Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to provide specialist SEND services in mainstream schools.

The Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) and Alternative Provision (AP) Improvement Plan, outlines the department’s mission for more children and young people to have their needs met effectively in mainstream settings.

Through the school-led SAFE (‘Support, Attend, Fulfil, Exceed’) Taskforces programme, the department is investing over £30 million to test new ways of providing specialist support in and around mainstream schools. These taskforces, which are established in ten areas, are investing in evidence-based interventions such as therapeutic support and social skills training and have reached over 1,300 children to date.

In partnership with NHS England, the department is also funding the ‘Early Language’ and ‘Support for Every Child’ pathfinders within the £70 million Change Programme. This funding will support local areas to utilise Speech and Language Therapy Assistants in innovative ways to better support children with speech, language and communication needs in early years and primary schools

The department is also funding the training of up to 7,000 early years Special Educational Needs Coordinators (SENCOs). The training is nationally available, with prioritisation for SENCOs working in settings in more economically disadvantaged areas.

Since 2022, the Universal Services programme has supported over 70% of schools and further education colleges to access bespoke professional development, training, and research to help them meet the needs of children and young people with SEND.