Question to the Department for Education:

To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Barran on 11 March (HL2772, HL2773, HL2811), what arrangements they have in place to ensure that the 148 residential special schools mentioned in that answer have ready access to psychiatric and clinical psychology services to meet the clinical needs of their residents, especially those with complex autism.

Answered by Baroness Barran - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)

Of the 55 independent residential special schools, five are identified as requiring improvement by Ofsted. One further school met the standards since the previous answer was provided. These schools are The Forum School, Wilds Lodge School, Pioneer TEC, The Fitzroy Academy and The Grange Therapeutic School. Nine schools offer under 20 residential placements, eight schools offer 20 to 40 residential placements, and 38 schools offer residential placements for over 40. None are approved for a single child only.

When the department registers an independent school, it establishes who the proprietor will be, and runs suitability checks on the proprietor. The proprietor is ultimately responsible for the operation of the school. The proprietor is included on the register of independent schools. The department does not record the ultimate beneficial owner of the school. The registered proprietor of each of the 55 independent residential special schools is shown in the attachment provided titled ‘Table of Independent Residential Special Schools’.

Of the 26 residential maintained special schools, six are identified as requiring improvement by Ofsted. These schools are Holly House Special School, Barndale House School, Greenbank School, Kings Mill School, Lindsworth School and Lexden Springs School. One school offers under 20 residential placements, three schools offer 20 to 40 residential placements, and 23 schools offer residential placements for over 40. None are approved for a single child only.

Of the 33 residential non-maintained special schools (NMSS), three are identified as requiring improvement by Ofsted. This number has increased by one since the previous answer provided as the department has identified an additional NMSS that is listed on the register of schools as a further educational college rather than a school. These schools are St Vincent’s School, New College Worcester, and Breckenbrough School. No schools offer under 20 residential placements, one school offers 20 to 40 residential placements, and 32 schools offer residential placements for over 40. None are approved for a single child only.

Of the 34 residential special academy and free schools, four require improvement according to Ofsted. One school no longer offers residential placements since the previous answer provided. These schools are Brompton Hall School, Langham Oaks, Pencalenick School and Charlton Park Academy. No schools offer under 20 residential placements, two schools offer 20 to 40 residential placements, and 32 schools offer residential placements for over 40. None are approved for a single child only.

Historical data does not allow a comparison to be made on Residential Special Schools compared to 2010 and 2015. Data for recorded school types is available in the department’s data releases, which is included in the attached documents titled ‘Index of Tables’ and ‘Table of School Characteristics’.

Local authorities must ensure there are sufficient school places for all pupils, including those with special educational needs and disabilities. Residential provision may be the right way to meet the needs of some children and young people, but it places them at greater risk by removing them from their families and local support networks. While there will always be a small group of children who require more intensive round-the-clock care alongside their education or healthcare in a residential setting, this should be less necessary as the department better meets children’s needs in mainstream schools and non-residential special schools and provide more early and intensive support for families.

Individual schools are responsible for ensuring they can meet the needs of the children and young people they educate. All residential special schools are required to follow and are inspected against the residential special schools’ national minimum standards (NMS). These standards can be found on the GOV.UK website: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/647f53155f7bb700127fa5c9/Residential_special_schools_national_minimum_standards.pdf.

Amongst other things, the NMS set out the importance of suitably qualified and trained staff, along with a requirement for care staff to have at least a relevant Level 3 qualification. Part D, ‘Health and Wellbeing’, provides comprehensive standards to ensure staff are meeting pupils’ needs, including ensuring pupils have access to appropriate support services. Children and young people in residential special schools away from home are entitled to access local health services in the same way as all children and young people are. Some providers also offer and commission their own clinical expertise and support for children in their residential special schools. Additionally, the National Autism Trainer Programme, funded by NHS England and led by Anna Freud provides a co-produced autism Train the Trainers approach that has been offered free of charge for staff working in residential special schools and colleges to better support them to understand the needs and experiences of autistic children and young people.

Children and young people may only be placed in a special school if they have an Education, Health and Care (EHC) plan. If the placement is no longer suitable for the child or young person, the local authority responsible for the EHC plan will need to review it and consider amending it, following the statutory processes set out in the Children and Families Act 2014.

In the meantime, local authorities have a duty to arrange suitable education for any pupil of compulsory school age who, because of illness, exclusion, or other reasons, would not get a suitable education without such provision. This education must be full time, unless a pupil’s medical needs mean that full-time education would not be in their best interests.

It is up to local authorities to determine the most appropriate alternative provision for a child, but they should take into account the views of the pupil, their parents and other professionals.

The department has published statutory guidance on alternative provision, which local authorities must have regard to. The guidance is available on the GOV.UK website: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/alternative-provision.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Barran on 11 March (HL2772, HL2773, HL2811), whether the number of residential special schools in England has increased or decreased since (1) 2010, and (2) 2015; and what arrangements the Department for Education has in place to assess whether there is a shortage of such schools.

