Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to improve the early (a) identification and (b) support of children with special educational needs (i) in areas with lower special educational needs resources, (ii) for children without formal diagnosis and (iii) in all areas.

The department is determined to ensure that all settings have the tools to identify special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) early, support children and young people, and prevent the escalation of needs later on. Details of the government's intended approach to SEND reform will be set out in a Schools White Paper in the autumn.

We recognise that the early years presents a crucial opportunity to invest in children’s development. We are investing in additional support and improving how funding is distributed to providers, supporting them to strengthen inclusion and early intervention.

Best Start Family Hubs will also provide high quality support in every local authority. Each hub will include access to a professional trained to support parents of children with additional needs, helping to identify SEND early and connect families with local services.

The department is also investing in evidence-based programmes, including the Nuffield Early Language Intervention and the Early Language and Speech for Every Child programme, to support children with their speech and language development. We have published free resources for providers, including an online training module and SEND assessment guidance, and we are funding the level 3 Early Years qualification for an additional 1,000 early years Special Educational Needs Co-ordinators.