Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will take steps with Cabinet colleagues to introduce a statutory early years SEND service to all areas of England.

The special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) system is already underpinned by statutory duties across the 0 to 25 age range, including early years settings. My right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Education and my right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care set out plans to strengthen early identification and support in early years settings through the SEND reform consultation.

The department is investing over £200 million over three years in Best Start Family Hubs for SEND, each with a named Best Start Inclusion Practitioner, providing flexible, early support for children aged 0 to 5 with emerging needs and their families, without requiring a formal diagnosis.

This sits alongside £1.8 billion so that every community has experts on hand, £1.6 billion going directly to settings for early intervention, over £200 million to train every teacher and an additional £3.7 billion capital investment between 2025 and 2030 to create 60,000 specialist places.

The SEND reform consultation has now closed and we are reviewing all responses.