Oral Answers to Questions

Jack Brereton Excerpts

Monday 12th June 2023 Commons Chamber

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

5. What steps she is taking to help improve support for children with special educational needs and disabilities and their families.

[Jack Brereton (Stoke-on-Trent South) (Con)]

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

[Luke Hall (Thornbury and Yate) (Con)]

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

--- Later in debate ---

[Claire Coutinho]

We have not waited to take action on this issue. We have increased, for example, high needs block funding by 50% over the last four years to 2023-24. We have set out £2.6 billion to increase the number of specialist schools. We have also hired educational psychologists. We have done a lot of work to date, but the reforms are ambitious and wide-ranging and they will, I hope, help with the issues mentioned.

[Jack Brereton]

The need for more specialist school places is raised frequently by parents in my constituency, and children are being bounced between mainstream providers that are simply not fit to cater for many advanced needs. Recently, I visited Hillcrest Glebedale School in my constituency, which is keen to expand the number of places. Will the Minister do more to ensure that we support such schools and grow the number of SEND places in Stoke-on-Trent?

[Claire Coutinho]

I thank all the special schools for the amazing work they do to support children and young people. We have announced more than £1.4 billion of high needs provisional capital allocations to support local authorities to deliver new places for academic years 2023-24 and 2024-25. Local authorities can use that funding to work with any school or institution in their area.