Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment Ofsted has made of the effectiveness of its anticipatory duty under the Equality Act 2010 to make reasonable adjustments for disabled pupils regarding its pupil survey.

Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)

These are matters for His Majesty’s Chief Inspector, Sir Martyn Oliver. I have asked him to write to the hon. Member for Meriden and Solihull East, and a copy of his reply will be placed in the Libraries of both Houses.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what accessible versions of its online pupil survey Ofsted provides for disabled pupils, including versions using symbol-supported text.

Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)

These are matters for His Majesty’s Chief Inspector, Sir Martyn Oliver. I have asked him to write to the hon. Member for Meriden and Solihull East, and a copy of his reply will be placed in the Libraries of both Houses.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department plans to take to ensure any revised SEND Code of Practice explicitly mandates the publication of school information on SEND in plain English.

Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)

My right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Education has not made a specific assessment of the merits of commissioning research into the readability of information on special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) published by schools. However, responses to our consultation have highlighted the importance of clearer, more accessible and transparent information for children, young people and their families.

​As part of our legislative reforms, we propose requiring schools to prepare and publish an Inclusion Strategy which will replace SEN Information Reports. This will strengthen accountability and transparency, and help parents better understand a setting’s offer of inclusive practice and support designed to meet a range of needs.

​The revised SEND code of practice will set out how schools should ensure that their Inclusion Strategy is accessible to children, young people and families. This will include using clear and accessible language, explaining technical terms and providing information in alternative formats where necessary.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether she has made an assessment of the potential merits of commissioning research into the readability of information on SEND that is published by schools.

Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)

My right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Education has not made a specific assessment of the merits of commissioning research into the readability of information on special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) published by schools. However, responses to our consultation have highlighted the importance of clearer, more accessible and transparent information for children, young people and their families.

​As part of our legislative reforms, we propose requiring schools to prepare and publish an Inclusion Strategy which will replace SEN Information Reports. This will strengthen accountability and transparency, and help parents better understand a setting’s offer of inclusive practice and support designed to meet a range of needs.

​The revised SEND code of practice will set out how schools should ensure that their Inclusion Strategy is accessible to children, young people and families. This will include using clear and accessible language, explaining technical terms and providing information in alternative formats where necessary.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether her Department will provide courses on leading SEND aimed at senior and middle leaders who are not SENCos.

Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)

The government is investing over £200 million in professional development on special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) and inclusion across schools, colleges and nurseries.

From autumn 2027, new fully funded SEND and inclusion training courses will be available for teachers and leaders. The leaders course will be aimed at a range of senior leader roles and will complement the existing national professional qualification (NPQ) for special educational needs coordinators (SENCOs), which remains the mandatory qualification for new SENCOs.

NPQs are also available to education leaders at all levels, from those with lead responsibility across a subject, year group or school to those leading multiple schools. The current suite of specialist and leadership NPQs includes content on SEND and inclusion. We are reviewing the wider suite of NPQs, with a focus on including further best practice on leading inclusive schools and teaching pupils with SEND.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether Ofsted uses the same pupil survey to collect pupil views in mainstream schools as it does in special schools for children with severe learning difficulties.

Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)

These are matters for His Majesty’s Chief Inspector, Sir Martyn Oliver. I have asked him to write to the hon. Member for Meriden and Solihull East, and a copy of his reply will be placed in the Libraries of both Houses.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of termly SEN support reviews on annual reviews for Individual Support Plans.

Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)

At present, information about a child or young person's special educational needs (SEN), support and outcomes is often recorded through a range of locally developed documents and systems, including SEN Support Plans. Approaches to recording and reviewing support vary between settings.

Under the proposals, settings would have a duty to produce an Individual Support Plan (ISP) for children and young people who require Targeted, Targeted Plus or Specialist support. The ISP would provide a nationally consistent framework for recording needs, provision and outcomes.

In our consultation document, we proposed a requirement for ISPs to be reviewed annually at a minimum, and settings will work with parents and young people to develop and maintain the plan from the outset. An ISP is intended to be a digital living product, updated as a child or young person's needs, barriers to learning and support arrangements change and we want settings to retain flexibility to consider changes, working with families, as soon as they are needed. We would provide more detail and guidance on the development and reviews of ISPs as part of an updated Code of Practice.

The department has recently consulted on its proposed special educational needs and disabilities reforms. We are carefully considering all responses and will set out our response in due course.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how frequently Individual Support Plans will be reviewed under proposed SEND reforms.

Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)

At present, information about a child or young person's special educational needs (SEN), support and outcomes is often recorded through a range of locally developed documents and systems, including SEN Support Plans. Approaches to recording and reviewing support vary between settings.