Answered by Baroness Barran - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)

Of the 55 independent residential special schools, five are identified as requiring improvement by Ofsted. One further school met the standards since the previous answer was provided. These schools are The Forum School, Wilds Lodge School, Pioneer TEC, The Fitzroy Academy and The Grange Therapeutic School. Nine schools offer under 20 residential placements, eight schools offer 20 to 40 residential placements, and 38 schools offer residential placements for over 40. None are approved for a single child only.

When the department registers an independent school, it establishes who the proprietor will be, and runs suitability checks on the proprietor. The proprietor is ultimately responsible for the operation of the school. The proprietor is included on the register of independent schools. The department does not record the ultimate beneficial owner of the school. The registered proprietor of each of the 55 independent residential special schools is shown in the attachment provided titled ‘Table of Independent Residential Special Schools’.

Of the 26 residential maintained special schools, six are identified as requiring improvement by Ofsted. These schools are Holly House Special School, Barndale House School, Greenbank School, Kings Mill School, Lindsworth School and Lexden Springs School. One school offers under 20 residential placements, three schools offer 20 to 40 residential placements, and 23 schools offer residential placements for over 40. None are approved for a single child only.

Of the 33 residential non-maintained special schools (NMSS), three are identified as requiring improvement by Ofsted. This number has increased by one since the previous answer provided as the department has identified an additional NMSS that is listed on the register of schools as a further educational college rather than a school. These schools are St Vincent’s School, New College Worcester, and Breckenbrough School. No schools offer under 20 residential placements, one school offers 20 to 40 residential placements, and 32 schools offer residential placements for over 40. None are approved for a single child only.

Of the 34 residential special academy and free schools, four require improvement according to Ofsted. One school no longer offers residential placements since the previous answer provided. These schools are Brompton Hall School, Langham Oaks, Pencalenick School and Charlton Park Academy. No schools offer under 20 residential placements, two schools offer 20 to 40 residential placements, and 32 schools offer residential placements for over 40. None are approved for a single child only.

Historical data does not allow a comparison to be made on Residential Special Schools compared to 2010 and 2015. Data for recorded school types is available in the department’s data releases, which is included in the attached documents titled ‘Index of Tables’ and ‘Table of School Characteristics’.

Local authorities must ensure there are sufficient school places for all pupils, including those with special educational needs and disabilities. Residential provision may be the right way to meet the needs of some children and young people, but it places them at greater risk by removing them from their families and local support networks. While there will always be a small group of children who require more intensive round-the-clock care alongside their education or healthcare in a residential setting, this should be less necessary as the department better meets children’s needs in mainstream schools and non-residential special schools and provide more early and intensive support for families.

Individual schools are responsible for ensuring they can meet the needs of the children and young people they educate. All residential special schools are required to follow and are inspected against the residential special schools’ national minimum standards (NMS). These standards can be found on the GOV.UK website: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/647f53155f7bb700127fa5c9/Residential_special_schools_national_minimum_standards.pdf.

Amongst other things, the NMS set out the importance of suitably qualified and trained staff, along with a requirement for care staff to have at least a relevant Level 3 qualification. Part D, ‘Health and Wellbeing’, provides comprehensive standards to ensure staff are meeting pupils’ needs, including ensuring pupils have access to appropriate support services. Children and young people in residential special schools away from home are entitled to access local health services in the same way as all children and young people are. Some providers also offer and commission their own clinical expertise and support for children in their residential special schools. Additionally, the National Autism Trainer Programme, funded by NHS England and led by Anna Freud provides a co-produced autism Train the Trainers approach that has been offered free of charge for staff working in residential special schools and colleges to better support them to understand the needs and experiences of autistic children and young people.

Children and young people may only be placed in a special school if they have an Education, Health and Care (EHC) plan. If the placement is no longer suitable for the child or young person, the local authority responsible for the EHC plan will need to review it and consider amending it, following the statutory processes set out in the Children and Families Act 2014.

In the meantime, local authorities have a duty to arrange suitable education for any pupil of compulsory school age who, because of illness, exclusion, or other reasons, would not get a suitable education without such provision. This education must be full time, unless a pupil’s medical needs mean that full-time education would not be in their best interests.

It is up to local authorities to determine the most appropriate alternative provision for a child, but they should take into account the views of the pupil, their parents and other professionals.

The department has published statutory guidance on alternative provision, which local authorities must have regard to. The guidance is available on the GOV.UK website: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/alternative-provision.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask His Majesty's Government further to the Written Answer by Baroness Barran on 11 March (HL2772, HL2773, HL2811), how many of the 148 residential schools mentioned in the answer are approved for (1) under 20 residential placements, (2) 20 to 40 such placements, and (3) over 40 such placements; and whether there are any places approved for a single child only.

Answered by Baroness Barran - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)

Of the 55 independent residential special schools, five are identified as requiring improvement by Ofsted. One further school met the standards since the previous answer was provided. These schools are The Forum School, Wilds Lodge School, Pioneer TEC, The Fitzroy Academy and The Grange Therapeutic School. Nine schools offer under 20 residential placements, eight schools offer 20 to 40 residential placements, and 38 schools offer residential placements for over 40. None are approved for a single child only.

