Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment her Department has made of the potential implications for her policies of the finding from Surrey County Council’s 2024 Parents’ Voices Matter survey that 20% of children with special educational needs do not receive (a) an Education, Health and Care Plan and (b) any form of SEN support.

This government’s ambition is that all children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) or in alternative provision receive the right support to succeed in their education and as they move into adult life.

We will strengthen accountability on mainstream settings to be inclusive, support the mainstream workforce to increase their SEND expertise, and encourage schools to set up resourced provision or special educational needs units to increase capacity in mainstream schools.

The department is working closely with experts on reforms, including appointing a strategic advisor for SEND who is playing a key role in convening and engaging with the sector, including leaders, practitioners, children and families, as we consider the next steps for the future of SEND reform.

This work forms part of the government’s Opportunity Mission, which will break the unfair link between background and opportunity, starting with giving every child, including those with SEND, the best start in life.