Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to support local authorities in delivering education health and care plans.

The department publishes annual data from the SEN2 survey in relation to every educational, health and care plan maintained by individual local authorities.

The department closely monitors the information from the annual SEN2 data collection and uses it to inform discussions with local areas.

Where a council does not meet its duties, the department can take action that prioritises children’s needs and supports local areas to bring about rapid improvement. The department offers a range of universal, targeted and intensive support through department’s managed programmes, such as the Sector Led Improvement Partners which provide peer-to-peer tailored support.

Ofsted and the Care Quality Commission introduced a strengthened area special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) inspection framework in January 2023 leading to a greater emphasis on the outcomes being achieved for children and young people. It is the primary tool to maintain a focus on high standards in the SEND system across all partners.