Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to help improve consistency in the identification of special educational needs across genders.

Effective early identification and intervention is critical in improving the outcomes of children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND). Many settings already have mechanisms in place to identify needs early and effectively.

The department wants to build on best practice and use further research to develop and support settings with evidence-based approaches for identifying needs early, whenever those needs may emerge, from early years through to post-16, and across all genders.

Recently published evidence reviews from University College London aim to help to drive inclusive practices by highlighting the most effective tools, strategies and approaches for teachers and other relevant staff to identify and support children and young people with different types of needs. In addition, the ‘What works in SEND’ research programme, led by a team from the University of Warwick, is researching tools that settings can use to identify the needs of neurodivergent children and young people.