Oral Answers to Questions

Louie French Excerpts

Monday 23rd October 2023 Commons Chamber

[Valerie Vaz (Walsall South) (Lab)]

15. What steps she is taking to improve support for children with special educational needs in Walsall South constituency.

[Mr Louie French (Old Bexley and Sidcup) (Con)]

16. What steps her Department is taking to improve provision for children with special educational needs and disabilities.

[The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Education (David Johnston)]

In March, we published our improvement plan to transform support for children with special educational needs, and last month we launched nine regional change programme partnerships to drive reform. By 2024-25, we will have increased high needs funding by 60% since 2019-20, and we have approved the opening of 78 special free schools.

--- Later in debate ---

[David Johnston]

The right hon. Lady makes an important point about the role of Ofsted and ensuring that it assesses that provision. It is worth saying that there will have been a 36% per-head increase in Walsall between 2021-22 and 2024-25, but I would be happy to meet her to discuss the issue further.

[Mr French]

Thanks to Government support, local Conservatives in the London Borough of Bexley have secured an incredible £39.5 million to expand and improve SEND provision in our borough. Does my hon. Friend agree that it is vital that local authorities, charities, schools and families work closely together to maximise the educational impact of this Government-backed funding?

[David Johnston]

My hon. Friend makes an important point, and I pay tribute to his campaigning on this issue and to the work of Bexley council. It is absolutely the case that people should be engaging not just with schools and families but with local charities, which are often best placed to understand the needs of families and their children.