Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what guidance she has provided to schools on the requirements of the SEND and AP Improvement Plan for special educational needs coordinators.

In the Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) and Alternative Provision Improvement Plan, the department announced the introduction of a new National Professional Qualification (NPQ) for special educational needs co-ordinators (SENCos) as the mandatory qualification, replacing the National Award for Special Educational Needs Coordination (NASENCo).

The NPQ for SENCos will play a key role in achieving our ambition to improve outcomes for children and young people with SEND, by ensuring SENCos consistently receive high-quality, evidence-based training. The SEND Code of Practice also continues to set out the roles and responsibilities of SENCos.

Schools currently fund the NASENCo from their budgets. All arrangements around delivery of the new NPQ, including funding and start dates, will be communicated in due course.