When the department registers an independent school, it establishes who the proprietor will be, and runs suitability checks on the proprietor. The proprietor is ultimately responsible for the operation of the school. The proprietor is included on the register of independent schools. The department does not record the ultimate beneficial owner of the school. The registered proprietor of each of the 55 independent residential special schools is shown in the attachment provided titled ‘Table of Independent Residential Special Schools’.

Of the 26 residential maintained special schools, six are identified as requiring improvement by Ofsted. These schools are Holly House Special School, Barndale House School, Greenbank School, Kings Mill School, Lindsworth School and Lexden Springs School. One school offers under 20 residential placements, three schools offer 20 to 40 residential placements, and 23 schools offer residential placements for over 40. None are approved for a single child only.

Of the 33 residential non-maintained special schools (NMSS), three are identified as requiring improvement by Ofsted. This number has increased by one since the previous answer provided as the department has identified an additional NMSS that is listed on the register of schools as a further educational college rather than a school. These schools are St Vincent’s School, New College Worcester, and Breckenbrough School. No schools offer under 20 residential placements, one school offers 20 to 40 residential placements, and 32 schools offer residential placements for over 40. None are approved for a single child only.

Of the 34 residential special academy and free schools, four require improvement according to Ofsted. One school no longer offers residential placements since the previous answer provided. These schools are Brompton Hall School, Langham Oaks, Pencalenick School and Charlton Park Academy. No schools offer under 20 residential placements, two schools offer 20 to 40 residential placements, and 32 schools offer residential placements for over 40. None are approved for a single child only.

Historical data does not allow a comparison to be made on Residential Special Schools compared to 2010 and 2015. Data for recorded school types is available in the department’s data releases, which is included in the attached documents titled ‘Index of Tables’ and ‘Table of School Characteristics’.

Local authorities must ensure there are sufficient school places for all pupils, including those with special educational needs and disabilities. Residential provision may be the right way to meet the needs of some children and young people, but it places them at greater risk by removing them from their families and local support networks. While there will always be a small group of children who require more intensive round-the-clock care alongside their education or healthcare in a residential setting, this should be less necessary as the department better meets children’s needs in mainstream schools and non-residential special schools and provide more early and intensive support for families.

Individual schools are responsible for ensuring they can meet the needs of the children and young people they educate. All residential special schools are required to follow and are inspected against the residential special schools’ national minimum standards (NMS). These standards can be found on the GOV.UK website: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/647f53155f7bb700127fa5c9/Residential_special_schools_national_minimum_standards.pdf.

Amongst other things, the NMS set out the importance of suitably qualified and trained staff, along with a requirement for care staff to have at least a relevant Level 3 qualification. Part D, ‘Health and Wellbeing’, provides comprehensive standards to ensure staff are meeting pupils’ needs, including ensuring pupils have access to appropriate support services. Children and young people in residential special schools away from home are entitled to access local health services in the same way as all children and young people are. Some providers also offer and commission their own clinical expertise and support for children in their residential special schools. Additionally, the National Autism Trainer Programme, funded by NHS England and led by Anna Freud provides a co-produced autism Train the Trainers approach that has been offered free of charge for staff working in residential special schools and colleges to better support them to understand the needs and experiences of autistic children and young people.

Children and young people may only be placed in a special school if they have an Education, Health and Care (EHC) plan. If the placement is no longer suitable for the child or young person, the local authority responsible for the EHC plan will need to review it and consider amending it, following the statutory processes set out in the Children and Families Act 2014.

In the meantime, local authorities have a duty to arrange suitable education for any pupil of compulsory school age who, because of illness, exclusion, or other reasons, would not get a suitable education without such provision. This education must be full time, unless a pupil’s medical needs mean that full-time education would not be in their best interests.

It is up to local authorities to determine the most appropriate alternative provision for a child, but they should take into account the views of the pupil, their parents and other professionals.

The department has published statutory guidance on alternative provision, which local authorities must have regard to. The guidance is available on the GOV.UK website: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/alternative-provision.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Barran on 11 March (HL2772, HL2773, HL2811), how many of the 26 maintained residential special schools, the 32 non-maintained residential special schools, and the 35 academy and free residential special schools mentioned in the answer require improvement according to Ofsted; and what are the names of those schools.

Answered by Baroness Barran - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)

Of the 55 independent residential special schools, five are identified as requiring improvement by Ofsted. One further school met the standards since the previous answer was provided. These schools are The Forum School, Wilds Lodge School, Pioneer TEC, The Fitzroy Academy and The Grange Therapeutic School. Nine schools offer under 20 residential placements, eight schools offer 20 to 40 residential placements, and 38 schools offer residential placements for over 40. None are approved for a single child only.

When the department registers an independent school, it establishes who the proprietor will be, and runs suitability checks on the proprietor. The proprietor is ultimately responsible for the operation of the school. The proprietor is included on the register of independent schools. The department does not record the ultimate beneficial owner of the school. The registered proprietor of each of the 55 independent residential special schools is shown in the attachment provided titled ‘Table of Independent Residential Special Schools’.