Under the proposals, settings would have a duty to produce an Individual Support Plan (ISP) for children and young people who require Targeted, Targeted Plus or Specialist support. The ISP would provide a nationally consistent framework for recording needs, provision and outcomes.

In our consultation document, we proposed a requirement for ISPs to be reviewed annually at a minimum, and settings will work with parents and young people to develop and maintain the plan from the outset. An ISP is intended to be a digital living product, updated as a child or young person's needs, barriers to learning and support arrangements change and we want settings to retain flexibility to consider changes, working with families, as soon as they are needed. We would provide more detail and guidance on the development and reviews of ISPs as part of an updated Code of Practice.

The department has recently consulted on its proposed special educational needs and disabilities reforms. We are carefully considering all responses and will set out our response in due course.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how frequently SEN Support Plans are reviewed.

Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)

At present, information about a child or young person's special educational needs (SEN), support and outcomes is often recorded through a range of locally developed documents and systems, including SEN Support Plans. Approaches to recording and reviewing support vary between settings.

Under the proposals, settings would have a duty to produce an Individual Support Plan (ISP) for children and young people who require Targeted, Targeted Plus or Specialist support. The ISP would provide a nationally consistent framework for recording needs, provision and outcomes.

In our consultation document, we proposed a requirement for ISPs to be reviewed annually at a minimum, and settings will work with parents and young people to develop and maintain the plan from the outset. An ISP is intended to be a digital living product, updated as a child or young person's needs, barriers to learning and support arrangements change and we want settings to retain flexibility to consider changes, working with families, as soon as they are needed. We would provide more detail and guidance on the development and reviews of ISPs as part of an updated Code of Practice.

The department has recently consulted on its proposed special educational needs and disabilities reforms. We are carefully considering all responses and will set out our response in due course.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what estimate she has made of the proportion of adults with low literary proficiency.

Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)

The government recognises that securing good levels of literacy has a positive impact on participation in society, improves earnings and employment opportunities and opens doors to further learning.

The department participates in the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development’s survey for adult skills, Programme for the International Assessment of Adult Competencies last conducted in England and 30 other countries in 2022/23. The results, published in December 2024, show that 18% of 16-65-year-olds have low literacy proficiency in England compared to the OECD average of 26%. England also has the highest average literacy levels amongst English-speaking countries in the survey and the second highest in the G7. More details on the survey are available at: https://www.oecd.org/en/about/programmes/piaac.html.

The government continues to support those who want to improve their literacy skills through the essential skills legal entitlements, funded through the Adult Skills Fund. This enables eligible adults with low literacy skills to undertake a range of fully-funded English courses, including GCSEs and Functional Skills up to level 2.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the adequacy of the capacity of school leaders and SENCos to lead the effective implementation of the SEND training programme.

Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)

The government is investing over £200 million in a professional development programme for special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) and inclusion.

Wave 4 of the ‘Working Lives of Teachers and Leaders’ found that teaching pupils with SEND is one of the most common topics covered in professional development and the area in which teachers most want further training.

Recognising the pressures on school capacity, we are developing materials to support in-house training. Schools and colleges will be able to deliver high-quality, evidence-based professional development during existing scheduled time, such as INSET days and staff meetings. Supportive facilitator guidance will help school leaders deliver the materials effectively.

From 2027, we will launch new, fully funded SEND and inclusion courses for teachers, teaching assistants and leaders. Combining flexible online self-study with live facilitated sessions, the courses will accommodate varied schedules, deepen expertise and help leaders improve SEND and inclusion across their settings.

Training for special educational needs coordinators (SENCOs) was overhauled in 2024 with the introduction of the National Professional Qualification for SENCOs. This provides high-quality, evidence-based training and we continue to fully fund the qualification for eligible participants.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the adequacy of the capacity of schools to effectively implement the SEND training programme.

Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)

The government is investing over £200 million in a professional development programme for special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) and inclusion.

Wave 4 of the ‘Working Lives of Teachers and Leaders’ found that teaching pupils with SEND is one of the most common topics covered in professional development and the area in which teachers most want further training.

Recognising the pressures on school capacity, we are developing materials to support in-house training. Schools and colleges will be able to deliver high-quality, evidence-based professional development during existing scheduled time, such as INSET days and staff meetings. Supportive facilitator guidance will help school leaders deliver the materials effectively.

From 2027, we will launch new, fully funded SEND and inclusion courses for teachers, teaching assistants and leaders. Combining flexible online self-study with live facilitated sessions, the courses will accommodate varied schedules, deepen expertise and help leaders improve SEND and inclusion across their settings.

