Greg Smith
Main Page: Greg Smith (Conservative - Mid Buckinghamshire)Department Debates - View all Greg Smith's debates with the Department for Education
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Greg Smith Excerpts(1 day, 21 hours ago)
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Bridget Phillipson
We have heard this afternoon from my hon. Friend and so many Members across the House about the urgent need to make improvements for children with SEND. We are laying the foundations with more investment in the system, through both the high needs budget and capital, so we have the places that are needed. There is, of course, much we are doing right now with councils to improve some of the unacceptable waits that parents currently face.
Greg Smith (Mid Buckinghamshire) (Con)
The superb John Hampden school in Wendover reports that it is running a £109,000 deficit supporting students with significant SEND while they await assessments. However, it is an infant-only school, and the money often does not come through until the pupils have moved up to a junior school. Will the Minister look at how the system is working for infant-only schools, to make the system fairer?
Catherine McKinnell
As we have said, we are looking at reforms to the system; we recognise that there are challenges right across the system that we inherited. We know that families face challenges in securing support and that schools face challenges, too. We will look at every detail and announce reforms in the White Paper in the autumn.