Of the 26 residential maintained special schools, six are identified as requiring improvement by Ofsted. These schools are Holly House Special School, Barndale House School, Greenbank School, Kings Mill School, Lindsworth School and Lexden Springs School. One school offers under 20 residential placements, three schools offer 20 to 40 residential placements, and 23 schools offer residential placements for over 40. None are approved for a single child only.

Of the 33 residential non-maintained special schools (NMSS), three are identified as requiring improvement by Ofsted. This number has increased by one since the previous answer provided as the department has identified an additional NMSS that is listed on the register of schools as a further educational college rather than a school. These schools are St Vincent’s School, New College Worcester, and Breckenbrough School. No schools offer under 20 residential placements, one school offers 20 to 40 residential placements, and 32 schools offer residential placements for over 40. None are approved for a single child only.

Of the 34 residential special academy and free schools, four require improvement according to Ofsted. One school no longer offers residential placements since the previous answer provided. These schools are Brompton Hall School, Langham Oaks, Pencalenick School and Charlton Park Academy. No schools offer under 20 residential placements, two schools offer 20 to 40 residential placements, and 32 schools offer residential placements for over 40. None are approved for a single child only.

Historical data does not allow a comparison to be made on Residential Special Schools compared to 2010 and 2015. Data for recorded school types is available in the department’s data releases, which is included in the attached documents titled ‘Index of Tables’ and ‘Table of School Characteristics’.

Local authorities must ensure there are sufficient school places for all pupils, including those with special educational needs and disabilities. Residential provision may be the right way to meet the needs of some children and young people, but it places them at greater risk by removing them from their families and local support networks. While there will always be a small group of children who require more intensive round-the-clock care alongside their education or healthcare in a residential setting, this should be less necessary as the department better meets children’s needs in mainstream schools and non-residential special schools and provide more early and intensive support for families.

Individual schools are responsible for ensuring they can meet the needs of the children and young people they educate. All residential special schools are required to follow and are inspected against the residential special schools’ national minimum standards (NMS). These standards can be found on the GOV.UK website: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/647f53155f7bb700127fa5c9/Residential_special_schools_national_minimum_standards.pdf.

Amongst other things, the NMS set out the importance of suitably qualified and trained staff, along with a requirement for care staff to have at least a relevant Level 3 qualification. Part D, ‘Health and Wellbeing’, provides comprehensive standards to ensure staff are meeting pupils’ needs, including ensuring pupils have access to appropriate support services. Children and young people in residential special schools away from home are entitled to access local health services in the same way as all children and young people are. Some providers also offer and commission their own clinical expertise and support for children in their residential special schools. Additionally, the National Autism Trainer Programme, funded by NHS England and led by Anna Freud provides a co-produced autism Train the Trainers approach that has been offered free of charge for staff working in residential special schools and colleges to better support them to understand the needs and experiences of autistic children and young people.

Children and young people may only be placed in a special school if they have an Education, Health and Care (EHC) plan. If the placement is no longer suitable for the child or young person, the local authority responsible for the EHC plan will need to review it and consider amending it, following the statutory processes set out in the Children and Families Act 2014.

In the meantime, local authorities have a duty to arrange suitable education for any pupil of compulsory school age who, because of illness, exclusion, or other reasons, would not get a suitable education without such provision. This education must be full time, unless a pupil’s medical needs mean that full-time education would not be in their best interests.

It is up to local authorities to determine the most appropriate alternative provision for a child, but they should take into account the views of the pupil, their parents and other professionals.

The department has published statutory guidance on alternative provision, which local authorities must have regard to. The guidance is available on the GOV.UK website: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/alternative-provision.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Barran on 11 March (HL2772, HL2773, HL2811), what assessment they have made of the capacity of local education authorities to provide education to a child with an education, health and care plan who has been off-rolled from a residential special school and unable to find an alternative placement in another such school.

Answered by Baroness Barran - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)

Of the 55 independent residential special schools, five are identified as requiring improvement by Ofsted. One further school met the standards since the previous answer was provided. These schools are The Forum School, Wilds Lodge School, Pioneer TEC, The Fitzroy Academy and The Grange Therapeutic School. Nine schools offer under 20 residential placements, eight schools offer 20 to 40 residential placements, and 38 schools offer residential placements for over 40. None are approved for a single child only.

When the department registers an independent school, it establishes who the proprietor will be, and runs suitability checks on the proprietor. The proprietor is ultimately responsible for the operation of the school. The proprietor is included on the register of independent schools. The department does not record the ultimate beneficial owner of the school. The registered proprietor of each of the 55 independent residential special schools is shown in the attachment provided titled ‘Table of Independent Residential Special Schools’.

Of the 26 residential maintained special schools, six are identified as requiring improvement by Ofsted. These schools are Holly House Special School, Barndale House School, Greenbank School, Kings Mill School, Lindsworth School and Lexden Springs School. One school offers under 20 residential placements, three schools offer 20 to 40 residential placements, and 23 schools offer residential placements for over 40. None are approved for a single child only.

