Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what plans his Department has to support students with special needs in the Ashfield and Mansfield district.

Nottinghamshire received a joint local area special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) inspection by Ofsted and the Care Quality Commission (CQC) in February 2023 under the current Area SEND Inspection framework. Ofsted and the CQC found widespread and/or systemic failings leading to significant concerns about the experiences and outcomes of children and young people with SEND which the local area partnership must address urgently. The report, which was published on 16 May 2023, included two areas for priority action (APA). The local area submitted a Priority Action Plan to Ofsted and the CQC to address these APAs, which was approved on 14 July 2023.

The department’s regional team has put in place systems to track outcomes against the APAs found by inspectors and the progress made by children and young people with SEND. Nottinghamshire County Council is committed to working closely with the department to improve services.

The department has appointed a SEND Advisor to work collaboratively with an NHS England Adviser to challenge, support and work alongside Nottinghamshire County Council and the local area partnership. In addition, the department commissioned the Council for Disabled Children, which is part of the Research and Improvement for SEND Excellence Consortium contract, to deliver a bespoke package, supporting the local area to develop an outcome-based framework to underpin their new SEND strategy. This is available here: https://www.nottinghamshire.gov.uk/education/special-educational-needs-and-disabilities-send/special-educational-needs-and-disabilities-send/nottinghamshire-local-area-send-strategy.

This government’s ambition is that all children and young people with 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 taking a community wide approach in collaboration with local area partnerships, improving inclusivity and expertise in mainstream schools, as well as ensuring special schools cater to children and young people with the most complex needs.