Special Educational Needs: Classroom Assistants
(asked on 24th March 2026) - View Source
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what work is being done with the Secretary of State for Education to address the additional workload of teaching assistants that are providing medical attention for disabled and severely ill children in SEND schools.
The Schools White Paper, Every child achieving and thriving, and the consultation on Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) reforms have now been published, as of 23 February. The White Paper and the consultation are available, respectively, at the following two links:
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/every-child-achieving-and-thriving
These documents set out our ambitions to transform outcomes for children, young people, and their families who have been let down for far too long. The Department for Health and Social Care and NHS England have worked closely with the Department for Education on the reforms, and continued close partnership between health, social care, and education will be needed to realise the opportunity created by these crucial reforms.
The Government is currently consulting on proposed updates to the statutory guidance on supporting pupils with medical conditions at school, with further information available at the following link:
The Government will publish non-statutory guidance to clarify the roles and responsibilities of health and education in supporting pupils with medical conditions in education settings. Schools are responsible for managing their resources and budgets. They must comply with their statutory duties, including those under the Equality Act and the duty under section 100 of the Children and Families Act 2014 to make arrangements for supporting pupils with medical conditions.
Integrated care boards (ICBs) have various statutory duties under the Children and Families Act 2014 to work with local authorities, including on: identifying and notifying where a child or young person has potential SEND; joint commissioning; participating in education, health and care assessments and plans; and securing health provision. Reform proposals include the creation of New Specialist Provision Packages for children and young people with complex needs, which set out exactly what support and resources are required for specific needs. These will be developed and reviewed by an Independent Expert Panel with education and health co-chairs, and shaped through testing with parents. For children under five years old with complex needs, we will introduce a fast track for a Specialist Provision Package and Education, Health and Care Plan.
The NHS Medium Term Planning Framework for 2026/27 to 2028/29, published October 2025, included, for the first time, a clear requirement for ICBs and providers to meet their statutory SEND duties and support the Government’s SEND reform plans. The framework is available at the following link:
Each ICB is also required to have an executive lead for children and young people with SEND. ICBs will need to work alongside local authorities to develop Local SEND Reform Plans, which will set out each local area’s approach to implementing SEND reforms, tailored to local context and need. These plans will lay the foundation for long-term reform, set how partners will work together, and enable ongoing monitoring of progress, including introduction of the new Experts at Hand service.