Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what plans her Department has to ensure that children with SEND have access to a GCSE curriculum irrespective of their educational setting.

Every child in our country deserves the best possible school experience; one that is academically stretching, where every child feels like they belong, and that sets them up for life and work.

As part of the department’s Plan for Change, we are determined to fix the special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) system and restore the trust of parents. We will do this by strengthening accountability on mainstream settings to be inclusive including through Ofsted; support the mainstream workforce to increase their SEND expertise and encourage schools to set up Resourced Provision or special educational needs units to increase capacity in mainstream schools. This will enable children to receive specialist support whilst learning alongside their friends and wider community.

On 5 November, the independent Curriculum and Assessment Review published its final report which includes recommendations for a refreshed curriculum and assessment system in England. ​In the government’s response to the report, the department made a clear commitment to supporting a high-quality curriculum, including for children with SEND.