Oral Answers to Questions

Debbie Abrahams Excerpts

Monday 29th January 2024 Commons Chamber

[Rachel Hopkins (Luton South) (Lab)]

11. What steps she is taking to improve support for children with special educational needs and disabilities.

[Debbie Abrahams (Oldham East and Saddleworth) (Lab)]

12. What steps she is taking to improve support for children with special educational needs and disabilities.

[Dan Carden (Liverpool, Walton) (Lab)]

15. What steps she is taking to improve support for children with special educational needs and disabilities.

--- Later in debate ---

[Gillian Keegan]

That is one reason the high-needs budget is up by over 60% in the past four years, and will reach £10.5 billion in 2024-25. We are also supporting local authorities with financial deficits through the safety valve and delivering better- value programmes. In most constituencies, including in the hon. Lady’s area, the funding has gone up by 25% to 35%.

[Debbie Abrahams]

I also have several cases in my constituency, where children and young people can wait months, if not years, not just for assessment but for a plan to address their needs. Sense has reported that less than half of local authorities have multi-sensory impairment teachers, and the National Autistic Society reports that three in four parents say that their children’s schools do not fully cover their needs. What are the Government doing about that?

[Gillian Keegan]

Our plan to introduce national consistency and standards will be published in 2025. We will deliver it through local partnerships and inclusion, digitise records, and make it much more transparent so that parents can see what is happening. In terms of mainstream support, we will improve early language support, we are working with integrated care boards to improve support for neurodiversity in schools, and 100,000 teachers have received autism training. There is additional special educational needs co-ordinator training as well as vital early language support.