Of the 33 residential non-maintained special schools (NMSS), three are identified as requiring improvement by Ofsted. This number has increased by one since the previous answer provided as the department has identified an additional NMSS that is listed on the register of schools as a further educational college rather than a school. These schools are St Vincent’s School, New College Worcester, and Breckenbrough School. No schools offer under 20 residential placements, one school offers 20 to 40 residential placements, and 32 schools offer residential placements for over 40. None are approved for a single child only.

Of the 34 residential special academy and free schools, four require improvement according to Ofsted. One school no longer offers residential placements since the previous answer provided. These schools are Brompton Hall School, Langham Oaks, Pencalenick School and Charlton Park Academy. No schools offer under 20 residential placements, two schools offer 20 to 40 residential placements, and 32 schools offer residential placements for over 40. None are approved for a single child only.

Historical data does not allow a comparison to be made on Residential Special Schools compared to 2010 and 2015. Data for recorded school types is available in the department’s data releases, which is included in the attached documents titled ‘Index of Tables’ and ‘Table of School Characteristics’.

Local authorities must ensure there are sufficient school places for all pupils, including those with special educational needs and disabilities. Residential provision may be the right way to meet the needs of some children and young people, but it places them at greater risk by removing them from their families and local support networks. While there will always be a small group of children who require more intensive round-the-clock care alongside their education or healthcare in a residential setting, this should be less necessary as the department better meets children’s needs in mainstream schools and non-residential special schools and provide more early and intensive support for families.

Individual schools are responsible for ensuring they can meet the needs of the children and young people they educate. All residential special schools are required to follow and are inspected against the residential special schools’ national minimum standards (NMS). These standards can be found on the GOV.UK website: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/647f53155f7bb700127fa5c9/Residential_special_schools_national_minimum_standards.pdf.

Amongst other things, the NMS set out the importance of suitably qualified and trained staff, along with a requirement for care staff to have at least a relevant Level 3 qualification. Part D, ‘Health and Wellbeing’, provides comprehensive standards to ensure staff are meeting pupils’ needs, including ensuring pupils have access to appropriate support services. Children and young people in residential special schools away from home are entitled to access local health services in the same way as all children and young people are. Some providers also offer and commission their own clinical expertise and support for children in their residential special schools. Additionally, the National Autism Trainer Programme, funded by NHS England and led by Anna Freud provides a co-produced autism Train the Trainers approach that has been offered free of charge for staff working in residential special schools and colleges to better support them to understand the needs and experiences of autistic children and young people.

Children and young people may only be placed in a special school if they have an Education, Health and Care (EHC) plan. If the placement is no longer suitable for the child or young person, the local authority responsible for the EHC plan will need to review it and consider amending it, following the statutory processes set out in the Children and Families Act 2014.

In the meantime, local authorities have a duty to arrange suitable education for any pupil of compulsory school age who, because of illness, exclusion, or other reasons, would not get a suitable education without such provision. This education must be full time, unless a pupil’s medical needs mean that full-time education would not be in their best interests.

It is up to local authorities to determine the most appropriate alternative provision for a child, but they should take into account the views of the pupil, their parents and other professionals.

The department has published statutory guidance on alternative provision, which local authorities must have regard to. The guidance is available on the GOV.UK website: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/alternative-provision.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Barran on 11 March (HL2772, HL2773, HL2811), who are the owners of each of the 55 independent residential special schools mentioned in that answer; and which of those schools are identified as needing improvement by Ofsted.

Answered by Baroness Barran - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)

Of the 55 independent residential special schools, five are identified as requiring improvement by Ofsted. One further school met the standards since the previous answer was provided. These schools are The Forum School, Wilds Lodge School, Pioneer TEC, The Fitzroy Academy and The Grange Therapeutic School. Nine schools offer under 20 residential placements, eight schools offer 20 to 40 residential placements, and 38 schools offer residential placements for over 40. None are approved for a single child only.

When the department registers an independent school, it establishes who the proprietor will be, and runs suitability checks on the proprietor. The proprietor is ultimately responsible for the operation of the school. The proprietor is included on the register of independent schools. The department does not record the ultimate beneficial owner of the school. The registered proprietor of each of the 55 independent residential special schools is shown in the attachment provided titled ‘Table of Independent Residential Special Schools’.

Of the 26 residential maintained special schools, six are identified as requiring improvement by Ofsted. These schools are Holly House Special School, Barndale House School, Greenbank School, Kings Mill School, Lindsworth School and Lexden Springs School. One school offers under 20 residential placements, three schools offer 20 to 40 residential placements, and 23 schools offer residential placements for over 40. None are approved for a single child only.

Of the 33 residential non-maintained special schools (NMSS), three are identified as requiring improvement by Ofsted. This number has increased by one since the previous answer provided as the department has identified an additional NMSS that is listed on the register of schools as a further educational college rather than a school. These schools are St Vincent’s School, New College Worcester, and Breckenbrough School. No schools offer under 20 residential placements, one school offers 20 to 40 residential placements, and 32 schools offer residential placements for over 40. None are approved for a single child only.

