Asked by: Baroness Eaton (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the difference in economic productivity between young people with special educational needs and disabilities and those without.
Answered by Baroness Barran - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
The department does not have an overall assessment of economic activity for those with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND), and those without. We do have multiple sources of data on the activity of young people of all backgrounds.
The average median annualised earnings for learners who completed a further education course in the 2019/20 academic year and were recorded as having a learning difficulty or disability was £18,140 in the first full tax year after completion. This is slightly below the average for learners with no learning difficulty which is £20,620.
The department knows that not in education, employment or training (NEET) rates are higher for those with a disability. Recent estimates from the Office for National Statistics show that disabled 16 to 24 years olds are approximately three times more likely to be NEET compared to non-disabled 16 to 24 year olds in the UK.
The department acknowledges that this is not good enough, which is why on 2 March 2023 we published the SEND and Alternative Provision (AP) Improvement plan in response to the green paper published in March 2022. This outlines the government’s mission for the SEND and AP system to fulfil children’s potential, build parental trust and provide financial sustainability. This can be accessed here: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/1139561/SEND_and_alternative_provision_improvement_plan.pdf.
Asked by: Baroness Eaton (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to reduce the perceived stigma of special educational needs and disabilities.
Answered by Baroness Barran - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
The Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) and Alternative Provision (AP) Improvement Plan, published on 2 March 2023, sets out a plan to establish a new national SEND and AP system with the mission to fulfil children’s potential, build parents’ trust, and provide financial sustainability.
The department’s vision is to create a more inclusive society that celebrates and enables success in all forms, with the cultures, attitudes, and environments to offer every child and young person the support that they need to participate fully, thrive, and fulfil their potential.
The Improvement Plan sets out the department’s reforms to ensure the process for identifying needs and accessing support is early, dignified, affirmative, and focuses on a child or young person’s achievements, talents, and strengths.
Asked by: Baroness Eaton (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the cost to families of appealing a local council decision not to grant an education, health and care plan to a young person.
Answered by Baroness Barran - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
It is free for families to appeal to the Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) Tribunal when seeking a special school place or a local council decision not to grant an education, health and care (EHC) plan.
Throughout the SEND and Alternative Provision (AP) Green Paper consultation, families told the department how stressful and lengthy the Tribunal process can be. The SEND and AP Improvement Plan, published on 2 March 2023, sets out the response to the consultation feedback the department received and the next steps we will take in delivering vital reform for children and young people.
This includes our intention for a new national SEND and AP system, underpinned by national standards, to improve early identification of needs and set clear expectations for the types of evidence-based support that should be available in mainstream settings. Our objective is to ensure that all children's additional needs are met effectively and quickly within affordable provision, reducing the need for an EHC plan and, where an EHC plan is needed, to ensure that parents do not endure lengthy and adversarial processes to secure one.
Asked by: Baroness Eaton (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the cost to families of seeking a special school place through the court system.
Answered by Baroness Barran - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
It is free for families to appeal to the Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) Tribunal when seeking a special school place or a local council decision not to grant an education, health and care (EHC) plan.
Throughout the SEND and Alternative Provision (AP) Green Paper consultation, families told the department how stressful and lengthy the Tribunal process can be. The SEND and AP Improvement Plan, published on 2 March 2023, sets out the response to the consultation feedback the department received and the next steps we will take in delivering vital reform for children and young people.
This includes our intention for a new national SEND and AP system, underpinned by national standards, to improve early identification of needs and set clear expectations for the types of evidence-based support that should be available in mainstream settings. Our objective is to ensure that all children's additional needs are met effectively and quickly within affordable provision, reducing the need for an EHC plan and, where an EHC plan is needed, to ensure that parents do not endure lengthy and adversarial processes to secure one.
Asked by: Baroness Eaton (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask Her Majesty's Government how much was spent on (1) tax free childcare, (2) the universal 15 hours free childcare offer for three and four year olds, and (3) the extended childcare offer for three and four year olds, in the last year for which figures are available.
Answered by Baroness Barran - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
Tax-Free Childcare is for working parents of children aged 0-11, or 0-16 for disabled children, and has the same income criteria as 30 hours free childcare. In the 2021/22 financial year the government spent £411.3 million on Tax-Free Childcare.
