Asked by: Adam Dance (Liberal Democrat - Yeovil)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to protect neurodiverse pupils from bullying at school in (a) Yeovil constituency, (b) Somerset and (c) England.
Answered by Stephen Morgan - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
The department is clear that schools must take a strong stand against all forms of bullying and should tackle bullying at the earliest opportunity to prevent it from escalating. All schools must have a behaviour policy with measures to prevent all forms of bullying, including the bullying of pupils with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND).
The department does not collect data on specific incidents of bullying in schools. We expect schools to develop their own approaches for monitoring bullying and exercise their own judgement as to what will work best for their pupils.
We monitor young people’s perceptions of bullying at a high level, through surveys, which indicate that a higher level of children and young people with SEND, including neurodivergence, report that they have been bullied, than children without SEND. The latest survey can be found here: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/6628dd9bdb4b9f0448a7e584/National_behaviour_survey_academic_year_2022_to_2023.pdf.
The department has published advice to support schools with addressing incidents of bullying, which can be accessed here: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/625ee64cd3bf7f6004339db8/Preventing_and_tackling_bullying_advice.pdf, as well as a practical tool to help schools, which can be found on the Educate Against Hate website here: https://www.educateagainsthate.com/resources/respectful-school-communities-self-review-signposting-tool-2/.
Asked by: Adam Dance (Liberal Democrat - Yeovil)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the level of bullying towards neurodiverse students in schools in (a) Yeovil constituency, (b) Somerset, and (c) England.
Answered by Stephen Morgan - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
The department is clear that schools must take a strong stand against all forms of bullying and should tackle bullying at the earliest opportunity to prevent it from escalating. All schools must have a behaviour policy with measures to prevent all forms of bullying, including the bullying of pupils with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND).
The department does not collect data on specific incidents of bullying in schools. We expect schools to develop their own approaches for monitoring bullying and exercise their own judgement as to what will work best for their pupils.
We monitor young people’s perceptions of bullying at a high level, through surveys, which indicate that a higher level of children and young people with SEND, including neurodivergence, report that they have been bullied, than children without SEND. The latest survey can be found here: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/6628dd9bdb4b9f0448a7e584/National_behaviour_survey_academic_year_2022_to_2023.pdf.
The department has published advice to support schools with addressing incidents of bullying, which can be accessed here: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/625ee64cd3bf7f6004339db8/Preventing_and_tackling_bullying_advice.pdf, as well as a practical tool to help schools, which can be found on the Educate Against Hate website here: https://www.educateagainsthate.com/resources/respectful-school-communities-self-review-signposting-tool-2/.
Asked by: Adam Dance (Liberal Democrat - Yeovil)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessments she had made of the potential merits of screening for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder in primary schools in (a) Yeovil constituency, (b) Somerset and (c) England.
Answered by Catherine McKinnell - Minister of State (Education)
This government’s ambition is that all children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) or in alternative provision receive the right support to succeed in their education and as they move into adult life. The SEND code of practice is clear that meeting the needs of a child with special educational needs does not require a diagnostic label or test. Instead, the department expects schools to monitor the progress of pupils and put support in place where needed.
In 2024, the department brought together a group of leading neurodiversity experts to make recommendations to its Ministers on the best ways to support and meet the needs of neurodivergent children and young people in mainstream education settings. The group includes the chair of the independent ADHD Taskforce, convened by NHS England, to ensure join up and support across the health and education systems.
The Partnerships for Inclusion of Neurodiversity in Schools (PINS) programme is a national programme, backed by £13 million of investment.
PINS deploys specialists from health and education workforces to build teacher and staff capacity to identify and better meet the needs of neurodivergent children, in mainstream primary schools. In the 2024/25 financial year, PINS has been delivered to over 1650, around 10%, of all mainstream primary schools, including 38 schools within the Somerset local authority.
Asked by: Adam Dance (Liberal Democrat - Yeovil)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of reducing funding for level 7 apprenticeships on the number of chartered town planners in local government.
