Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to support children with ADHD in schools.

In the Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) and Alternative Provision (AP) improvement plan, the department set out its vision to improve mainstream education by setting standards for the early and accurate identification of needs and for timely access to support to meet those needs, including for children and young people with ADHD. The standards will clarify the types of support that should be ordinarily available in mainstream settings and who is responsible for securing the support.

The department will also develop practitioner standards to equip frontline professionals to make best use of provision and identify needs early, accurately and consistently. The first three practice guides will be published by the end of 2025 and will focus on advice for mainstream settings which is rooted in existing best practice.

To support the needs of pupils with SEND, particularly in mainstream settings where most of these learners are educated, the department has funded the Universal Services programme. This programme, backed by almost £12 million of funding, will help the school and further education workforce to identify and meet the needs of children and young people with SEND earlier and more effectively. It will also help them successfully prepare children and young people for adulthood, including employment.