Special Educational Needs: Speech and Language Disorders

(asked on 3rd September 2018) - View Source

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what plans he has to ensure schools set out in their SEN reports the interventions they carry out in relation to spoken language.


Answered by
Nadhim Zahawi Portrait
Nadhim Zahawi
This question was answered on 11th September 2018

The information required in schools’ Special Educational Needs (SEN) Information Reports is set out in regulations. It must include, amongst other things:

  • the kinds of SEN that are provided for;
  • policies for identifying children and young people with SEN and assessing their needs, including the name and contact details of the Special Educational Needs Co-ordinator, (mainstream schools); and
  • arrangements for assessing and reviewing children and young people’s progress towards outcomes. This should include the opportunities available to work with parents and young people as part of this assessment and review.

There is no requirement to set out in the Information Report the interventions that are carried out in relation to any specific area of need. However, in practice schools often do refer to the four broad areas of SEN, one of which is communication and interaction.

The quality and variety of language that pupils hear and speak is vital in many ways. Whilst we recognise the importance of support in schools for spoken language which underpins the development of reading and writing, early support for language development is also important. The department is working with Public Health England and the Department for Health and Social Care to improve early language outcomes for disadvantaged children. We are also in regular contact with key speech language and communication organisations.

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