Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what recent progress her Department has made on implementing the policies in the Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) and Alternative Provision (AP) Improvement Plan, CP 800, published on 31 March 2023.

Backed by over £10.5 billion in 2024/25, which is an increase in the high needs budget of 60% over five years, the department’s Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) and Alternative Provision (AP) Improvement Plan will ensure children and young people across England with SEND or in AP get high-quality, early support wherever they live in the country.

The department has a clear plan to ensure children and young people enjoy their childhood and achieve good outcomes. The department is delivering on this plan. The department has completed the following:

• In this academic year alone, the department has opened 15 new special schools and one AP free school, which creates over 1,500 new places for children and young people. The department has also approved a further 76 special free schools to create additional specialist school places for those with the greatest needs.

• In September 2023, the department launched a £70 million Change Programme made up of 32 local authorities to test and refine the department’s reforms. The programme is working with local authorities, integrated care boards, school representatives, parent group representatives and professionals to benefit every region in England.
• In November 2023, the department announced the £13 million ‘Partnerships for Inclusion of Neurodiversity in Schools’ programme to support up to 1680 primary schools to better meet the needs of neurodiverse children

• Since May 2022, over 5,000 online training modules have been completed and over 100,000 professionals have undertaken autism awareness training provided by the Autism Education Trust through the Universal training offer.
• In January 2024, the department announced a new initial teacher training and early career framework which includes new and updated content on SEND to ensure teachers have the skills and confidence to support all children.
• The department has registered over 5000 practitioners for early years Special Educational Needs Coordinator training to boost their understanding of SEND in the early years, early identification and collaborative working with parents, carers and other professionals.
• Through grant funding, the department has supported all local authorities in England to strengthen the quality of their Supported Internship offers to improve the transition into sustained, paid employment for interns. In the Spring Budget 2023, the department announced up to £3 million to pilot extending Supported Internships to young people with learning difficulties and disabilities but without an Education, Health and Care plan until March 2025

• In August 2023, the department confirmed that it is introducing a leadership level new National Professional Qualification for Special Educational Needs Coordinators, to replace the existing qualification, from Autumn 2024 and ensure special educational needs coordinators receive consistent high-quality, evidence-based training

• The department has provided a further £21 million to train 400 more education psychologists across the academic years 2024 and 2025

• The department has extended the AP Specialist Taskforce programme to March 2025 which has reached over 4000 children to date.
• The department has introduced a strengthened local authority inspection regime between Ofsted and the Care Quality Commission to drive better outcomes and standards in line with the department’s ambitious programme of reform, with 23 inspection reports published so far.