Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps he is taking to ensure that young people with a (a) sensory impairment or (b) physical disability can reach the same attainment as their peers in the education system.

The department is as ambitious for children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) as for every other child.

Through the SEND and AP Green Paper, published on 29 March 2022, along with the Schools White Paper, and wider reforms to health and social care, the department will create a coherent education, health, and care system. This aims to work in the interests of all children and young people with SEND in England, including those with sensory and physical impairments.

The department has launched a full and accessible 13-week consultation so that everyone can have their say. We are making sure that children and young people with SEND and their parents can respond, as well as people working in education, health, and care, and charities and other experts.