Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Sarah Green and Georgia Gould

Monday 22nd June 2026 Commons Chamber

[Georgia Gould]

I would be delighted to meet the hon. Member to discuss funding. As he knows, it is an area that we are heavily investing in, with £4 billion going into early intervention to support children with special educational needs and disabilities. We will be consulting on how we fund special educational needs and the formula in the future, and I would be happy to discuss that.

[Sarah Green]

Like local authorities across the country, Buckinghamshire council submitted its SEND improvement plan on 19 June, but it will not receive a decision on deficit relief until 21 September, after the school year has started. With a cumulative deficit of over £45 million already on the books, it is being asked to plan blind. Will the Minister meet me to discuss what support will be available to councils like Buckinghamshire if such applications are rejected, and to discuss bringing forward the decision timeline?

[Georgia Gould]

Many hon. Members across the House have talked to me about the issues with local authorities’ delivery on SEND. The Department is determined to hold local authorities to account and ensure that they are all doing everything they can to support children and young people. We are putting in significant funding and support, but it is critical that that support really transforms things for children. We are carefully looking at all the SEND reform plans that have come back from local authorities and ensuring that they are of sufficient quality to turn things around, but we will be working with local authorities who need more support.

Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Sarah Green and Georgia Gould

Monday 19th January 2026 Commons Chamber

[Georgia Gould]

We are committed to opening up access to school grounds and sports facilities; that is a key part of the school sport partnership work we are developing. I look forward to working with my hon. Friend to develop it.

[Sarah Green (Chesham and Amersham) (LD)]

The guidance for complaints in children’s social care was issued 20 years ago and has not been updated since. Those who work in the system say that it is out of date, and the ombudsman echoes their concerns. Will the Minister outline what steps the Department is taking to ensure that the guidance is up to date? Will he meet me to hear the concerns that have been shared with me?

Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Sarah Green and Georgia Gould

Monday 20th October 2025 Commons Chamber

[Georgia Gould]

My hon. Friend has already reached out to me several times to advocate for his constituents and the importance of specialist places. I very much look forward to working with him to increase provision in his constituency.

[Sarah Green (Chesham and Amersham) (LD)]

On Friday, I met primary schools in my constituency that are accommodating in their classrooms children who they are not set up for. One school had to convert its library for two children for whom the main classroom setting is overwhelming, and a second had to do the same for its IT department. What reassurance can the Minister give those teachers and schools that they will get the funding and resources they need to accommodate children with additional needs?

[Georgia Gould]

I have visited bespoke resource centres. I was recently in a resource centre in Southwark that provides that kind of brilliant provision. The £740 million we have set out is exactly to provide more specialist places that allow children to get the right support they need, often within mainstream schools and within their local communities.