Question to the Department for Education:

To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to identify those with special educational needs who are not in receipt of an education, health and care plan, so that they receive appropriate support throughout their educational career.

The department knows that quality teaching is the most important in-school factor in improving outcomes for all children, particularly those with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND).

Since September 2020, all new teachers have benefitted from at least three years of evidence-based professional development and support, starting with Initial Teacher Training (ITT) that is based on the ITT Core Content Framework (CCF), and followed by a new two-year induction underpinned by the Early Career Framework (ECF). All ITT courses and ECF-based training programmes are designed to support trainee and early career teachers to demonstrate that they meet the Teachers' Standards at the appropriate level.

The department is reviewing and revising the ITT CCF and ECF into more closely combined frameworks. These would cover the first three years or more at the start of a teacher’s career and articulate what trainee and new teachers need to know and need to know how to do. This work includes identifying opportunities to identify how the frameworks can equip new teachers to be more confident in meeting the needs of pupils with SEND.

The department’s SEND and Alternative Provision (AP) Improvement Plan, published in March 2023, has committed to developing a longer-term approach for teaching assistants to ensure their impact is consistent across the system and the different responsibilities they take on, including in training in speech and language interventions.

In partnership with NHS England, we are funding the Early Language and Support for Every Child pathfinders within our £70 million Change Programme. This will fund nine Integrated Care Boards and one of the local areas within each of our nine Regional Expert Partnerships to trial new ways of working. This is to better identify and support children with speech and language needs in early years and primary schools.

The Improvement Plan also outlines how National Standards will set out the types of support that should be available as standard, based on the best available evidence. This will enable a full range of needs to be better supported. Practice Guides will set out evidence-based best practice in meeting individual needs. We will start by building on existing best practice and will publish three practice guides by the end of 2025.