Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps he is taking to ensure access to education for children who suffer from functional neurological disorders.

The government is committed to pupils with medical conditions, including children who suffer from functional neurological disorders, being properly supported at school so that they have full access to education.

In 2014, the government introduced a new duty on schools to support pupils with all medical conditions and has published statutory guidance on this for schools and others. The guidance can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/supporting-pupils-at-school-with-medical-conditions--3.

The guidance does not specify which medical conditions should be supported in schools. Instead, it focuses on how to meet the needs of each individual child and how their medical condition impacts on school life.

All schools are required to identify and address the special educational needs of the pupils they support, and to use their best endeavours to make sure that a child or young person gets the support they need.