Asked by: Beccy Cooper (Labour - Worthing West)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to help support local authorities to reduce the waiting times for education, health and care plans to be processed.
Answered by Catherine McKinnell - Minister of State (Education)
For too long the education system has not met the needs of all children, particularly those with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND), with parents struggling to get their children the support they need and deserve.
The department wants to ensure that, where required, education, health and care (EHC) plan assessments are progressed promptly and, if needed, plans are issued as quickly as possible so that children and young people can access the support they need.
The department publishes annual data from the SEN2 survey in relation to the processes associated with EHC plans, including the timeliness of assessments and, where agreed, the issuing of an EHC plan. The department also closely monitors the information from the annual SEN2 data release and uses it to inform discussions with local areas.
Local authorities identified as having issues with EHC plan timeliness are subject to additional monitoring by the department, who work with the specific local authority. Where there are concerns about the local authority’s capacity to make the required improvements, the department can secure specialist SEND Adviser support to help identify the barriers to EHC plan process timeliness and put in place practical plans for recovery.
The department knows that local authorities have been impacted by increased demand for EHC plans and workforce capacity to meet this demand, so more efficient and effective service delivery, alongside communication with schools and families, is central to the recovery.
When inspections indicate that there are significant concerns with local authority performance, the department will intervene directly. This may mean issuing an improvement notice, statutory direction and/or appointing a commissioner, the deployment of which is considered on a case-by-case basis. We also provide support and challenge, for example from SEND Improvement Advisers and Sector-Led Improvement Partners to address the challenges local authorities face and improve services for children.
Asked by: Beccy Cooper (Labour - Worthing West)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will take steps to increase the level of pay for non-academized sixth-form college teachers.
Answered by Janet Daby - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
The government does not set or recommend pay in further education (FE), including in sixth form colleges. The pay and conditions of FE staff remains the responsibility of individual colleges and providers, who are free to implement pay arrangements in line with their local needs.
The department recognises the vital role that teachers in sixth form colleges, as well as in other FE colleges, play in developing the skills needed to drive our missions to improve opportunity and economic growth. The department is investing around £600 million to support FE across the 2024/25 and 2025/26 financial years. This includes extending retention payments of up to £6,000 after tax to eligible early career FE teachers in key subject areas, including in sixth form colleges. The department also continues to support recruitment and retention with teacher training bursaries worth up to £30,000 tax-free in certain key subject areas, and with support for industry professionals to enter the teaching workforce through the Taking Teaching Further programme.
My right hon. Friend, the Chancellor of the Exchequer has announced a budget on 30 October to be followed by a multi-year spending review in the spring of next year. Decisions about future post-16 funding and capital programmes will be subject to the outcomes of these fiscal events.
Asked by: Beccy Cooper (Labour - Worthing West)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to ensure that support for SEN children is needs-led.
Answered by Catherine McKinnell - Minister of State (Education)
The government has made it their mission to break down barriers to opportunity and give every child the best start in life. The department’s ambition is that all children and young people receive the support they need, in the most appropriate setting. The department is committed to taking a community-wide approach, improving inclusivity and expertise in mainstream schools, as well as ensuring special schools cater to those with the most complex needs.
An important part of this work is strengthening the evidence base on what works to identify and support children with different types of needs. The department has recently commissioned a number of independent evidence reviews to shed further light on this.