Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between James Duddridge and Edward Timpson

Monday 19th December 2016 Commons Chamber

[James Duddridge (Rochford and Southend East) (Con)]

3. What assessment she has made of the potential merits of special needs schools multi-academy trusts.

[The Minister for Vulnerable Children and Families (Edward Timpson)]

Multi-academy trusts enable the sharing of staff and expertise that can help to foster truly excellent special educational needs provision. Special schools can be successful both in multi-academy trusts that specialise wholly in supporting children with special education needs, as well as in multi-academy trusts that offer special provision alongside mainstream provision. Some examples of multi-academy trusts that offer special provision can be found in our new good practice guidance, published on 9 December.

[James Duddridge]

I was going to ask the Minister to issue further guidance. I do not think the 9 December guidance had been issued when I tabled the question, so I am grateful for that and encourage him to look at special needs schools operating within multi-academy trusts solely as special needs schools. There is an enormous difference in special needs schools between thousands of pupils and hundreds of pupils.