Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the Answer of 27 June 2018 to Question 155294 on Special Educational Needs: Inspections, if his Department will encourage Ofsted and HM Chief Inspector to include criteria more tailored to special schools in the new framework in September 2019 including (a) (i) parent and (ii) pupil satisfaction and (b) lower attendance expectations for poorly children.

The Department is committed to both equipping and incentivising all schools – including special schools - to improve the education of children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities.

Ofsted’s current school inspection handbook (https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/725837/School_inspection_handbook_section_5-170718-v2.pdf), already provides for all school inspections, including special school inspections, to take account of the views of parents, staff and pupils using Ofsted’s Parent View system (https://parentview.ofsted.gov.uk/) and online questionnaires.

The Department is aware that some children will have periods of unavoidable absence due to ill health. If Ofsted inspectors have concerns about attendance, they will raise them directly with school leaders giving an opportunity for any additional information to be provided, including circumstances of pupils with good reason to be absent from school.