Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what discussions he has had with the Education Endowment Foundation on ensuring that funding for improving outcomes for pupils with SEND has a focus on children and young people with speech, language and communication needs.

I met with the Education Endowment Foundation (EEF) on the 13 August 2018 to explore whether they could focus on more interventions that improve outcomes for pupils with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND).

The EEF provided an overview of their plans for a new EEF funding round to improve outcomes for pupils with SEND. They have since announced new funding to test different approaches to improve attainment and other outcomes for children with SEND. The published guidance makes it clear that the EEF are interested in exploring targeted interventions for pupils with particular needs.

The funding round is open from 17 October until 14 January 2019. For information, visit the EEF website: https://educationendowmentfoundation.org.uk/projects-and-evaluation/how-to-apply/#closeSignup.