Training for special educational needs coordinators (SENCOs) was overhauled in 2024 with the introduction of the National Professional Qualification for SENCOs. This provides high-quality, evidence-based training and we continue to fully fund the qualification for eligible participants.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how her Department plans to measure the effectiveness of schools embedding SEND and inclusion training.

Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)

The government is investing £200 million in special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) and inclusion training to upskill staff in every school, college and nursery.

The department is currently scoping an evaluation to assess how the SEND and inclusion training programmes are implemented in practice. Successful providers of new courses will be required to actively support and participate in the evaluation.

The new training programmes will also be quality assured to ensure they are appropriately aligned with evidence of best practice.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment her Department has made of the impact of proposed SEND reforms on SENCo workload.

Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)

Special educational needs co-ordinators (SENCOs) play a critical role in schools and will continue to do so under the proposed reforms to the special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) system. As set out in the SEND reform: putting children and young people first consultation, SEND is the responsibility of all staff. The consultation has now closed, and we are carefully reviewing and taking into account all responses alongside feedback from over 200 engagement events we held over 12 weeks.

The department is considering how best to support SENCOs to carry out their role effectively, reduce existing burdens and improve retention. This includes exploring opportunities to streamline processes through digital improvements, set clearer expectations and share responsibility for SEND across the workforce. We want to ensure highly trained SENCO expertise is used effectively and anticipate that SENCOs will play a key role in the strategic leadership of SEND and inclusion, working alongside leaders and staff to improve outcomes for all pupils with SEND.

The final shape an impact of the role will be informed by consultation feedback and further work with the sector. The department will also revise the mandatory SENCO national professional qualification to ensure that SENCOs are equipped for their anticipated role.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department plans to take to improve retention of SENCos.

Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)

Special educational needs co-ordinators (SENCOs) play a critical role in schools and will continue to do so under the proposed reforms to the special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) system. As set out in the SEND reform: putting children and young people first consultation, SEND is the responsibility of all staff. The consultation has now closed, and we are carefully reviewing and taking into account all responses alongside feedback from over 200 engagement events we held over 12 weeks.

The department is considering how best to support SENCOs to carry out their role effectively, reduce existing burdens and improve retention. This includes exploring opportunities to streamline processes through digital improvements, set clearer expectations and share responsibility for SEND across the workforce. We want to ensure highly trained SENCO expertise is used effectively and anticipate that SENCOs will play a key role in the strategic leadership of SEND and inclusion, working alongside leaders and staff to improve outcomes for all pupils with SEND.

The final shape an impact of the role will be informed by consultation feedback and further work with the sector. The department will also revise the mandatory SENCO national professional qualification to ensure that SENCOs are equipped for their anticipated role.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to the Answer of 20 April 2026 to Question 120023, on Special Educational Needs: Reform, what steps her Department plans to take to provide training to Governors to support the sampling of Individual Support Plans.

Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)

Under our proposals, settings would have a duty to produce an Individual Support Plan (ISP) for any child or young person with special educational needs (SEN). The intention is that where a child or young person requires Targeted, Targeted Plus or Specialist support, there is a clear plan setting out their needs, provision and intended outcomes.

The proposal is that these support layers will be guided by the National Inclusion Standards, which will establish national consistency around the support that children and young people should ordinarily expect to receive across the 0 to 25 system, regardless of where they live or which setting they attend.

The department wants to support consistently high-quality ISPs across the system, regardless of where a child or young person lives or which setting they attend. To achieve this, we will introduce digital ISPs to support children’s needs being recorded and shared more consistently. This will bring information together in one place, reduce duplication and workload for staff, and support smoother transitions so children receive the right support from the start. We will ensure ISPs are consistent and shareable across settings and local areas, helping schools that admit pupils from multiple local authorities to work from the same information and support arrangements.

We will work to support implementation of a reformed system ahead of September 2029. This will include an updated Code of Practice with more information on best practice around ISPs and the role of governors. We will also provide training and support for governors, to help them deliver strengthened special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) oversight arrangements.

The department has recently consulted on its proposed SEND reforms. We are carefully considering responses and will set out our response in due course.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to ensure schools admitting pupils from multiple Local Authorities do not experience issues relating to variation in digital systems used for Individual Support Plans.

Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)

Under our proposals, settings would have a duty to produce an Individual Support Plan (ISP) for any child or young person with special educational needs (SEN). The intention is that where a child or young person requires Targeted, Targeted Plus or Specialist support, there is a clear plan setting out their needs, provision and intended outcomes.

