Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what safeguards will be put in place to ensure children and young people who lose their EHCP under the transition to the new system are still provided with specialist provision.

Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)

Under the department’s proposals, a triple lock of transitional protections will mean no child loses effective support already in place.

Every child with a special school place in September 2029 will be able to stay in a special school until they finish education. Transition will only begin in 2029 once the new inclusive mainstream system has been built, and no child or young person with a current education, health and care (EHC) plan will transition until 2030. Children and young people who transition out of their EHC plan will have an Individual Support Plan in place ahead of their plan ceasing, developed in partnership with their families.

Over the next three years, we are investing to make our mainstream system more inclusive. For example, we are providing funding for every school to deliver a strong inclusive universal offer for every child and investing £1.8 billion in our new Experts at Hand offer, providing targeted health and expert education interventions from professionals such as speech and language therapists or educational psychologists so that more children and young people will get specialist support than they can currently. Experts at Hand will be developed by local area partnerships tailored to local needs and integrated with other local services.

The department will consider feedback from the consultation exercise carefully before making any final decisions on this policy.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment her Department has made of the potential implications for its policies of Welsh ALN reforms; and what steps she is taking to ensure that requirements for schools and settings to produce Individual Support Plans does not discourage the identification and support of children and young people with SEND.

Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)

I recently met senior officials from jurisdictions that have implemented special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) reforms to learn lessons and share best practice. This included senior officials from Wales, who talked about their Additional Learning Needs reforms.

We will continue to work with the devolved governments as we progress the proposals set out in the SEND consultation document, as well as preparations for future legislation, to ensure that legislative impacts are fully understood and addressed. Under our proposals we will introduce clearer statutory expectations on schools to identify and meet needs as early as possible, monitor progress closely and put timely support in place.

To underpin this, we are developing the National Inclusion Standards through an independent expert panel, providing practical, evidence-informed tools for identifying and supporting diverse needs. We would also place a duty on settings to produce an Individual Support Plan for any child or young person receiving targeted, targeted plus or specialist support. The introduction of Individual Support Plans will help to ensure children and young people with SEND receive the right provision, supported by earlier identification.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to support children who do not meet the criteria for Specialist Provision Packages but require direct and ongoing support.

Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)

I refer my hon. Friend, the Member for South West Norfolk, to the answer of 2 September to Question 8865.

Found: Sarah Dyke (Liberal Democrat; Glastonbury and Somerton) Ben Goldsborough (Labour; South Norfolk) Terry Jermy

Found: Alistair Carmichael, in the Chair Sarah Bool Charlie Dewhirst Helena Dollimore Sarah Dyke Terry Jermy