Of the 34 residential special academy and free schools, four require improvement according to Ofsted. One school no longer offers residential placements since the previous answer provided. These schools are Brompton Hall School, Langham Oaks, Pencalenick School and Charlton Park Academy. No schools offer under 20 residential placements, two schools offer 20 to 40 residential placements, and 32 schools offer residential placements for over 40. None are approved for a single child only.

Historical data does not allow a comparison to be made on Residential Special Schools compared to 2010 and 2015. Data for recorded school types is available in the department’s data releases, which is included in the attached documents titled ‘Index of Tables’ and ‘Table of School Characteristics’.

Local authorities must ensure there are sufficient school places for all pupils, including those with special educational needs and disabilities. Residential provision may be the right way to meet the needs of some children and young people, but it places them at greater risk by removing them from their families and local support networks. While there will always be a small group of children who require more intensive round-the-clock care alongside their education or healthcare in a residential setting, this should be less necessary as the department better meets children’s needs in mainstream schools and non-residential special schools and provide more early and intensive support for families.

Individual schools are responsible for ensuring they can meet the needs of the children and young people they educate. All residential special schools are required to follow and are inspected against the residential special schools’ national minimum standards (NMS). These standards can be found on the GOV.UK website: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/647f53155f7bb700127fa5c9/Residential_special_schools_national_minimum_standards.pdf.

Amongst other things, the NMS set out the importance of suitably qualified and trained staff, along with a requirement for care staff to have at least a relevant Level 3 qualification. Part D, ‘Health and Wellbeing’, provides comprehensive standards to ensure staff are meeting pupils’ needs, including ensuring pupils have access to appropriate support services. Children and young people in residential special schools away from home are entitled to access local health services in the same way as all children and young people are. Some providers also offer and commission their own clinical expertise and support for children in their residential special schools. Additionally, the National Autism Trainer Programme, funded by NHS England and led by Anna Freud provides a co-produced autism Train the Trainers approach that has been offered free of charge for staff working in residential special schools and colleges to better support them to understand the needs and experiences of autistic children and young people.

Children and young people may only be placed in a special school if they have an Education, Health and Care (EHC) plan. If the placement is no longer suitable for the child or young person, the local authority responsible for the EHC plan will need to review it and consider amending it, following the statutory processes set out in the Children and Families Act 2014.

In the meantime, local authorities have a duty to arrange suitable education for any pupil of compulsory school age who, because of illness, exclusion, or other reasons, would not get a suitable education without such provision. This education must be full time, unless a pupil’s medical needs mean that full-time education would not be in their best interests.

It is up to local authorities to determine the most appropriate alternative provision for a child, but they should take into account the views of the pupil, their parents and other professionals.

The department has published statutory guidance on alternative provision, which local authorities must have regard to. The guidance is available on the GOV.UK website: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/alternative-provision.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government how many times since 2015 ministers have asked to forego a ministerial salary, either full or in part; and who were those ministers.

Answered by Baroness Neville-Rolfe - Minister of State (Cabinet Office)

The number of ministerial salaries available to the government at any one time is 109. This is a statutory limit governed by the Ministerial and Other Salaries Act 1975.

It is routinely the case that some ministers will be asked to serve in an unpaid capacity given the statutory limitations on the number of available salaries. A list of ministers who are currently serving in an unpaid capacity are as follows:

• Richard Holden MP, Minister of State (Minister without Portfolio) in the Cabinet Office (receives a salary from the Conservative Party)

• The Rt Hon John Glen MP, Minister of State and Paymaster General, Cabinet Office

• The Lord Johnson of Lainston CBE, Minister of State at the Department for Business and Trade.

• The Baroness Neville-Rolfe DBE CMG, Minister of State at the Cabinet Office.

• The Earl of Minto, Minister of State at the Ministry of Defence.

• The Rt Hon. the Earl Howe, Minister of State and Deputy Leader of the House of Lords.

• The Rt Hon. the Lord Benyon, Minister of State, jointly at the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office and the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs.

• The Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon, Minister of State at the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office.

• Andrew Griffith MP, Minister of State at the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology.

• The Baroness Barran MBE, Parliamentary Under Secretary of State at the Department for Education and Government Equalities Spokesperson in the Lords.

• The Lord Douglas-Miller OBE, Parliamentary Under Secretary of State at the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs.

• The Lord Markham CBE, Parliamentary Under Secretary of State at the Department of Health and Social Care.

• The Lord Bellamy KC, Parliamentary Under Secretary of State at the Ministry of Justice

• The Viscount Camrose, Parliamentary Under Secretary of State at the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology.

• The Lord Offord of Garvel CVO, Parliamentary Under Secretary of State at the Department for Business and Trade.

• The Lord Cameron of Lochiel, Parliamentary Under Secretary of State at the Scotland Office.

• The Lord Roborough, Lord in Waiting (Government Whip)

The list of all government ministers on GOV.UK is updated following each reshuffle. The current government list is on gov.uk at the following link: https://www.gov.uk/government/ministers.

It would be a significant undertaking to calculate the exact number of unpaid ministers since 2015, especially given some ministers have dual roles (where they are paid in one role but not in another) such as if they hold more than one ministerial position. We can estimate however that over the last decade, this number has been approximately 10-20 at any given time.

