Commons Sense

House of Commons · Ministers' Questions

SEND Education Funding

Monday 12 October 2020 · 2 questions

Summarised by AI from the official record, so it can contain mistakes.

Read the full transcript on Parliament.uk

At a glance

Answered 1 Partly answered 1 Not answered 0

Key points

  • The Government is putting an extra 730 million into funding for complex special educational needs and disabilities next year, representing a 10% increase year-on-year.
  • The Government is undertaking a major review of the special educational needs and disabilities system to improve it.
  • Stephen McPartland expressed concern that Hertfordshire County Council is not passing through sufficient funding to families in need.

Topics (select to filter)

Questions & Answers

Q1 Stephen McPartland Con
Children & Families
Context

Stephen McPartland raised concerns about the effectiveness of current SEND education funding arrangements.

Question

What recent assessment has been made of the effectiveness of funding arrangements for special educational needs and disability (SEND) education?

Answer from Vicky Ford

We are putting an extra £730 million into funding those with complex special educational needs and disabilities next year, which represents a 10% increase year-on-year in the high needs block, and that comes on top of the £780 million increase for this year, which means that the block will have grown by £1.5 billion, which is an increase of nearly a quarter. In Hertfordshire, funding for the high needs block will grow by 24% over that two-year period.

Answered
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Q2 Stephen McPartland Con
Mental Health Children & Families
Context

McPartland welcomed the increased government funding but criticised the council for not passing it on to families. He highlighted cuts to Delivering Special Provision Locally groups, overwhelmed child and mental health services, and a focus on process over support.

Question

I welcome the increased Government funding in Hertfordshire, but the county council does not pass it through to families on the frontline. It is cutting funding to our Delivering Special Provision Locally groups. Our child and mental health services are overwhelmed. It is focusing on process, instead of our children with SEND. Will the Minister undertake a review of the real accessibility of SEND services in Hertfordshire and help me hold the council to account, so that we can fix SEND in Hertfordshire?

Answer from Vicky Ford

I thank my hon. Friend for his concern for the young people of Hertfordshire and their families. The Government are undertaking a major review of the special educational needs and disabilities system. It is a major priority for the Government and we are considering improvements to make sure that the SEND system is consistent, high quality and integrated across education, health and care and, importantly, that it works with parents, carers and families to make sure that they and their children are at the heart of the system.

Partly answered

Not addressed: The Minister did not commit to a specific review or timeline for holding the council accountable, but acknowledged the importance of the SEND system being consistent and integrated.

How: Under Review

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