Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to ensure that disabled children have access to (a) effective and (b) suitable schooling.

Schools have a range of duties under the Equality Act 2010 in relation to their disabled pupils, including to make reasonable adjustments and accessibility planning duties. These duties help ensure that all pupils with disabilities are able to access and thrive in their education. The accessibility duties require a planned approach to increasing accessibility so that, over time, pupils with disabilities are more comprehensively included in the whole life of the school and fewer adjustments are needed for individual disabled pupils.

Many children with disabilities also have special educational needs (SEN). The statutory duty to provide sufficient school places for children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) sits with local authorities.

We know that many children and young people with SEND struggle to find a suitable school placement that is close to their home and meets their needs. We are committed to addressing this through improving inclusivity and expertise in mainstream schools, as well as ensuring special schools cater to those with the most complex needs. Many mainstream settings are already committed to delivering specialist provision locally, including through resourced provision and SEN units.

The department has now published allocations for £740 million in High Needs Provision Capital Allocations (HNPCA) for the 2025/26 financial year. Thurrock Council has been allocated just under £2 million and Essex Council has been allocated just under £21 million for high needs capital investment in 2025/26. The funding can be used to adapt schools to be more accessible for children with SEND, to create specialist facilities within mainstream schools that can deliver more intensive support adapted to suit the pupils’ needs, and to create special school places for pupils with the most complex needs.