It is ultimately for the Prime Minister to decide how to organise the executive and which ministers are paid a salary. While the Cabinet Office provides advice to the Prime Minister on the number of salaries available, the department does not decide the allocation of salaries.

Ministers are continuing to voluntarily waive part of their salaries, foregoing any pay increase to their Ministerial salaries. This means ministers in the Commons’ salaries have not increased since 2010; and ministers in the House of Lords have received frozen salaries since 2019. Further information is published on GOV.UK at the following link: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/ministerial-salary-data.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government how many times since 2015 ministers have been asked to forego a ministerial salary; and what were the reasons for those requests.

Answered by Baroness Neville-Rolfe - Minister of State (Cabinet Office)

The number of ministerial salaries available to the government at any one time is 109. This is a statutory limit governed by the Ministerial and Other Salaries Act 1975.

It is routinely the case that some ministers will be asked to serve in an unpaid capacity given the statutory limitations on the number of available salaries. A list of ministers who are currently serving in an unpaid capacity are as follows:

• Richard Holden MP, Minister of State (Minister without Portfolio) in the Cabinet Office (receives a salary from the Conservative Party)

• The Rt Hon John Glen MP, Minister of State and Paymaster General, Cabinet Office

• The Lord Johnson of Lainston CBE, Minister of State at the Department for Business and Trade.

• The Baroness Neville-Rolfe DBE CMG, Minister of State at the Cabinet Office.

• The Earl of Minto, Minister of State at the Ministry of Defence.

• The Rt Hon. the Earl Howe, Minister of State and Deputy Leader of the House of Lords.

• The Rt Hon. the Lord Benyon, Minister of State, jointly at the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office and the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs.

• The Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon, Minister of State at the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office.

• Andrew Griffith MP, Minister of State at the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology.

• The Baroness Barran MBE, Parliamentary Under Secretary of State at the Department for Education and Government Equalities Spokesperson in the Lords.

• The Lord Douglas-Miller OBE, Parliamentary Under Secretary of State at the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs.

• The Lord Markham CBE, Parliamentary Under Secretary of State at the Department of Health and Social Care.

• The Lord Bellamy KC, Parliamentary Under Secretary of State at the Ministry of Justice

• The Viscount Camrose, Parliamentary Under Secretary of State at the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology.

• The Lord Offord of Garvel CVO, Parliamentary Under Secretary of State at the Department for Business and Trade.

• The Lord Cameron of Lochiel, Parliamentary Under Secretary of State at the Scotland Office.

• The Lord Roborough, Lord in Waiting (Government Whip)

The list of all government ministers on GOV.UK is updated following each reshuffle. The current government list is on gov.uk at the following link: https://www.gov.uk/government/ministers.

It would be a significant undertaking to calculate the exact number of unpaid ministers since 2015, especially given some ministers have dual roles (where they are paid in one role but not in another) such as if they hold more than one ministerial position. We can estimate however that over the last decade, this number has been approximately 10-20 at any given time.

It is ultimately for the Prime Minister to decide how to organise the executive and which ministers are paid a salary. While the Cabinet Office provides advice to the Prime Minister on the number of salaries available, the department does not decide the allocation of salaries.

Ministers are continuing to voluntarily waive part of their salaries, foregoing any pay increase to their Ministerial salaries. This means ministers in the Commons’ salaries have not increased since 2010; and ministers in the House of Lords have received frozen salaries since 2019. Further information is published on GOV.UK at the following link: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/ministerial-salary-data.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government how many times since 2015 a minister has foregone a ministerial salary at the request of the Cabinet Office.

Answered by Baroness Neville-Rolfe - Minister of State (Cabinet Office)

The number of ministerial salaries available to the government at any one time is 109. This is a statutory limit governed by the Ministerial and Other Salaries Act 1975.

It is routinely the case that some ministers will be asked to serve in an unpaid capacity given the statutory limitations on the number of available salaries. A list of ministers who are currently serving in an unpaid capacity are as follows:

• Richard Holden MP, Minister of State (Minister without Portfolio) in the Cabinet Office (receives a salary from the Conservative Party)

• The Rt Hon John Glen MP, Minister of State and Paymaster General, Cabinet Office

• The Lord Johnson of Lainston CBE, Minister of State at the Department for Business and Trade.

• The Baroness Neville-Rolfe DBE CMG, Minister of State at the Cabinet Office.

• The Earl of Minto, Minister of State at the Ministry of Defence.

• The Rt Hon. the Earl Howe, Minister of State and Deputy Leader of the House of Lords.

• The Rt Hon. the Lord Benyon, Minister of State, jointly at the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office and the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs.

• The Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon, Minister of State at the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office.

• Andrew Griffith MP, Minister of State at the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology.

• The Baroness Barran MBE, Parliamentary Under Secretary of State at the Department for Education and Government Equalities Spokesperson in the Lords.

• The Lord Douglas-Miller OBE, Parliamentary Under Secretary of State at the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs.

• The Lord Markham CBE, Parliamentary Under Secretary of State at the Department of Health and Social Care.

