Commons Sense

House of Commons · Ministers' Questions

SEND Review: Further Education

Monday 23 May 2022 · 5 questions

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

Read the full transcript on Parliament.uk

At a glance

Answered 2 Partly answered 3 Not answered 0

Key points

  • The Minister is consulting on proposals for a SEND Green Paper to benefit SEND students in further education.
  • The Minister engaged with stakeholders at Suffolk New College and encourages the college to contribute to the consultation process.
  • The Minister acknowledged concerns raised by Marsha de Cordova regarding the roles and responsibilities of local authority vision impairment specialist education services in the SEND review.

Topics (select to filter)

Questions & Answers

Q1 Tom Hunt
Children & Families
Context

The question arises from a review aimed at supporting students with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) in further education.

Question

What steps he is taking through his Department's SEND review to support SEND students in further education?

Answer from Alex Burghart

We are consulting on a wide range of proposals in our SEND and alternative provision Green Paper to benefit young people with special educational needs and disabilities in further education. They include new national SEND standards delivered through new local SEND partnerships and local inclusion plans. We will also set out clear guidance for timely, effective, high-quality transition into further education, higher education, employment or adult social care for young people with SEND.

Answered
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Q2 Tom Hunt
Education Children & Families
Context

The minister visited Suffolk New College recently with the MP, who later revisited to see the inclusion team. The question addresses concerns about the focus of the SEND Green Paper being primarily on primary and secondary schools, while highlighting the importance of focusing on 16 to 18-year-olds in further education.

Question

The Minister visited Suffolk New College recently with me. I went back shortly afterwards to see the inclusion team there. I appreciate that work on the SEND Green Paper is ongoing and has a clear focus on primary and secondary schools, but will the Minister assure me that there will also be a big focus on 16 to 18 FE? The work that Suffolk New College does in preparing these individuals for the world of work is crucial. Sam, who I saw and who had very little confidence, is now leading a whole team at the Chefs' Whites restaurant there, and will be manning restaurants all over Ipswich. Will the Minister ensure that, when it comes to funding and Ofsted inspections, inclusion should be a requirement for every FE college?

Answer from Alex Burghart

I thoroughly enjoyed my trip to Suffolk New College, and seeing just how much the young people there are benefiting from their hard work. We are engaging widely with stakeholders to ensure we get our consultation right, I hope very much that Suffolk New College will bring its expertise to that process.

Partly answered

Not addressed: The specific ask regarding inclusion being a requirement for every FE college was not directly addressed.

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Q3 Marsha de Cordova Lab Battersea
Education Children & Families
Context

The MP wrote to the Minister outlining concerns about the SEND review's failure to include anything regarding the roles and responsibilities of local authority vision impairment specialist education services. According to research, more than 60% of local authorities have reported a decrease or freeze in full-time specialist VI teaching support.

Question

Children with vision impairment require high-quality specialist support to access education and learn skills. I wrote to the Minister outlining concerns about the SEND review's failure to include anything about the roles and responsibilities of local authority vision impairment specialist education services. According to research conducted by the Royal National Institute of Blind People, more than 60% of local authorities in England have reported a decrease or freeze in full-time specialist VI teaching support. We cannot have a two-tier system. Will the Minister agree to meet me to ensure that proposed local inclusion plans include protected high needs funding for local authorities to deliver specialist VI education services?

Answer from Alex Burghart

I know that the hon. Lady has a great deal of expertise in this regard. We are very keen to ensure, through the SEND review, that children and young people have the right support in the right place at the right time. I strongly encourage the hon. Lady to take part in that consultation, and the Minister responsible has agreed to meet her.

Partly answered

Not addressed: The specific ask regarding protected high needs funding was not directly addressed.

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Q4 Mark Eastwood
Education Children & Families
Context

The announcement that Kirklees has been allocated £100 million as an education investment area is welcome news for Dewsbury. The question seeks to understand what this extra funding will mean for further education students and children with special educational needs and disabilities.

Question

The announcement in the levelling up White Paper that Kirklees has been allocated £100 million of extra funds as an education investment area is welcome news for Dewsbury. Will the Minister explain what that extra funding will mean for further education students and children with special educational needs and disabilities?

Answer from Alex Burghart

It is great to hear how our education investment areas are starting to change the game in areas of great need across the country, including my hon. Friend's. This is aimed at building a stronger schools system that works to improve outcomes for all pupils, including those with SEND. Our investment will mean improved teacher retention, more pupils in stronger trusts that can offer SEND support effectively, and better connectivity so that schools can use new technology to support learning needs.

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Q5 Chris Bryant Lab Rhondda and Ogmore
Education Children & Families
Context

The question addresses the need for the government to include acquired brain injury in the SEND review. The MP highlights that young people from poorer backgrounds are four times more likely to suffer major brain injuries, often leading to neurocognitive stall and difficulty re-entering the educational system.

Question

Will the Government expressly include acquired brain injury in the SEND review? A lot of youngsters who are affected by it, particularly those from poorer backgrounds, who are four times more likely to have a major brain injury in their teenage years. Everybody gathers round for a few days after the event, but a year later they can be suffering from neurocognitive stall, have terrible fatigue and find it really difficult to get back into the educational system because the support is not there.

Answer from Alex Burghart

The hon. Gentleman has been a powerful champion in this House for that cause, and I am pleased to say that the Under-Secretary of State for Education, my hon. Friend the Member for Colchester—the city of Colchester—(Will Quince) will meet him to discuss this.

Partly answered

Not addressed: The specific ask regarding including acquired brain injury in the SEND review was not directly addressed.

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