Asked by: Rebecca Paul (Conservative - Reigate)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to improve the provision of SEND support for children in Reigate constituency.
Answered by Catherine McKinnell - Minister of State (Education)
The department is continuing to support and challenge Surrey to improve the delivery of its special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) services, following the most recent local area SEND inspection by Ofsted and the Care Quality Commission in September 2023.
This inspection found that the local area partnership’s arrangements led to inconsistent experiences and outcomes for children and young people. In response, the Surrey partnership has developed a strategic plan with specific actions to address the areas for improvement that were identified in the inspection report.
The four areas for improvement identified were:
The department, working alongside NHS England, has put into place systems to track the progress that the Surrey partnership is making against these areas for improvement and to offer support where appropriate. For example, the department has put in place a SEND advisor who will continue to provide support and advice to the local authority.
Furthermore, Surrey County Council entered into a Safety Valve agreement with the department in March 2022, with a view to addressing the effectiveness and financial sustainability of the local high needs system.
Asked by: Rebecca Paul (Conservative - Reigate)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what data her Department holds on the proportion of families with children about whom (a) care and (b) protection issues have been raised who are offered a family group conference.
Answered by Janet Daby - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
The department does not hold this data
Statutory guidance for local authorities, such as ‘Working together to safeguard children’ and the ‘Children’s social care national framework’, encourages local authorities to consider family group decision making, such as family group conferences, from the earliest point of a family’s involvement in children’s social care and to repeat them, as considered appropriate, throughout the system.
Asked by: Rebecca Paul (Conservative - Reigate)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether she has made an estimate of the number of children who may move from independent to state sector schools as a result of the planned introduction of VAT on independent schools in Reigate constituency; and whether she has made an assessment of the adequacy of local state school places available.
Answered by Stephen Morgan - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
In line with research from the independent Institute for Fiscal Studies, the government does not anticipate the ending of the VAT exemption that private schools enjoy to prompt notable movement into the state sector, and any movement is expected to take place over several years. This research can be found here: https://ifs.org.uk/publications/tax-private-school-fees-and-state-school-spending.
There is significant spare capacity in existing state schools. The department collects pupil forecasts and school capacity data from local authorities annually through the school capacity survey and this data shows that in May 2023, 11.7% of primary capacity and 11.5% of secondary capacity was unfilled nationally, meaning school places are available in many parts of the country. The department will monitor demand and capacity using its normal processes and continue to work with local authorities to meet any pressures.