Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if he will make it his policy to require local authorities to establish a joint local authority provider for further education planning forums with which they publish strategic plans for provision for 16-25 year olds with high needs.

The special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) Code of Practice 2015 sets out the statutory duties on local authorities to develop and publish a Local Offer, which describes the support they expect to be available for local children and young people with SEND. This must include provision in the local authority’s area and provision outside the local area that the local authority expects is likely to be used by children and young people with SEND.

The local offer must include provision available from the full range of post-16 providers. The Children and Families Act 2014 requires local authorities to keep the provision for children and young people with SEND under review (including its sufficiency), working with parents, young people, and providers.

The Skills and Post-16 Education Bill will create a new duty on further education sector providers to review provision in relation to local needs, which builds on the existing duties on local authorities to keep educational, training and social care provision for children and young people with SEND under review. We are also engaging with employers and providers to explore how they can better work together through local skills improvement plans to unlock the full potential of learners with SEND and help them progress into good jobs that meet local skills shortages.