Asked by: Lord Addington (Liberal Democrat - Excepted Hereditary)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask His Majesty's Government, further to their Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) and Alternative Provision (AP) Improvement Plan (CP 800), how they intend to address any confusion about the status of pre-existing legislation in areas where the National Standards will be trailed.
Answered by Baroness Barran - Shadow Minister (Education)
The new National Standards will build on the comprehensive legal framework relevant to children and young people with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) by clarifying what good evidence-based provision looks like, who is responsible for securing it and from what budgets.
The department has heard through the SEND and Alternative Provision Green Paper how important it is that National Standards are evidence-based and that children, young people and their families are able to feed into the development process. We are setting up a steering group of cross sector representatives, that will include parent-carer representatives, to oversee the development of standards. The department will test the National Standards in the context of our £70 million Change Programme to ensure they are iterated and set up for success.
The development of the National Standards may require updates to both the legislation on SEND and to the SEND Code of Practice. The department will publish the National Standards in full for consultation.
Asked by: Lord Addington (Liberal Democrat - Excepted Hereditary)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to ensure through ongoing continual professional development that all teachers and support staff are made aware of potential benefits, and given some instruction of, the implementation of assistive technology for those with special educational needs and disabilities.
Answered by Baroness Barran - Shadow Minister (Education)
The department is expanding training to increase school staff confidence in using assistive technology (AT). Following the promising results of our initial pilot, we are extending assistive technology training to a further 150 maintained schools. The extension, known as the ‘AT Test and Learn’ programme, will teach mainstream school staff how to use AT effectively, with a focus on the technology schools already have available or can easily obtain, such as text-to-speech tools. It will build on last year’s pilot by training more schools over a longer period and with more impact data to gain a fuller picture of how AT training can support wider Special Educational Needs and Disabilities, continuing professional development.
Asked by: Lord Addington (Liberal Democrat - Excepted Hereditary)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask His Majesty's Government how the new level 3 SENCO qualification will be able to influence the teaching profession as a whole to make reasonable adjustments for pupils with special education needs and disabilities across schools in England.
Answered by Baroness Barran - Shadow Minister (Education)
The Early Years Recovery Programme includes funding for training of up to 5,000 early years Special Educational Needs Coordinators (SENCOs), leading to an accredited Level 3 early years SENCO qualification. The training is for SENCOs currently working in early years group-based providers or working as childminders. SENCOs working in schools are subject to different requirements. They must be a qualified teacher, and must achieve the masters-level National Award for Special Educational Needs Coordination within 3 years of appointment as a SENCO.
Asked by: Lord Addington (Liberal Democrat - Excepted Hereditary)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether they are able to make a pay award to teachers in maintained schools outside the review conducted by the Schools Teachers’ Review Body.
Answered by Baroness Barran - Shadow Minister (Education)
A pay award to teachers in maintained schools outside a review conducted by the School Teachers Review Body (STRB) is possible via an order under section 122 of the Education Act 2022, giving effect to a modified School Teachers’ Pay and Conditions Document (STPCD).
Asked by: Lord Addington (Liberal Democrat - Excepted Hereditary)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the proposed reduction in training hours for Special Educational Needs Co-ordinators by 525 hours, whether the resources previously allocated to training will be used to provide more specialist support in schools.
Answered by Baroness Barran - Shadow Minister (Education)
In March 2022, the Department published the Special Educational Needs and Disability (SEND) and Alternative Provision (AP) Green Paper. This included the proposal to replace the current mandatory qualification for Special Educational Needs Coordinators (SENCOs), the National Award for SEN Co-ordination (NASENCO), with a new leadership level National Professional Qualification (NPQ). The NASENCO is a Level 7 postgraduate qualification funded from school budgets, typically equivalent to a third of a full Masters’ degree, taking approximately 225 hours to complete. The time commitment required for leadership NPQs varies between courses and providers.
The proposal seeks to improve the level of expertise and leadership amongst SENCOs and ensure they have the knowledge and skills for the role at the earliest opportunity, enabling them to meet the needs of children and young people with SEND. NPQs are underpinned by the latest and best evidence. This would bring the SENCO qualification in line with wider teacher development reforms, with content and delivery quality assured by the Education Endowment Foundation and Ofsted.
The Department is now carefully considering the feedback received through the 16-week consultation period. The Department is committed to publishing a full response to the SEND and AP Green Paper, including the proposals on SENCOs, in an Improvement Plan early in the new year. If the proposed SENCO NPQ is to be introduced, the Department will communicate the arrangements around the funding for NPQs in due course.
Asked by: Lord Addington (Liberal Democrat - Excepted Hereditary)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask His Majesty's Government what is the advantage for pupils of moving from the current qualification for a Special Educational Needs Coordinator requiring 600 hours training and a Masters qualification, to the proposed 75 hour National Professional Qualification.
Answered by Baroness Barran - Shadow Minister (Education)
In March 2022, the Department published the Special Educational Needs and Disability (SEND) and Alternative Provision (AP) Green Paper. This included the proposal to replace the current mandatory qualification for Special Educational Needs Coordinators (SENCOs), the National Award for SEN Co-ordination (NASENCO), with a new leadership level National Professional Qualification (NPQ). The NASENCO is a Level 7 postgraduate qualification funded from school budgets, typically equivalent to a third of a full Masters’ degree, taking approximately 225 hours to complete. The time commitment required for leadership NPQs varies between courses and providers.
The proposal seeks to improve the level of expertise and leadership amongst SENCOs and ensure they have the knowledge and skills for the role at the earliest opportunity, enabling them to meet the needs of children and young people with SEND. NPQs are underpinned by the latest and best evidence. This would bring the SENCO qualification in line with wider teacher development reforms, with content and delivery quality assured by the Education Endowment Foundation and Ofsted.
The Department is now carefully considering the feedback received through the 16-week consultation period. The Department is committed to publishing a full response to the SEND and AP Green Paper, including the proposals on SENCOs, in an Improvement Plan early in the new year. If the proposed SENCO NPQ is to be introduced, the Department will communicate the arrangements around the funding for NPQs in due course.