Commons Sense

House of Commons · Ministers' Questions

SEND Provision: Kent

Monday 2 March 2026 · 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 2 Partly answered 0 Not answered 0

Key points

  • The Department has worked closely with NHS England to monitor and support Kent in making necessary SEND improvements following inspections in 2019 and 2022.
  • The Minister announced support for local authorities like Kent to address 90% of their deficits.
  • Kent will receive capital investment and the building of three new special schools is planned.

Topics (select to filter)

Questions & Answers

Q1 Rosie Duffield Ind Canterbury
NHS Children & Families
Context

NHS England inspections in 2019 and 2022 highlighted necessary improvements for SEND in Kent. Regular review meetings and expert support have been provided.

Question

What assessment has been made of the adequacy of SEND provision in Kent?

Answer from Georgia Gould

The Department has worked closely with NHS England to monitor, support and challenge Kent in making necessary SEND improvements following its area SEND inspections in 2019 and 2022. This has included regular review meetings, attendance at its SEND partnership board and commissioning the support of an expert SEND adviser.

Answered

Not addressed: null

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Q2 Rosie Duffield Ind Canterbury
Children & Families
Context

A constituency roundtable highlighted that years of underfunding and diminished support services have left schools struggling to meet the needs of vulnerable children. The Government's funding announcement is seen as insufficient.

Question

Can the Minister tell me what other steps she will take to deliver urgently needed improvements in SEND provision in my constituency, as the funding looks likely to equate to only a few thousand pounds extra per school?

Answer from Georgia Gould

My hon. Friend will know that we have recently announced support to local authorities like Kent in order to address 90% of their deficits. We are building three new special schools in Kent and putting in place £3.7 billion in capital investment, and the allocation for Kent will be coming onboard shortly. We have announced £4 billion of extra investment to wrap around schools, including for speech and language therapists as well as money directly into school budgets.

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