Answered by Janet Daby - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
I refer the hon. Member for Yeovil to the answer of 20 January 2025 to Question 23140.
Asked by: Adam Dance (Liberal Democrat - Yeovil)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of reducing funding for level 7 healthcare apprenticeships on skills shortages in the NHS; and what discussions she has had with the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care on that funding.
Answered by Janet Daby - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
I refer the hon. Member for Yeovil to the answer of 28 March 2025 to Question 39819.
Asked by: Adam Dance (Liberal Democrat - Yeovil)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of reducing funding for level 7 healthcare apprenticeships on the number of advanced clinical practitioners in the NHS.
Answered by Janet Daby - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
I refer the hon. Member for Yeovil to the answer of 28 March 2025 to Question 39819.
Asked by: Adam Dance (Liberal Democrat - Yeovil)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of reducing funding for level 7 healthcare apprenticeships on the NHS long-term workforce plan.
Answered by Janet Daby - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
I refer the hon. Member for Yeovil to the answer of 28 March 2025 to Question 39819.
Asked by: Adam Dance (Liberal Democrat - Yeovil)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what plans she has to improve (a) inclusivity and (b) expertise on dyslexia in mainstream schools in (i) Somerset and (ii) the South West.
Answered by Catherine McKinnell - Minister of State (Education)
The department is committed to improving support for all children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND), including those with dyslexia and other neurodiverse conditions.
We are providing £1 billion more for high needs budgets in 2025/26 financial year, bringing total high needs funding to £11.9 billion. This funding will help local authorities and schools with the increasing costs of supporting children and young people with complex SEND.
Early identification of need and support is critical to improving outcomes for children and young people with SEND, including those with dyslexia. There are already a number of measures to help teachers do this, including the phonics screening check and statutory assessments at the end of key stage 2.
Schools should apply a ‘graduated approach’ to identify a child’s needs, plan appropriate support, implement that support and review it regularly to ensure it continues to meet their identified needs. Through this, schools should develop personalised approaches to supporting the unique needs of individual pupils. Schools should involve pupils and their parents in this process, taking their views into consideration.
The core content framework and early career framework, for trainee and Early Career Teachers (ECTs) respectively, cover the first three years or more at the start of a teacher’s career. They set out the core body of knowledge skills and behaviours that define great teaching, and from September 2025 will be superseded by the combined Initial Teacher Training and Early Career Framework (ITTECF), which sets out a minimum entitlement to training and must be used by providers of initial teacher training and those delivering training to ECTs to create their curricula. The ITTECF contains significantly more content related to adaptive teaching and supporting pupils with SEND.
Measures have also been introduced to support the effective teaching of reading, including for those at risk of falling behind. This includes the English Hubs programme, the publication of the reading framework and an updated list of high-quality systematic synthetic phonics programmes for schools.
The English Hubs programme is dedicated to improving the teaching of reading, with a focus on supporting children making the slowest progress in reading. As part of the continuous professional development provided by the English Hubs, the Reading Ambition for All programme has been launched to improve outcomes for children who need additional support with reading, including those with SEND.
In the South West there are 6 English Hubs: Cornerstone, Ilsham, Kernow, Mangotsfield, Ramsbury and ‘Unlocking Excellence’. This academic year, they are supporting a total of 130 schools with the Reading Ambition for All programme.
Asked by: Adam Dance (Liberal Democrat - Yeovil)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the adequacy of support for dyslexic students in mainstream education in (a) Somerset and (b) the South West.
Answered by Catherine McKinnell - Minister of State (Education)
The department is committed to improving support for all children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND), including those with dyslexia and other neurodiverse conditions.
We are providing £1 billion more for high needs budgets in 2025/26 financial year, bringing total high needs funding to £11.9 billion. This funding will help local authorities and schools with the increasing costs of supporting children and young people with complex SEND.
