Asked by: Helen Hayes (Labour - Dulwich and West Norwood)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will publish the terms of reference of the Department’s SEND Development Group.
Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)
The special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) Development Group was launched as part of the period of co-creation, which was announced in December 2025. The group is an informal engagement group led by myself, as Minister for Schools, to bring together a wider group of SEND stakeholders.
The group’s objectives are:
The group is attended by myself and our expert advisors Dame Christine Lenehan and Tom Rees. External attendees include representatives from the Council for Disabled Children (CDC), the Disabled Children’s Partnership (DCP), the National Network of Parents Carers Forums (NNPCF), the National Association for Special Educational Needs (NASEN), The Difference, Dingley’s Promise, The Athelstan Trust, Let Us Learn Too, The Global Black Maternal Health Institute, Aylsham Learning Federation, and the SEND Sanctuary. The group has recently been expanded to include the following.
SEND representative stakeholders:
Local authorities:
Alternative Provision:
Early Years:
Post-16:
Individual voices from teacher workforce:
Parent and carer groups:
Departmental advisors such as Christine Lenehan and Andrew O'Neil are also invited to this group, as are representatives from the Independent Panel.
Alongside the Development Group, I have set up the Complex Needs Group to expand stakeholder conversations in the department. This group consists of the following.
Parent voices:
Departmental SEN advisers:
National disability charities:
Teacher workforce:
Local authorities:
Health:
Academic:
Departmental advisors such as Tom Rees, Christine Lenehan and Andrew O’Neil are invited to this group.
The members of these groups all have independent positions outside of their contributions to the group and engage separately outside.
Both of these groups will meet monthly during the consultation period.
The National Conversation on SEND reached over 8,000 people to help shape the future of support for children and young people. The dates of the meetings are available in the published quarterly returns on Ministerial meetings: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/dfe-ministers-quarterly-returns.
Asked by: Helen Hayes (Labour - Dulwich and West Norwood)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will publish the full list of members of her Department’s SEND Development Group, the criteria for membership of this group and the dates on which the group has met.
Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)
The special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) Development Group was launched as part of the period of co-creation, which was announced in December 2025. The group is an informal engagement group led by myself, as Minister for Schools, to bring together a wider group of SEND stakeholders.
The group’s objectives are:
The group is attended by myself and our expert advisors Dame Christine Lenehan and Tom Rees. External attendees include representatives from the Council for Disabled Children (CDC), the Disabled Children’s Partnership (DCP), the National Network of Parents Carers Forums (NNPCF), the National Association for Special Educational Needs (NASEN), The Difference, Dingley’s Promise, The Athelstan Trust, Let Us Learn Too, The Global Black Maternal Health Institute, Aylsham Learning Federation, and the SEND Sanctuary. The group has recently been expanded to include the following.
SEND representative stakeholders:
Local authorities:
Alternative Provision:
Early Years:
Post-16:
Individual voices from teacher workforce:
Parent and carer groups:
Departmental advisors such as Christine Lenehan and Andrew O'Neil are also invited to this group, as are representatives from the Independent Panel.
Alongside the Development Group, I have set up the Complex Needs Group to expand stakeholder conversations in the department. This group consists of the following.
Parent voices:
Departmental SEN advisers:
National disability charities:
Teacher workforce:
Local authorities:
Health:
Academic:
Departmental advisors such as Tom Rees, Christine Lenehan and Andrew O’Neil are invited to this group.
The members of these groups all have independent positions outside of their contributions to the group and engage separately outside.
Both of these groups will meet monthly during the consultation period.
The National Conversation on SEND reached over 8,000 people to help shape the future of support for children and young people. The dates of the meetings are available in the published quarterly returns on Ministerial meetings: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/dfe-ministers-quarterly-returns.
Asked by: Helen Hayes (Labour - Dulwich and West Norwood)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment has she made of the performance of her Department's Behaviour and Attendance Ambassadors Programme, with reference to absence and exclusions of pupils with SEND or mental ill health.
