Asked by: Alex Brewer (Liberal Democrat - North East Hampshire)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment her Department has made of the performance of SEND schools owned by private equity firms in comparison with schools ran by local authorities.
Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)
Independent special schools can provide essential provision for children and young people with highly complex needs, and the department recognises the expertise and value that many offer. Any provision for children and young people must be delivered at a reasonable cost to the taxpayer and ensure evidence-based, high-quality provision.
Given that demand for specialist placements has grown significantly, we will be introducing new standards for independent special schools to ensure high-quality education for all our children.
To address concerns about high-cost, profit-driven models, we will be bringing forward legislation at the earliest opportunity to implement a price cap ensuring that local authorities pay a reasonable price for these placements.
The government will also develop a national cost framework for specialist provision packages, whether that is within a specialist base in a mainstream school or a special school, including in the independent sector.
The department is currently undertaking a detailed analysis of the specialist sector, looking at provision models and outcomes within independent schools, to ensure changes are rooted in robust evidence.
Asked by: Alex Brewer (Liberal Democrat - North East Hampshire)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment her Department has made of the factors contributing to the higher proportion of boys than girls receiving Education, Health and Care Plans.
Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)
Through our proposed reforms of the special educational needs (SEN) system we will ensure children and young people get the support they need earlier, regardless of their background.
Independent research has suggested that amongst factors likely to explain the differences in proportions of boys and girls with SEN or education, health and care plans is the difference between boys and girls showing externalising or internalising behaviours, with externalising behaviours more likely to prompt identification, assessment and referrals for SEN support. A related point is that girls with conditions such as autism or ADHD are more likely to “mask” their difficulties, making it less likely these are identified.
We will build on best practice and have commissioned further research to develop and support settings with evidence-based approaches for identifying needs early. In an inclusive education system, settings should be confident in accurately identifying SEN and meeting these with evidence-based interventions for boys and girls. The department has appointed an independent expert panel to develop the National Inclusion Standards that set out evidence-informed tools, strategies and approaches for educators to draw on to identify and support children and young people with additional needs.
Asked by: Alex Brewer (Liberal Democrat - North East Hampshire)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment her Department has made of the potential benefits of introducing a profit cap on private SEND providers.
Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)
Independent special schools can provide essential provision for children and young people with highly complex needs, and the department recognises the expertise and value that many offer. Any provision for children and young people must be delivered at a reasonable cost to the taxpayer and ensure evidence-based, high-quality provision.
Given that demand for specialist placements has grown significantly, we will be introducing new standards for independent special schools to ensure high-quality education for all our children.
To address concerns about high-cost, profit-driven models, we will be bringing forward legislation at the earliest opportunity to implement a price cap ensuring that local authorities pay a reasonable price for these placements.
The government will also develop a national cost framework for specialist provision packages, whether that is within a specialist base in a mainstream school or a special school, including in the independent sector.
The department is currently undertaking a detailed analysis of the specialist sector, looking at provision models and outcomes within independent schools, to ensure changes are rooted in robust evidence.
Asked by: Alex Brewer (Liberal Democrat - North East Hampshire)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to improve the retention of SEND specialist teachers in mainstream schools.
Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)
High-quality training is essential to supporting teacher retention, and this starts with Initial Teacher Training (ITT). In addition to the increased special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) content introduced through the Initial Teacher Training and Early Career Framework in September 2025, I am also actively working to strengthen ITT on SEND, and have convened sector experts to identify how we can further embed specialist expertise within initial teacher training to increase capacity in the system. This includes trainee placements in special schools to build greater SEND specialist capacity for new entrants in both mainstream and specialist settings.
The department is investing £200 million in our continuing professional development offer to ensure staff in every nursery, school and college receive training on SEND and inclusion, which will be supported with government-backed training materials and building on existing effective practice.
We are also investing around £1.8 billion over the next three years for local area partnerships to develop a new ‘Experts at Hand’ offer, which is designed to strengthen the capability of mainstream education settings by providing access to support specialists across health and education.
Asked by: Alex Brewer (Liberal Democrat - North East Hampshire)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment her Department has made of the potential benefits of treating SEND provision as essential national infrastructure.
Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)
While special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) provision is not formally classified as national infrastructure, high-quality support for children with additional needs is a national priority.
Our proposals for reforming the system, published in the SEND consultation in February 2026, set out a vision for a more inclusive system in which children’s needs are identified and supported earlier, within mainstream settings where appropriate. These reforms are designed to ensure that all schools are equipped to meet a wide range of needs, supported by clearer National Inclusion Standards.
The SEND consultation ran for 12 weeks and closed in May. We are considering responses and will publish our response in due course, with legislation to follow as set out in the King’s Speech.
Asked by: Alex Brewer (Liberal Democrat - North East Hampshire)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what timelines and safeguards are in place for the implementations of the inclusive mainstream fund in schools across North East Hampshire.
Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)
Over £500 million per financial year over the next three years through the Inclusive Mainstream Fund (IMF) equips schools, nurseries and colleges, including those in North East Hampshire, with more upfront funding to become inclusive by design. We have placed conditions on the IMF to ring-fence it for this purpose and payments will be made for the 2026/27 financial year at the end of June for local authorities and the start of July for academies.
We have now published guidance for school leaders and leaders of 16-19 provision to support effective use of their IMF, alongside guidance for local authorities and those involved in managing the use of the Inclusive Early Years Fund.
Inclusion strategies, which set out how schools are utilising their allocations will invest in inclusion to build a core inclusive offer, will allow for greater accountability, help Ofsted understand how inclusion is implemented, and boost transparency for parents and local partners.
Asked by: Alex Brewer (Liberal Democrat - North East Hampshire)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what systems are in place to collect and analyse data on the performance of children with SEND in mainstream schools in North East Hampshire following receipt of funding from the Inclusive Mainstream Schools Fund.
Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)
The government is providing over £500 million per financial year over the next three years through the Inclusive Mainstream Fund (IMF) to equip schools, nurseries and colleges with more upfront funding to help them become inclusive by design. It should be invested, alongside core funding allocations, to build a strong inclusive offer for all pupils and improve outcomes for children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND).
We have now published guidance for school leaders on how to make the best use of the IMF and develop an Inclusion Strategy, which is available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/inclusive-mainstream-fund-support-for-school-leaders/developing-an-inclusion-strategy-using-the-inclusive-mainstream-fund.
This guidance explains that schools should evaluate the impact of approaches funded by the IMF in their strategy, using data to measure positive outcomes for pupils with SEND.
Asked by: Alex Brewer (Liberal Democrat - North East Hampshire)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment her Department has made of the educational outcomes of children who spend 30 hours or more per week in nursery during their early years compared to those who spend fewer than 30 hours per week, including outcomes in (a) secondary school entrance examinations and (b) GCSEs.
Answered by Olivia Bailey - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Education) (Equalities)
We want all families to access high-quality, affordable early education and care, as the evidence is clear that it boosts development.
The study of early education and development shows that among the 40% most disadvantaged children, starting formal early education and care before age two, and attending over 20 hours per week from ages 2 to 4, is linked to a higher likelihood of achieving a good level of development, compared with starting after 3 and for less than 10 hours. These children were more likely to meet expected attainment at key stage 1 than those attending fewer than 10 hours.
Earlier evidence from ‘Effective pre-school primary and secondary education’ found that attending pre-school increased the likelihood of obtaining five or more GCSEs grade A* to C by 8.4 percentage points on average.
The department continues to build evidence through evaluation of the entitlements expansion and new research, such as the new longitudinal study Children of the 2020s.
Asked by: Alex Brewer (Liberal Democrat - North East Hampshire)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to ensure sufficient availability of early years childcare places for children with special educational needs and disabilities.
Answered by Olivia Bailey - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Education) (Equalities)
The reforms outlined in ‘Special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) reform: putting children and young people first’ will give early years settings the training, evidence-based tools and expert input they need to welcome children with diverse needs into their settings and provide the right support from day one. This will include dedicated early years inclusion training within a 3-year £200 million national training package, access to expert advice through the new Experts at Hand offer, and an additional £47 million in 2026/27 through the inclusive early years fund to support the sector to become more inclusive of children with SEND
Alongside this, the department will strengthen local accountability and give parents greater confidence that their children can access the early education and childcare they are entitled to. This will include working with local authorities to strengthen their sufficiency planning for children with SEND, reviewing whether statutory requirements are clear enough and exploring how to improve data on the availability of suitable places, including for those needing specialist support. Early years children can also benefit from our £3.7 billion high needs capital investment between 2025 and 2030 to create new specialist places.
Asked by: Alex Brewer (Liberal Democrat - North East Hampshire)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment her Department has made of the adequacy of support offered to early years professionals to improve early identification of SEND.
Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)
Effective early identification and intervention is critical to improving outcomes for children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND). In an inclusive system, early years settings should be confident in accurately identifying needs and meeting them through evidence-based interventions.
As part of our £200 million investment in SEND training across education we are investing in early years workforce development, including a new early years SEND continuous professional development programme, starting with online training programmes from September 2026 to support early years educators to develop the knowledge and skills needed to identify and effectively support children with SEND in their settings.
Clear statutory duties will require education settings to identify and meet needs as early as possible and to monitor progress to ensure timely intervention. To support this, the department is strengthening the evidence base on what works.
An independent expert panel is developing National Inclusion Standards which will provide clear practical guidance on the evidence-based approaches settings should use to identify and understand a child’s needs and put in place support. Alongside this, UK Research Innovation-led research and the 'What Works in SEND' programme are developing practical identification tools, for use across the 0-25 system.