Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of Armed Forces families relocating between England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland on children, with special educational needs or disabilities; and what discussions her Department has had with the devolved administrations and the Ministry of Defence on ensuring continuity of support for those children, including the recognition of Education, Health and Care Plans or their equivalents, when families move across borders.

The department consulted earlier this year on proposals for reforming the special educational needs and disability (SEND) system, including how support is given through education, health and care (EHC) plans. Working closely with the Ministry of Defence, we have sought and received extensive feedback from service families with children with SEND about the particular challenges faced by their need to relocate regularly. We will set out further proposals for reform based on the consultation responses.

Education is a devolved matter, and across the UK there are different approaches to supporting those with special educational or additional needs, including different eligibilities for accessing statutory documents such as an EHC plan. When a family moves across borders, statutory documents from the other UK nations can help inform decisions over the support for a child and we encourage this practice in the SEND Code of Practice.

I have held discussions on these issues with ministerial colleagues in Wales and Northern Ireland, and we will continue to look to improve the continuity of support for children in these circumstances.