Early identification of need and support is critical to improving outcomes for children and young people with SEND, including those with dyslexia. There are already a number of measures to help teachers do this, including the phonics screening check and statutory assessments at the end of key stage 2.
Schools should apply a ‘graduated approach’ to identify a child’s needs, plan appropriate support, implement that support and review it regularly to ensure it continues to meet their identified needs. Through this, schools should develop personalised approaches to supporting the unique needs of individual pupils. Schools should involve pupils and their parents in this process, taking their views into consideration.
The core content framework and early career framework, for trainee and Early Career Teachers (ECTs) respectively, cover the first three years or more at the start of a teacher’s career. They set out the core body of knowledge skills and behaviours that define great teaching, and from September 2025 will be superseded by the combined Initial Teacher Training and Early Career Framework (ITTECF), which sets out a minimum entitlement to training and must be used by providers of initial teacher training and those delivering training to ECTs to create their curricula. The ITTECF contains significantly more content related to adaptive teaching and supporting pupils with SEND.
Measures have also been introduced to support the effective teaching of reading, including for those at risk of falling behind. This includes the English Hubs programme, the publication of the reading framework and an updated list of high-quality systematic synthetic phonics programmes for schools.
The English Hubs programme is dedicated to improving the teaching of reading, with a focus on supporting children making the slowest progress in reading. As part of the continuous professional development provided by the English Hubs, the Reading Ambition for All programme has been launched to improve outcomes for children who need additional support with reading, including those with SEND.
In the South West there are 6 English Hubs: Cornerstone, Ilsham, Kernow, Mangotsfield, Ramsbury and ‘Unlocking Excellence’. This academic year, they are supporting a total of 130 schools with the Reading Ambition for All programme.
Asked by: Adam Dance (Liberal Democrat - Yeovil)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to support children diagnosed with dyslexia in Yeovil constituency.
Answered by Catherine McKinnell - Minister of State (Education)
The department is committed to improving support for all children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND), including those with dyslexia and other neurodiverse conditions.
We are providing £1 billion more for high needs budgets in 2025/26 financial year, bringing total high needs funding to £11.9 billion. This funding will help local authorities and schools with the increasing costs of supporting children and young people with complex SEND.
Early identification of need and support is critical to improving outcomes for children and young people with SEND, including those with dyslexia. There are already a number of measures to help teachers do this, including the phonics screening check and statutory assessments at the end of key stage 2.
Schools should apply a ‘graduated approach’ to identify a child’s needs, plan appropriate support, implement that support and review it regularly to ensure it continues to meet their identified needs. Through this, schools should develop personalised approaches to supporting the unique needs of individual pupils. Schools should involve pupils and their parents in this process, taking their views into consideration.
The core content framework and early career framework, for trainee and Early Career Teachers (ECTs) respectively, cover the first three years or more at the start of a teacher’s career. They set out the core body of knowledge skills and behaviours that define great teaching, and from September 2025 will be superseded by the combined Initial Teacher Training and Early Career Framework (ITTECF), which sets out a minimum entitlement to training and must be used by providers of initial teacher training and those delivering training to ECTs to create their curricula. The ITTECF contains significantly more content related to adaptive teaching and supporting pupils with SEND.
Measures have also been introduced to support the effective teaching of reading, including for those at risk of falling behind. This includes the English Hubs programme, the publication of the reading framework and an updated list of high-quality systematic synthetic phonics programmes for schools.
The English Hubs programme is dedicated to improving the teaching of reading, with a focus on supporting children making the slowest progress in reading. As part of the continuous professional development provided by the English Hubs, the Reading Ambition for All programme has been launched to improve outcomes for children who need additional support with reading, including those with SEND.
In the South West there are 6 English Hubs: Cornerstone, Ilsham, Kernow, Mangotsfield, Ramsbury and ‘Unlocking Excellence’. This academic year, they are supporting a total of 130 schools with the Reading Ambition for All programme.