the system and to hear feedback on our proposals.

The green paper consultation closed on 22 July 2022. The department is using the feedback received, along with continued engagement with the whole system, to inform the next stage of delivering improvements for children, young people and their families.

The department is committed to publishing a full response to the green paper in an improvement plan early in 2023.