Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether her Department plans to review the School Standards and Framework Act 1998 to ensure that it makes appropriate provision for the accessibility requirements of disabled people.

The department currently has no plans to review the School Standards and Framework Act 1988. There are a range of measures already in place to meet the accessibility requirements of disabled people.

The Equality Act 2010 requires local authorities to prepare accessibility strategies for the schools for which they are the responsible bodies. There is a similar duty for individual schools of all types to develop accessibility plans.

We have published funding allocations and guidance for key elements of the £4 billion investment previously announced to prepare for our proposed special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) reforms. This includes support for schools, colleges, early years settings and local authorities to improve inclusive provision and better meet the needs of children and young people with SEND and is available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/send-reform-putting-children-and-young-people-first/send-reform-putting-children-and-young-people-first-html-version.

This is in addition to £3.7 billion of capital investment between 2025 and 2030 to create 60,000 specialist places. Alongside expanding access to inclusion bases, this funding can be used to improve the accessibility and inclusivity of mainstream settings for pupils with SEND.

We have also published new guidance on inclusive education estates, to support local authorities, responsible bodies and mainstream settings to identify the most affordable, high-impact adaptations in their context, based on pupils’ needs and estate opportunities, available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/inclusive-education-estates. This could include improved sensory comfort through acoustics and lighting adaptations, improving physical accessibility, or creating calm, quiet spaces for flexible use.