Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department has taken to consult with (a) children and (b) the families of children with SEND who are not in formal education as part of the SEND Review.

The consultation on the Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) and Alternative Provision (AP) Green Paper ran from 10 March to 22 July, during this time the department received around 6,000 responses to the online consultation and delivered 175 consultation events hearing from over 4,500 people.

The department designed specific consultation questions for children and young people, proactively engaged with seldom heard groups. Consultation events were also delivered with stakeholders such as the Council for Disabled Children’s Friendship, Learning, Achieve, Reach and Empower (FLARE) children and young people’s group and the National Network of Parent Carer Forums that amplified the voices of children, young people and their families, to ensure their views were captured in the consultation feedback.

The department continues to engage with children, young people and their families as we design and test reforms through the Change Programme. This will ensure a wide range of perspectives are considered to improve the outcomes and experiences of children and young people with SEND and in AP.