Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps he is taking to support service children with SEND to maintain consistent standards of education.

Supporting all Armed Forces families is of great importance to me, and I have regular engagement with Department for Education (DfE) ministers, including my hon. Friend, the Minister for Early Years Education (Olivia Bailey) with whom I have discussed SEND support for Service children. Another outcome of these discussions is that the DfE’s Best Start Family Hub (BSFH) programme includes specific reference to Armed Forces families. One of the key areas of delivery provided by the BSFH will be early intervention support for families with children (0-5 years old) with SEND and offer SEND support for children and young people up to the age of 25.

Additionally, MOD officials have worked closely with the DfE leading up to the launch of the BSFH programme, resulting in guidance for local authorities who support Armed Forces Families. The MOD have also been working with the Local Government Association, who have been commissioned to deliver the BSFH toolkits.