SEND Provision: Uxbridge and South Ruislip

Opened the debate

Steve Tuckwell is concerned about the current SEND provision in his constituency, noting that despite multiple Governments' efforts, the system has not been effective. He highlights statistics from the 2021 census showing a population growth of 11.7% and an increase of 12.9% in the under-18 population, with approximately 10% having SEND. Tuckwell emphasises the importance of early identification of SEND and calls for tailored support that evaluates individual needs, experiences, and situations.

Government Response

It is a pleasure to serve under your chairmanship, Mr Gray. I congratulate my hon. Friend the Member for Uxbridge and South Ruislip on securing the debate. The people of Uxbridge and South Ruislip could have no better champion than him. Improving the SEND system across the country is a priority for this Government, and it was great to hear what a priority it is for him, supporting people like Kelly and Darcie. Our ambition for children and young people with SEND is for them to thrive, fulfil their potential and lead happy, healthy and productive lives. That means ensuring that they have access to the right support in the right place at the right time and intervening when a local authority is not providing that. Since publishing our SEND and alternative provision improvement plan last month, we have opened 15 new special free schools and approved a further 40, bringing the total pipeline to 92. We launched a £13-million partnership for the inclusion of neurodiversity in schools supporting up to 1,680 primary schools. Over 5,000 practitioners registered for early years SEND co-ordinator training and we announced a new initial teacher training framework with updated content on special educational needs and disabilities. We are investing an additional £21 million to train 400 more educational psychologists in the next two academic years. A further £1.5 billion of high-needs provision capital has been allocated, including £17.5 million for Hillingdon. This funding will create hundreds of new places and improve existing buildings. Local authorities can also commission new schools via the free school presumption route. In 2022, Hillingdon reported that 66% of new assessments were completed within the 20-week timeframe, above the national average but not where we want to be. We are putting in place a range of measures including multi-agency panels, single EHCP templates and strengthened mediation procedures for consistent decision-making. Part of our Safety Valve programme helps local authorities pay down deficits and reform their SEND systems with nearly £900 million allocated by March 2025. I would be delighted to meet the hon. Friend, Hillingdon Council and teams working locally on SEND.