Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to ensure the proposed SEND reforms meet relevant legal obligations under (a) the Children and Families Act 2014, (b) the Equality Act 2010 and (c) Article 23 of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child.

The government’s reform proposals strengthen legal duties that will help better support children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) in mainstream settings. All children and young people will have access to an education that meets their needs, through earlier intervention, new training for all staff, better buildings and equipment, and every setting having access to expert professional support when it is needed.

We will place new duties on schools to support inclusive practice, including producing an Individual Support Plan for any child or young person receiving Targeted, Targeted Plus or Specialist support.

Alongside the SEND reform consultation, which we are now reviewing responses to, we have published both a children’s rights and equality impact assessment.