Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to support children with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities in mainstream settings.

This government’s ambition is that all children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) or in alternative provision receive the right support to succeed in their education and as they move into adult life. The department is committed to improving inclusivity and expertise in mainstream schools, as well as ensuring special schools cater to those with the most complex needs, restoring parents’ trust that their child will get the support they need. We want to drive a consistent and inclusive approach to supporting children and young people with SEND through early identification, effective support, high quality teaching and effective allocation of resources. The department will listen to, and work with, families and sector partners to fix this, which includes taking wider opportunities on accountability, the curriculum, workforce and more.

The department will strengthen accountability on mainstream settings to be inclusive including through Ofsted, support the mainstream workforce to increase their SEND expertise, and encourage schools to set up Resourced Provision or special educational needs (SEN) units to increase capacity in mainstream schools.