Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment his Department has made of the effect on the health and wellbeing of pupils with brain injury of the change in the level of funding for mentoring those pupils.

No child or young person should be held back from reaching their potential, including those with complex special needs and disabilities such as an Acquired Brain Injury. This is why we have announced £780 million of additional high needs funding for next year (2020-21), which is an increase of 12% compared to this year, bringing the total amount for supporting those with the most complex needs to £7.2 billion. This will be the largest year-on-year increase since the high needs funding block was created in 2013.

Every local authority will see an increase in high needs funding of at least 8% per head of population aged 2 to 18. Sunderland will receive £28.4 million in high needs funding. This will provide valuable extra resources so that support is in place to make sure that no pupil or student is left behind.

When deciding on the provision to be made for a particular child or young person with a special educational need or disability (SEND), schools and local authorities must have regard to the SEND Code of Practice. The SEND Code of Practice is clear that professionals working with children and young people with SEND should involve the parents or the young person at every stage of planning and reviewing support and take account of their wishes, feelings and perspectives.

If a child or young person has an Education, Health and Care plan, the plan should set out exactly what support they should be receiving.

Every school is also required to have a policy in place to support pupils with medical conditions and this should be easily accessible for school staff and parents or carers. Governing bodies have a duty to ensure that arrangements are put in place.

The SEND system focuses on what works to meet a child’s need rather than the starting point of what condition does this child have.