The numbers of families and children who have used Tax-Free Childcare between 2020 and 2022 are as follows:
The universal 15 hours free early education entitlement is available to all three and four-year-olds regardless of parental circumstances. The government spent £2,212,241,262 on the universal entitlement in financial year 2021/22.
The numbers of children registered for the universal 15-hour entitlement between 2020 and 2022 are captured annually, as follows:
The extended 15 hours entitlement, also known as 30 hours free childcare, is available for eligible working parents of three and four year olds, on top of the universal 15 hours free early education entitlement. The government spent £837,497,401 on the extended 15 hour entitlement in the 2021/22 financial year.
The numbers of children registered for the 30 hours free childcare between 2020 and 2022 are as follows:
The department does not collect data on parents who apply for the entitlements, only children who have registered.
Asked by: Baroness Eaton (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask Her Majesty's Government how many parents claimed (1) tax free childcare payments, (2) the universal 15 hours free childcare offer for three and four year olds, and (3) the extended childcare offer for three and four year olds, for the last three years.
Answered by Baroness Barran - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
Tax-Free Childcare is for working parents of children aged 0-11, or 0-16 for disabled children, and has the same income criteria as 30 hours free childcare. In the 2021/22 financial year the government spent £411.3 million on Tax-Free Childcare.
The numbers of families and children who have used Tax-Free Childcare between 2020 and 2022 are as follows:
The universal 15 hours free early education entitlement is available to all three and four-year-olds regardless of parental circumstances. The government spent £2,212,241,262 on the universal entitlement in financial year 2021/22.
The numbers of children registered for the universal 15-hour entitlement between 2020 and 2022 are captured annually, as follows:
The extended 15 hours entitlement, also known as 30 hours free childcare, is available for eligible working parents of three and four year olds, on top of the universal 15 hours free early education entitlement. The government spent £837,497,401 on the extended 15 hour entitlement in the 2021/22 financial year.
The numbers of children registered for the 30 hours free childcare between 2020 and 2022 are as follows:
The department does not collect data on parents who apply for the entitlements, only children who have registered.
Asked by: Baroness Eaton (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the process by which local councils allocate SEN funding; and in particular, whether it matchs their provision of £6,000 per child, plus the additional cost for Education, Health and Care Plans (EHCPs).
Answered by Baroness Barran - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
The department has no plans to create a new dedicated budget for special educational needs (SEN), beyond the existing high needs block within the Dedicated Schools Grant (DSG). It is important that schools have the flexibility to decide on how best to support their pupils with SEN or disabilities (SEND), within all their available resources, and that they work closely with the relevant local authority in supporting those with more complex needs for whom additional resources are required.
Local authorities are required to provide mainstream schools, through the local schools funding formula, with sufficient funds to meet the additional cost of supporting pupils with SEN, up to £6,000 per pupil per annum. Local funding formulae vary in the way funding is allocated for this purpose, but all include factors which take account of the level of pupils’ disadvantage, for example, the number of pupils with low attainment in their previous phase of education.
Furthermore, local authorities give schools additional top-up funding from their high needs budget. This is used when the additional support required for a pupil cost more than £6,000 and can also support schools which are particularly inclusive or whose pupils have a greater range of SEN than the local funding formula might suggest. The high needs block of the DSG, which funds local authorities’ high needs budgets for children and young people with more complex needs, will total more than £9 billion in the 2022/23 financial year. This is a 13% increase over the 2021/22 financial year.
Local authorities’ funding processes differ, particularly those for allocating high needs funding to schools, but both the local school funding formula and the local high needs funding arrangements have to be discussed at the local schools forum.
Ultimately, local authorities are accountable for spending from the high needs allocation they receive from the department. Our guidance indicates that their responsibility for spending decisions should be discharged fairly, reasonably and after proper consultation.
Asked by: Baroness Eaton (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to create a dedicated budget line for SEN funding.
Answered by Baroness Barran - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
The department has no plans to create a new dedicated budget for special educational needs (SEN), beyond the existing high needs block within the Dedicated Schools Grant (DSG). It is important that schools have the flexibility to decide on how best to support their pupils with SEN or disabilities (SEND), within all their available resources, and that they work closely with the relevant local authority in supporting those with more complex needs for whom additional resources are required.