Answered by Olivia Bailey - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Education) (Equalities)
The regional improvement for standards and excellence Attendance and Behaviour Hubs programme launched in September 2025. The department is appointing up to 90 lead schools with excellent attendance and behaviour practice who will work closely with other schools to help them improve.
The department has also appointed two new ambassadors to work with the sector to shape the programme, ensure that their views are captured and that the programme has maximum impact.
As part of the development of the Attendance and Behaviour Hubs programme, an Equalities Impact Assessment was conducted. The department does not routinely publish Equalities Impact Assessments and has no plans to do so in this case.
As part of the Invitation to Tender for the role of Attendance and Behaviour ambassador and for the school recruitment process, all bidders and applicants were required to declare any and all conflicts of interest prior to responding. The department is satisfied that this process was followed correctly.
Asked by: Helen Hayes (Labour - Dulwich and West Norwood)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment has she made of potential conflicts of interest for individuals and companies awarded contracts to deliver the Behaviour and Attendance Ambassador's Programme.
Answered by Olivia Bailey - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Education) (Equalities)
The regional improvement for standards and excellence Attendance and Behaviour Hubs programme launched in September 2025. The department is appointing up to 90 lead schools with excellent attendance and behaviour practice who will work closely with other schools to help them improve.
The department has also appointed two new ambassadors to work with the sector to shape the programme, ensure that their views are captured and that the programme has maximum impact.
As part of the development of the Attendance and Behaviour Hubs programme, an Equalities Impact Assessment was conducted. The department does not routinely publish Equalities Impact Assessments and has no plans to do so in this case.
As part of the Invitation to Tender for the role of Attendance and Behaviour ambassador and for the school recruitment process, all bidders and applicants were required to declare any and all conflicts of interest prior to responding. The department is satisfied that this process was followed correctly.
Asked by: Helen Hayes (Labour - Dulwich and West Norwood)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will publish the Equality Impacts Assessment made of the Behaviour and Attendance Ambassador's Programme.
Answered by Olivia Bailey - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Education) (Equalities)
The regional improvement for standards and excellence Attendance and Behaviour Hubs programme launched in September 2025. The department is appointing up to 90 lead schools with excellent attendance and behaviour practice who will work closely with other schools to help them improve.
The department has also appointed two new ambassadors to work with the sector to shape the programme, ensure that their views are captured and that the programme has maximum impact.
As part of the development of the Attendance and Behaviour Hubs programme, an Equalities Impact Assessment was conducted. The department does not routinely publish Equalities Impact Assessments and has no plans to do so in this case.
As part of the Invitation to Tender for the role of Attendance and Behaviour ambassador and for the school recruitment process, all bidders and applicants were required to declare any and all conflicts of interest prior to responding. The department is satisfied that this process was followed correctly.
Asked by: Helen Hayes (Labour - Dulwich and West Norwood)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment her Department has made of the adequacy of levels of provision for blind and partially sighted students in further education (a) with and (b) without education, health and care plans (i) during the transition from school to further education and (ii) at other times; and what steps she is taking to improve accountability for ensuring (A) timely and (B) effective reasonable adjustments are (1) identified, (2) funded and (3) implemented.
Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)
Support for people with visual impairments in and transitioning into, further education is guided by legal duties under the Equality Act 2010 and the special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) Code of Practice, with tailored provisions depending on the needs of the individual. This applies to those with or without education, health and care plans (EHCPs).
All education and training providers have a duty to make reasonable adjustments for disabled people, including those with visual impairments, so they are not placed at a substantial disadvantage compared to non-disabled students. Reasonable adjustments can include adapting teaching methods, using assistive technology, modifying assessments, and offering personalised support services.
Ensuring that support is provided in a timely and effective manner is the responsibility of the local authority.
The new Ofsted handbook requires further education providers to embed inclusion across all aspects of provision. Providers must identify their learners’ needs and demonstrate measurable impact on progress and wellbeing.
The department tracks the progress and attainment of learners with SEND and participation and retention rates for learners with EHCPs or special educational needs support and are determined that our reforms to the system should improve experiences and outcomes for learners and their families.
