Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps he is taking with the Secretary of State for Education to ensure the Armed Forces Covenant is applied in the provision of education to SEND pupils who are children of service men and women.

The Ministry of Defence has been working closely with the Department for Education (DfE) to ensure that mobile Armed Forces Service children with complex needs can access the education that they require with the appropriate level of support.

One of the key areas of focus is ensuring that the Special Educational Needs and Disabilities reforms reflect Armed Forces Covenant duties, including in regulations and the revised Code of Practice, so that national and local practice mitigates any disadvantage arising from Service life.

My predecessor and the Minister for School Standards met with the Armed Forces Community All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) to hear from the community and Armed Forces families’ federations to hear from the Community on the proposals for SEND reform. Minister Gould and I have agreed that we will meet with the APPG again to continue this work.