Oral Answers to Questions
Debate between Bridget Phillipson and Robbie Moore(1 week, 1 day ago)
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Robbie Moore (Keighley and Ilkley) (Con)
The Minister for Women and Equalities (Bridget Phillipson)
We all know that the current SEND system fails too many families. Our proposals will deliver a reformed SEND system backed by £4 billion of investment so that every child can achieve and thrive. A three-tier framework will provide targeted and specialist support, strengthened education, health and care plans, early intervention, access to specialist services and better outcomes for all of our children.
Robbie Moore
Last week, I met Alice Jones, the headteacher of Oxenhope primary school, to talk about the funding challenges it is facing in supporting children with SEND and her deep concerns about this Government’s planned SEND reforms, which include shifting ECHPs to individual support plans, therefore limiting protection for ECHPs to only the most complex cases. That will reduce the necessary financial support for children in mainstream schools. What reassurance can the Minister give Mrs Jones, and the many other headteachers in my constituency who have contacted me, who believe that the Government’s SEND reforms will not address the current challenges?
Bridget Phillipson
I recognise the serious point that the hon. Gentleman sets out, and we have launched a consultation so that we can hear directly from school leaders, parents and young people about what we need to do to make the system work better. I encourage school leaders in his constituency to review that and to share their views. However, I want to be clear that this is about improving support, providing earlier support and making sure that all children are able to access what they need as quickly as possible. The current system is too adversarial, it is not working and I have heard from too many parents who have been badly let down by the system that he and his party left behind.
Giving Every Child the Best Start in Life
Debate between Bridget Phillipson and Robbie Moore(10 months ago)
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Bridget Phillipson
My hon. Friend asked first about the statutory SEND override, and I know that, as Chair of the Select Committee, she takes a serious interest in this area. We recognise that local authorities will need support during the transition to a reformed SEND system, which is why we extended the statutory override in the spending review, and, as my hon. Friend knows, we have provided some detail for local authorities and will provide more.
As for the digital offer, I appreciate my hon. Friend’s point about the need to give all families access to services. There are still challenges involving digital exclusion, and she was right to draw attention to them. We will provide more details about how the digital offer aligns with the NHS offer before long, but effective outreach support and community engagement are also critical. One of the key lessons that we should take from Sure Start—and the evidence for this is incredibly strong—is that it was at its most effective, and had the greatest reach and impact in respect of disadvantaged children, when there was strong engagement with communities. Through the work that the Cabinet Office has recently been leading, we have learnt of important ways in which we can ensure that more disadvantaged parents who are struggling with issues such as poverty have access to those services, and as we proceed with the wider roll-out we will be sure to take that on board as well.
Robbie Moore (Keighley and Ilkley) (Con)
More than 300,000 children in mainstream schools receive education, health and care plans, including many from my constituency, but it is being reported that that vital provision may disappear. Whatever the challenges of the SEND system, surely the answer is not to remove those rights, because families cannot afford to lose such precious protections. Will the Secretary of State confirm that EHCPs will not be removed for children receiving mainstream education?
Bridget Phillipson
Is it not fascinating that so many Conservative Members are suddenly taking a keen interest in support for children with SEND? The hon. Gentleman blithely says, “Whatever the challenges of the SEND system—”, but they are challenges that the Conservatives left behind, and they are challenges that this Labour Government will rise to. There will always be a legal right to the additional support that children with SEND need, and we will protect it. Alongside that, however, will be a better system, with strengthened support, improved access and more funding, something that the Conservatives failed to provide in 14 years. They left a terrible mess behind—families and children were failed—and a degree of humility and understanding from any of them would take us a great deal further along the way. If they do not want to be constructive and if they continue to duck the necessary decisions, we will confront those decisions and ensure that all our children are able to achieve and thrive, something in which they showed no interest.