Asked by: Helen Hayes (Labour - Dulwich and West Norwood)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to ensure that blind and partially sighted students in further education (a) with and (b) without education, health and care plans are able to access (i) specialist vision impairment support and (ii) associated (A) trained professionals and (B) appropriate assistive technology; and what guidance her Department has to ensure that students without education, health and care plans are able to access that support.
Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)
Support for people with visual impairments in and transitioning into, further education is guided by legal duties under the Equality Act 2010 and the special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) Code of Practice, with tailored provisions depending on the needs of the individual. This applies to those with or without education, health and care plans (EHCPs).
All education and training providers have a duty to make reasonable adjustments for disabled people, including those with visual impairments, so they are not placed at a substantial disadvantage compared to non-disabled students. Reasonable adjustments can include adapting teaching methods, using assistive technology, modifying assessments, and offering personalised support services.
Ensuring that support is provided in a timely and effective manner is the responsibility of the local authority.
The new Ofsted handbook requires further education providers to embed inclusion across all aspects of provision. Providers must identify their learners’ needs and demonstrate measurable impact on progress and wellbeing.
The department tracks the progress and attainment of learners with SEND and participation and retention rates for learners with EHCPs or special educational needs support and are determined that our reforms to the system should improve experiences and outcomes for learners and their families.
Asked by: Helen Hayes (Labour - Dulwich and West Norwood)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the adequacy of schools' compliance with the School Food Standards.
Answered by Olivia Bailey - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Education) (Equalities)
It is important that children eat nutritious food at school and that schools comply with the school food standards.
School governors and trustees have a responsibility to ensure compliance with the school food standards and should work with the headteacher and the senior leadership team to ensure the school is meeting its obligations.
In November 2024, the department and National Governance Association launched an online training course on school food for governors and trustees. This training is designed to improve understanding of the school food standards and give governing boards confidence to hold their school leaders to account on their whole-school approach to food.
We continue to work with the Food Standards Agency following the findings of the compliance pilot run by the department and the Food Standards Agency during the 2022/23 academic year.
Additionally, to ensure the quality and nutritional value of meals, we are working with experts across the sector to revise the school food standards, so every school is supported with the latest nutrition guidance. As we revise the School Food Standards, we will consider approaches to compliance to ensure children get the healthy, nutritious meals they need.
Asked by: Helen Hayes (Labour - Dulwich and West Norwood)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether she is taking steps to prevent branches of fast food brands opening in (a) sixth-forms and (b) colleges.
Answered by Olivia Bailey - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Education) (Equalities)
The department is committed to raising the healthiest generation ever. We encourage a whole-school approach to healthy eating and would not expect fast food brands to be opening within sixth forms or colleges.
All sixth forms which are part of a secondary school must follow the school food standards. The standards apply even if the sixth form section of the school is located in a separate building or on a separate site. Schools are responsible for the provision of school meals and may enter individual contracts with suppliers and caterers to meet this duty, and we would expect food provided in the sixth form sections to follow the standards.
Further education colleges in England are autonomous institutions, but local planning policies and college governance often restrict or discourage fast food outlets, especially if they conflict with health promotion efforts. The National Planning Policy Framework is clear that local planning authorities should refuse applications for hot food takeaways and fast food outlets within walking distance of schools and other places where children and young people congregate, unless the location is within a designated town centre.
Asked by: Helen Hayes (Labour - Dulwich and West Norwood)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether her Department encourages schools to request a debriefing from their local ambulance service after a defibrillator or CPR resuscitation attempt.
Answered by Olivia Bailey - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Education) (Equalities)
In 2023, the department provided defibrillators to state-funded schools in England, where existing provision was not in place.
The department recognises that individuals may need support following a resuscitation attempt. Our defibrillator guidance advises that should a rescuer require support after an incident, they may be able to request a debriefing from their local ambulance service, or they can seek support from their GP. More information is available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/automated-external-defibrillators-aeds-in-schools.