Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment he has made of the impact of the covid-19 pandemic restrictions on families with children and young people who have SEND; what information he holds on the number and proportion of (a) children and young people with (i) SEND (ii) EHCPs who were not able to: (A)attend school, (B) access the internet and online learning opportunities, (C) access therapies and health treatments, D) access social care services and (b) families who have not able to access respite provision and support since the start of the pandemic; what plans he has to set out and implement a covid-19 recovery plan for disabled children and their families; and if he will make a statement.

Supporting children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) and their families is a priority for this government, and their educational, physical and mental wellbeing remains central to our cross-government response to the COVID-19 outbreak. That is why we kept schools open for vulnerable children, including those with an education, health and care plan (EHCP), during periods of national lockdown and why we continued to allow families to access respite services and other social care support throughout the COVID-19 outbreak. We have encouraged local authorities to consider flexible and pragmatic options to deliver social care support including using direct payments and carrying out activities virtually.

The department collects daily data on the attendance of pupils with EHCPs and publishes this on a weekly basis here: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/attendance-in-education-and-early-years-settings-during-the-coronavirus-covid-19-outbreak.

The latest data shows that 87% of pupils with EHCPs in state-funded schools were in attendance on 20 May.

We are clear that education settings should continue to work collaboratively with families so that pupils and students with SEND can successfully access remote education when necessary. The department has made £4.84 million available for Oak National Academy, including specialist content for pupils with SEND. Since the start of the spring term 2021, over 94 million Oak National Academy lessons have been viewed, including over 21,000 specialist lessons.

We know how important access to therapy services are for disabled children which is why we make it clear in our guidance that specialists, therapists, clinicians and other support staff for pupils and students with SEND should provide interventions as usual. The guidance can be accessed here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/guidance-for-full-opening-special-schools-and-other-specialist-settings.

We do not collect data at a national level on the number or proportion of children and young people with SEND or EHCPs who can access the internet and online learning, therapies and health treatments or social care services.

The department will continue to assess the impact of the COVID-19 outbreak and is committed to helping all pupils, including those with SEND, make up for lost learning. We have already committed £1.7 billion to education recovery and Sir Kevan Collins in his role as the Education Recovery Commissioner is further considering how schools and the system can more effectively target resources and support at pupils in greatest need. This includes prioritising the needs of those with SEND and EHCPs within our response.