• The Lord Bellamy KC, Parliamentary Under Secretary of State at the Ministry of Justice

• The Viscount Camrose, Parliamentary Under Secretary of State at the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology.

• The Lord Offord of Garvel CVO, Parliamentary Under Secretary of State at the Department for Business and Trade.

• The Lord Cameron of Lochiel, Parliamentary Under Secretary of State at the Scotland Office.

• The Lord Roborough, Lord in Waiting (Government Whip)

The list of all government ministers on GOV.UK is updated following each reshuffle. The current government list is on gov.uk at the following link: https://www.gov.uk/government/ministers.

It would be a significant undertaking to calculate the exact number of unpaid ministers since 2015, especially given some ministers have dual roles (where they are paid in one role but not in another) such as if they hold more than one ministerial position. We can estimate however that over the last decade, this number has been approximately 10-20 at any given time.

It is ultimately for the Prime Minister to decide how to organise the executive and which ministers are paid a salary. While the Cabinet Office provides advice to the Prime Minister on the number of salaries available, the department does not decide the allocation of salaries.

Ministers are continuing to voluntarily waive part of their salaries, foregoing any pay increase to their Ministerial salaries. This means ministers in the Commons’ salaries have not increased since 2010; and ministers in the House of Lords have received frozen salaries since 2019. Further information is published on GOV.UK at the following link: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/ministerial-salary-data.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government whether there is a cap on the combined total for ministerial salaries in any financial year.

Answered by Baroness Neville-Rolfe - Minister of State (Cabinet Office)

The number of ministerial salaries available to the government at any one time is 109. This is a statutory limit governed by the Ministerial and Other Salaries Act 1975.

It is routinely the case that some ministers will be asked to serve in an unpaid capacity given the statutory limitations on the number of available salaries. A list of ministers who are currently serving in an unpaid capacity are as follows:

• Richard Holden MP, Minister of State (Minister without Portfolio) in the Cabinet Office (receives a salary from the Conservative Party)

• The Rt Hon John Glen MP, Minister of State and Paymaster General, Cabinet Office

• The Lord Johnson of Lainston CBE, Minister of State at the Department for Business and Trade.

• The Baroness Neville-Rolfe DBE CMG, Minister of State at the Cabinet Office.

• The Earl of Minto, Minister of State at the Ministry of Defence.

• The Rt Hon. the Earl Howe, Minister of State and Deputy Leader of the House of Lords.

• The Rt Hon. the Lord Benyon, Minister of State, jointly at the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office and the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs.

• The Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon, Minister of State at the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office.

• Andrew Griffith MP, Minister of State at the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology.

• The Baroness Barran MBE, Parliamentary Under Secretary of State at the Department for Education and Government Equalities Spokesperson in the Lords.

• The Lord Douglas-Miller OBE, Parliamentary Under Secretary of State at the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs.

• The Lord Markham CBE, Parliamentary Under Secretary of State at the Department of Health and Social Care.

• The Lord Bellamy KC, Parliamentary Under Secretary of State at the Ministry of Justice

• The Viscount Camrose, Parliamentary Under Secretary of State at the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology.

• The Lord Offord of Garvel CVO, Parliamentary Under Secretary of State at the Department for Business and Trade.

• The Lord Cameron of Lochiel, Parliamentary Under Secretary of State at the Scotland Office.

• The Lord Roborough, Lord in Waiting (Government Whip)

The list of all government ministers on GOV.UK is updated following each reshuffle. The current government list is on gov.uk at the following link: https://www.gov.uk/government/ministers.

It would be a significant undertaking to calculate the exact number of unpaid ministers since 2015, especially given some ministers have dual roles (where they are paid in one role but not in another) such as if they hold more than one ministerial position. We can estimate however that over the last decade, this number has been approximately 10-20 at any given time.

It is ultimately for the Prime Minister to decide how to organise the executive and which ministers are paid a salary. While the Cabinet Office provides advice to the Prime Minister on the number of salaries available, the department does not decide the allocation of salaries.

Ministers are continuing to voluntarily waive part of their salaries, foregoing any pay increase to their Ministerial salaries. This means ministers in the Commons’ salaries have not increased since 2010; and ministers in the House of Lords have received frozen salaries since 2019. Further information is published on GOV.UK at the following link: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/ministerial-salary-data.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the remarks by Baroness Barran on 17 July 2023 (HL Deb col 2044), what steps they have taken to respond formally to the United Nations Committee on the Rights of the Child's Concluding Observations, published in June 2023.

Answered by Baroness Barran - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)

Following the constructive dialogue in Geneva, the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child published their Concluding Observations on 2 June 2023. As the lead department, the Department for Education has actively coordinated follow-up activities relating to the United Nations on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC), including sharing the Concluding Observations with relevant policy teams across government departments.

The government has carefully considered all the recommendations listed in the Concluding Observations document and will continue to do so until the next reporting round.

Although the UK is a proud signatory of the UNCRC, it does not always agree with, or implement, the Committee’s recommendations and there is no prerequisite to do so.

The Committee will establish and communicate the due date of the next periodic report in due course, which the department will coordinate.