Children with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities 2024-04-29
2024-04-29
TAGS
Response quality
Questions & Answers
Q1
Direct Answer
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Context
The MP is concerned about the increasing demand for support services in her constituency.
What steps she is taking to improve support for children with special educational needs and disabilities, noting recent increases and the need for reform due to rising demand?
We have expanded funding to a record level of £10.5 billion, up by 60% in the last five years, and are reforming the system to deal with increased demand. We are making the biggest investment in building special educational needs school places in our country's history.
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Assessment & feedback
Response accuracy
Q2
Partial Answer
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Context
Children in Lewisham are facing long wait times for autism diagnoses, exacerbated by a shortage of clinical staff.
Why has the Government failed to recognise the seriousness of the shortage of educational psychologists and what is being done to recruit more as well as tackle education, health and care plan waiting times?
Around half of new EHCPs were issued within the statutory time limit. We are training 400 more educational psychologists, a big increase.
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Assessment & feedback
Details on measures to reduce EHCP waiting times and direct recognition of the seriousness of shortage not provided.
Response accuracy
Q3
Partial Answer
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Context
A constituent with a child having severe learning difficulties faced long wait times for an EHCP and is concerned about the suitability of listed schools.
What is being done to ensure councils and other entities involved in EHCP creation are not ignoring what schools say and are listing suitable schools that can cope with the needs?
We have programmes in place to support local authorities, but the biggest thing we are doing is increasing the number of special educational needs school places. This will be a 60,000 increase—a generation's largest—in stark contrast to Labour's reduction.
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Assessment & feedback
Specific measures to improve EHCP processes and ensure suitable placements not provided.
Response accuracy
Q4
Partial Answer
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Context
Forces families face challenges in securing EHCP assessments due to frequent relocations.
How can we address the issue of forced restarts of EHCP processes when families move locations frequently?
We are always looking to improve the system and have an improvement plan in place. We will take away the hon. Gentleman's specific point about people who move around from place to place, but the most important thing is that we have increased the budget.
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Assessment & feedback
Specific measures for forces families not addressed; focus shifted to general improvements and funding increase.
Response accuracy
Q5
Partial Answer
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Context
Parents are concerned about low standards attainment and rising SEND waiting lists under the current council leadership.
Does the Secretary of State agree that families in Portsmouth deserve better than a council that is failing children?
Yes, and that is the Conservative Government.
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Assessment & feedback
No substantive details or measures provided; only a broad affirmation.
Response accuracy
Q6
Partial Answer
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Context
The MP is concerned about the risk of suicide among autistic children and high persistent absence rates in schools.
What assessment have the Government made on the percentage of children missing from school with special educational needs, and what specific measures will be taken to address their needs?
We have a special educational needs and alternative provision improvement plan. We are training more SEN co-ordinators, changing teacher training, investing in national professional qualifications, training 400 more educational psychologists, and adding speech and language therapists.
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Assessment & feedback
Specific assessment details not provided; focus on workforce improvements.
Response accuracy
Q7
Partial Answer
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Context
The question follows the publication of the Buckland review and a previous Education Committee call for bolstering careers support for children with SEN. There is an ongoing need to provide wider opportunities for young people with autism.
I welcome what Secretary State has just said about the workforce, but a week on from the publication of the Buckland review and two years after the Education Committee's call, can she update us on what Ministers and the Department are doing to work with the DWP to provide wider opportunities for young people with autism?
We are investing £80 million in a supported internship programme, which will be doubled by March 2025. The DWP is setting up a task group following the Buckland review to consider all recommendations.
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Assessment & feedback
The specific ask about wider opportunities for young people with autism was not fully addressed; only mentions of funding and general initiatives are provided without direct reference to employment support for autistic youth.
Response accuracy
Q8
Partial Answer
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Context
There has been a significant increase in complex needs funding, with specific figures and commitments from the spring Budget, including £105 million of funding for special free schools. The Conservative Government is promoting this as evidence of support for children with SEND.
With a 60% rise in complex needs funding over five years, reaching £10.5 billion in 2024-25, and the spring Budget's provision of £105 million for special free schools, does my right hon. Friend agree that it is this Conservative Government working hard for the life chances of every child?
Absolutely right; we are investing record funding and building more places than ever before in our country's history, unlike previous Oppositions which failed to support children with SEND adequately.
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Assessment & feedback
No specific new information or commitments were provided regarding the life chances of every child.
Response accuracy
Q9
Partial Answer
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Context
The MP experienced only one violent incident during her teaching career, but is now hearing from staff that such incidents are becoming more common. She references a conversation on Saturday where a teaching assistant was forced to retire due to stress.
Teaching staff increasingly report violence and stress, with some retiring due to unmet needs and special educational requirements. Given the Secretary of State's outlined provisions, will she meet me to discuss specific local concerns?
Yes; we are investing more in behaviour hubs and alternative provision schools, with 77 new ones being built, of which 51 are already open and the rest will be opening soon.
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Assessment & feedback
The specific ask for a meeting was not addressed directly. The response focused on general support measures rather than committing to a local discussion.
Response accuracy
Q10
Partial Answer
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Context
Essex has seen a delay in providing education health and care plans for children, but the county council is now recruiting additional staff. There are new special schools being built and large numbers of schools needing to be rebuilt due to RAAC issues.
With long delays in obtaining EHC plans and building new special schools, can the Secretary of State agree that rebuilding programmes could provide an opportunity for specialist hubs within mainstream schools?
We urge local authorities to consider what will best meet the needs of young people in their area as we rebuild schools affected by RAAC, with flexibility on free school places to address local need.
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Assessment & feedback
The specific ask regarding specialist hubs was not directly addressed; the answer focused more broadly on addressing local needs through rebuilding programmes.
Response accuracy
Q11
Partial Answer
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Context
Coram's 2024 childcare survey found that only 6% of local authorities are confident in having enough childcare places for disabled children. The April expansion should ensure that every eligible family with a disabled child has access to a place.
Given Coram's findings and the lack of reference to disabled children in recent statements, is the Secretary of State really confident that every eligible family with a disabled child can access childcare places?
Local authorities have a statutory duty to provide places for all children, including those with SEND. We are working with organisations like Dingley's Promise to review inclusion and encourage providers to consider offering more places.
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Assessment & feedback
The specific ask was not directly answered; the response provided general assurances without confirming if every family has access to a place.
Response accuracy