The proposal is that these support layers will be guided by the National Inclusion Standards, which will establish national consistency around the support that children and young people should ordinarily expect to receive across the 0 to 25 system, regardless of where they live or which setting they attend.

The department wants to support consistently high-quality ISPs across the system, regardless of where a child or young person lives or which setting they attend. To achieve this, we will introduce digital ISPs to support children’s needs being recorded and shared more consistently. This will bring information together in one place, reduce duplication and workload for staff, and support smoother transitions so children receive the right support from the start. We will ensure ISPs are consistent and shareable across settings and local areas, helping schools that admit pupils from multiple local authorities to work from the same information and support arrangements.

We will work to support implementation of a reformed system ahead of September 2029. This will include an updated Code of Practice with more information on best practice around ISPs and the role of governors. We will also provide training and support for governors, to help them deliver strengthened special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) oversight arrangements.

The department has recently consulted on its proposed SEND reforms. We are carefully considering responses and will set out our response in due course.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what criteria will determine whether a child or young person receives support through an Individual Support Plan; and what steps she will take to ensure consistency in access to that support between local areas.

Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)

Under our proposals, settings would have a duty to produce an Individual Support Plan (ISP) for any child or young person with special educational needs (SEN). The intention is that where a child or young person requires Targeted, Targeted Plus or Specialist support, there is a clear plan setting out their needs, provision and intended outcomes.

The proposal is that these support layers will be guided by the National Inclusion Standards, which will establish national consistency around the support that children and young people should ordinarily expect to receive across the 0 to 25 system, regardless of where they live or which setting they attend.

The department wants to support consistently high-quality ISPs across the system, regardless of where a child or young person lives or which setting they attend. To achieve this, we will introduce digital ISPs to support children’s needs being recorded and shared more consistently. This will bring information together in one place, reduce duplication and workload for staff, and support smoother transitions so children receive the right support from the start. We will ensure ISPs are consistent and shareable across settings and local areas, helping schools that admit pupils from multiple local authorities to work from the same information and support arrangements.

We will work to support implementation of a reformed system ahead of September 2029. This will include an updated Code of Practice with more information on best practice around ISPs and the role of governors. We will also provide training and support for governors, to help them deliver strengthened special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) oversight arrangements.

The department has recently consulted on its proposed SEND reforms. We are carefully considering responses and will set out our response in due course.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether she plans to publish examples of high-quality Individual Support Plans.

Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)

Under our proposals, settings would have a duty to produce an Individual Support Plan (ISP) for any child or young person with special educational needs (SEN). The intention is that where a child or young person requires Targeted, Targeted Plus or Specialist support, there is a clear plan setting out their needs, provision and intended outcomes.

The proposal is that these support layers will be guided by the National Inclusion Standards, which will establish national consistency around the support that children and young people should ordinarily expect to receive across the 0 to 25 system, regardless of where they live or which setting they attend.

The department wants to support consistently high-quality ISPs across the system, regardless of where a child or young person lives or which setting they attend. To achieve this, we will introduce digital ISPs to support children’s needs being recorded and shared more consistently. This will bring information together in one place, reduce duplication and workload for staff, and support smoother transitions so children receive the right support from the start. We will ensure ISPs are consistent and shareable across settings and local areas, helping schools that admit pupils from multiple local authorities to work from the same information and support arrangements.

We will work to support implementation of a reformed system ahead of September 2029. This will include an updated Code of Practice with more information on best practice around ISPs and the role of governors. We will also provide training and support for governors, to help them deliver strengthened special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) oversight arrangements.

The department has recently consulted on its proposed SEND reforms. We are carefully considering responses and will set out our response in due course.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how her Department plans to monitor participation in SEND training across primary and secondary settings.

Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)

The department is committed to ensuring that the new special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) and inclusion professional development offer supports staff to develop the knowledge and skills they need to meet the needs of children and young people with SEND. As part of SEND reform, the department is proposing to update the SEND Code of Practice with a new requirement for all schools (including primary and secondary) to ensure that their staff receive training on SEND and inclusion.

The department is also investing over £200 million in SEND Continuing Professional Development to support this requirement. The offer includes materials that education settings can use to deliver training in-house, alongside further professional development for teachers, leaders and support staff. The department will monitor engagement with the materials and use the feedback form to help understand how the materials are being used by settings and to inform the continued development of the offer.

Next year, the department will start delivery of new SEND and inclusion courses for teachers, leaders and teaching assistants. The department will use the available registration and participation data to monitor take-up.

Found: charity, and donations of prizes for raffle and auction, for a charity cricket match held between Saqib Bhatti

Found: Description: Donation of England Cricket Shirt for auction at a charity cricket match hosted by Saqib Bhatti