Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what plans he has to increase the support provided to children and young people in secondary schools that have speech, language and communication needs.

On 20 June 2019, the government issued a letter responding to the ‘Bercow: Ten Years On – 1^st Anniversary Update’ report, which was co-signed by ministers from the Department for Education, the Department of Health and Social Care and Ministry of Justice. The letter re-affirmed the government’s commitment to supporting children and young people with speech, language and communication needs (SLCN).

In 2018, the government announced new contracts worth more than £25 million to help ensure that children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND), including those relating to language and communication, receive the support they need.

On 3 May 2019, the former Secretary of State for Education (Damian Hinds), my right hon. Friend, the Member for East Hampshire, announced a call for evidence on making funding improvements to support head teachers in making provision for their pupils with SEND. The call for evidence closed on the 31 July 2019.