Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of the Education Recovery Programme on (a) children with special educational needs and disabilities and (b) additional learning needs.

Helping pupils recover from the disruption of the COVID-19 pandemic is a departmental priority. The department recognises the disruption caused by the COVID-19 pandemic on pupils, particularly those with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) and other additional learning needs.

Through education recovery funding, the department has consistently prioritised pupils who attend specialist schools by providing additional uplifts to these schools in the Catch-up Premium in 2020/21, the Recovery Premium over 2021/22 to 2023/24, and summer schools in summer 2021. These pupils have also been supported through the school led tutoring for pupils who attend specialist settings including special units in mainstream schools, in recognition of the significantly higher per pupil costs they face.

All pupils will benefit from additional funding to ensure that teachers in schools and early years are able to access high quality training and professional development. The department knows that high quality teaching is the best way to support all pupils, including those with SEND.

Evaluations of recovery interventions continue to be conducted and published when available, helping the department to understand their effectiveness and guide future policies and programmes. The department continues to monitor levels of attainment to understand the effects the COVID-19 pandemic and the department’s education policies have had, including on those children with SEND.