Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many pupils with an Education Health and Care plan were missing education whilst awaiting a place at a Specialist School in Preston and Lancashire at the beginning of the last three academic years; and for how long was each pupil missing education.

The department collects and publishes data annually from local authorities on the total number of children and young people who are awaiting the provision specified in their Education, Health and Care (EHC) plans at: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/education-health-and-care-plans.

Figures for Lancashire on the number of children of compulsory school age who have an EHC plan and were not in education can be found at the following link: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/data-tables/permalink/2d628262-9886-457c-aca3-e0c32b749269. Data is only collected at local authority level so figures for Preston are not available.

The information requested on how long each pupil was missing education is also not held.