Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what recent discussions she has had with East Sussex County Council on its ability to meet pupils' EHCP needs in mainstream primary schools.

The department is providing support and challenge to East Sussex to improve delivery of its special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) services following the most recent local area SEND inspection by Ofsted and the Care Quality Commission in November 2024.

This inspection found that the local area partnership’s arrangements lead to inconsistent experiences and outcomes for children and young people with SEND. Specifically, one of the four areas for improvement was that the local area partnership should develop and embed its work with education settings on improving inclusion, so that the proportion of children and young people achieving strong outcomes increases.

East Sussex are developing a strategic plan with specific actions to address all four areas for improvement. The department and NHS England will be tracking the progress that the local area makes against this plan, including through regular engagement, and will offer support as the local area’s improvement journey continues.