Local authorities are required to provide mainstream schools, through the local schools funding formula, with sufficient funds to meet the additional cost of supporting pupils with SEN, up to £6,000 per pupil per annum. Local funding formulae vary in the way funding is allocated for this purpose, but all include factors which take account of the level of pupils’ disadvantage, for example, the number of pupils with low attainment in their previous phase of education.
Furthermore, local authorities give schools additional top-up funding from their high needs budget. This is used when the additional support required for a pupil cost more than £6,000 and can also support schools which are particularly inclusive or whose pupils have a greater range of SEN than the local funding formula might suggest. The high needs block of the DSG, which funds local authorities’ high needs budgets for children and young people with more complex needs, will total more than £9 billion in the 2022/23 financial year. This is a 13% increase over the 2021/22 financial year.
Local authorities’ funding processes differ, particularly those for allocating high needs funding to schools, but both the local school funding formula and the local high needs funding arrangements have to be discussed at the local schools forum.
Ultimately, local authorities are accountable for spending from the high needs allocation they receive from the department. Our guidance indicates that their responsibility for spending decisions should be discharged fairly, reasonably and after proper consultation.
Asked by: Baroness Eaton (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what further steps they intend to take to improve the average education outcomes for boys to match those of girls in order to narrow the gender learning gap.
Answered by Baroness Barran - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
The department does not design education policy that exclusively targets certain groups of pupils with characteristics that are protected by the Equality Act 2010, including policy based on gender. We are committed to providing high quality education and training for everyone, whatever their background or personal characteristics.
Since 2010, the government has pursued a reform agenda to drive up academic standards for all and level up for the most disadvantaged pupils. When it comes to raising standards, evidence shows that teachers are the most important in-school factor affecting pupils’ education. In June 2021, the department announced an investment of over £250 million in our National Professional Qualifications and Early Career Framework programmes, which are based on the best available evidence and have been developed in partnership with the Education Endowment Foundation. In addition, in October 2021, we announced a levelling up premium worth up to £3,000 tax-free for mathematics, physics, chemistry and computing teachers in years 1 to 5 of their careers. This will support recruitment and retention of specialist teachers in these subjects, and in the schools and areas that need them most. Through this, the department is committed to helping tackle the learning gap for all pupils.
Asked by: Baroness Eaton (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to close the learning gap between boys and girls; and in particular, what steps they are taking to address boys’ early years underachievement in language and vocabulary development.
Answered by Baroness Berridge
Girls continue to do better than boys in the early years, but boys are improving at a faster rate. In 2013, the gap between girls and boys achieving at least the expected level in all early learning goals at aged 5 was 17.1%; in 2019, (the most recent year for which data is available), the gap was 13.6%. Similarly, the gap between girls and boys achieving a Good Level of Development at aged 5 is persistent but narrowing: from 16% in 2013 to 12.9% by 2019.
Since 2018 we have committed more than £85 million on programmes to improve early language and literacy, with a further £153 million recently announced for training early years staff to support the very youngest children as part of the education recovery strategy. This is in addition to £27 million announced to support children’s early language development in response to the COVID-19 outbreak. £10 million will support language development for pre-reception children in the next academic year and £17 million is to deliver the Nuffield Early Language Intervention (NELI) in schools that would particularly benefit.
NELI is a robustly evidenced programme aimed at the reception aged children needing extra support with their speech and language development and is proven to help children make around three months of additional progress. 40% of primaries have signed up so far, helping 60,000 children this academic year. The NELI screening tool identifies those in most need of help.
Furthermore, over 3,000 early adopter schools are implementing the reforms to the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) from this September, ahead of statutory roll out in September. One of the main aims of the revised framework is to improve early years outcomes for all children, particularly disadvantaged children in the critical areas that build the foundation for later success, such as language development.
As part of the reforms, we have revised the educational programmes to strengthen teaching practice in communication and language, providing a deeper focus on building vocabulary to address the word gap between disadvantaged children and their peers. The new EYFS framework that will be statutory for all early years providers from September 2021 can be found here: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/974907/EYFS_framework_-_March_2021.pdf.