Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what plans the Government has to increase the High Needs block of the Dedicated Schools Grant.

We are aware that local authorities have faced pressures on their high needs budgets in the past. That is why we are increasing the high needs budget by £780 million this year, to £7.2 billion. This will be the single largest year-on-year increase since the high needs block was created in 2013. We will announce the allocations for 2021-22 in due course.

The department receives a large volume of representations, including the adequacy of special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) funding. The department held a call for evidence about the SEND funding system last year, including both an online form which received 867 responses, and includes responses from local authorities. The department also held series of workshops across the country seeking views, which representatives from a range of local authorities attended. The department also holds regular meetings with local authorities and other interested stakeholders to gather their views on various topics, including SEND funding.