Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference page of 32 of the Children’s Commissioner’s report, Keeping kids safe: Improving safeguarding responses to gang violence and criminal exploitation, published in February 2019, what steps he is taking to increase access to speech and language therapy to improve rates of early intervention.

We are committed to supporting children and young people with speech, language and communication needs (SLCN) and recognise the importance of identifying SLCN early to enable the right support to be put in place and reduce the impact that they may have in the longer term.

We know that 28% of children finish their reception year still without the early communication, language and literacy skills they need to thrive. That is why my right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Education has set out his ambition to halve this figure by 2028 and we are investing over £100 million through our social mobility programme to support this.

However, we are aware of the concerns about the adequacy of funding for children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) in England, including those with SLCN. That is why on 3 May 2019, my right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Education, announced a call for evidence from schools, colleges and local authorities to consider how the SEND and alternative provision financial arrangements in England could be improved. The call for evidence can be accessed through the following link: https://consult.education.gov.uk/funding-policy-unit/funding-for-send-and-those-who-need-ap-call-for-ev/.