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1668302

registered interest
date	08/11/2023
answering body	Department for Education
answering dept id	60
answering dept short name	Education
answering dept sort name	Education
hansard heading	Advanced British Standard: Staff
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many officials within her Department are working on the development of the Advanced British Standard.
tabling member constituency	Houghton and Sunderland South
tabling member printed	Bridget Phillipson
uin	759
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 17/11/2023 answer text <p>Officials in the Department support the government to deliver education and children’s social care priorities. The Department’s vision is for a workforce with world class skills which is flexible and can be deployed quickly to priority areas. As the Advanced British Standard is a priority, cross cutting reform, officials from across the Department are engaging in this work.</p> answering member constituency Wantage answering member printed David Johnston question first answered 17/11/2023 10:01:33 answering member 4761 label Biography information for David Johnston
tabling member	4046 label Biography information for Bridget Phillipson

1668303

registered interest
date	08/11/2023
answering body	Department for Education
answering dept id	60
answering dept short name	Education
answering dept sort name	Education
hansard heading	Educational Institutions: Concrete
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many officials within her Department are working on the management of reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete across schools and colleges.
tabling member constituency	Houghton and Sunderland South
tabling member printed	Bridget Phillipson
uin	760
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 27/11/2023 answer text <p>The department will allocate whatever resources are necessary to support schools and colleges to manage and remove RAAC from their buildings. Every school and college with confirmed RAAC is assigned dedicated support from the department’s team of 80 caseworkers who work with them to assess what support is needed and implement mitigations plans that are right for them. Schools and colleges with confirmed RAAC are also being supported by the department’s ten Regional Directors and their teams across the country.</p><p>Project delivery teams are on site to support schools and colleges to minimise the disruption to children and young people’s learning. A bespoke plan is put in place to ensure that each school and college receives the support that suits their circumstances. Project delivery, property, and technical experts are on hand to support schools to put face to face education measures in place.</p><p>Members of staff across the department work on RAAC across a range of policy and delivery areas as required. In addition to 80 dedicated caseworkers and a central co-ordinating team, RAAC work is embedded and prioritised across teams and functions as necessary. It is therefore not possible to give an accurate figure specifically for numbers of staff working on RAAC.</p> answering member constituency East Hampshire answering member printed Damian Hinds question first answered 27/11/2023 13:17:13 answering member 3969 label Biography information for Damian Hinds
tabling member	4046 label Biography information for Bridget Phillipson

1668304

registered interest
date	08/11/2023
answering body	Department for Education
answering dept id	60
answering dept short name	Education
answering dept sort name	Education
hansard heading	Schools: Asbestos
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many schools with reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete also have asbestos on their estate.
tabling member constituency	Houghton and Sunderland South
tabling member printed	Bridget Phillipson
uin	761
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 27/11/2023 answer text <p>An updated list of schools and colleges with confirmed cases of RAAC was published on 16 October 2023, which is available at: <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/reinforced-autoclaved-aerated-concrete-raac-management-information" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/reinforced-autoclaved-aerated-concrete-raac-management-information</a>.</p><p>Asbestos ‘duty holders’ for schools, who usually include local authorities and academy trusts, must comply with the Control of Asbestos Regulations 2012. Information on duty holders is available at: <a href="https://www.hse.gov.uk/asbestos/duty.htm#who" target="_blank">https://www.hse.gov.uk/asbestos/duty.htm#who</a>. The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) regulates schools’ compliance with legislation to manage their asbestos safely. These require duty holders to have a robust asbestos management plan, train staff, and maintain an asbestos register detailing location, type, and condition of asbestos in their buildings.</p><p>Where asbestos is present in a building that has RAAC, remediation activity could disturb it, duty holders must identify, assess, and manage asbestos risk. They must share any information on the location, type, and condition of asbestos with anyone who is liable to disturb it, such as contractors or the emergency services. The HSE has published a comprehensive guide to managing asbestos in premises to help duty holders, which is available at: <a href="https://www.hse.gov.uk/pubns/books/hsg227.htm" target="_blank">https://www.hse.gov.uk/pubns/books/hsg227.htm</a>. Where asbestos needs to be removed as part of work to mitigate RAAC, based on professional advice, the department will work closely with responsible bodies to help them do so.</p><p>The department is providing significant support to schools and colleges. Every school and college with confirmed RAAC is assigned dedicated support from our team of 80 caseworkers who work with them to assess what support is needed and implement mitigations plans that are right for them. Schools and colleges with confirmed RAAC are also being supported by the department’s ten Regional Directors and their teams across the country.</p><p>Project delivery teams are on site to support schools and colleges to minimise the disruption to children and young people’s learning, whether that is finding short-term accommodation options or designing and putting in place structural solutions for affected spaces. Mitigation plans could include using other spaces on the school site, in nearby schools or elsewhere in the local area, until structural works are carried out or temporary buildings are installed. A bespoke plan is put in place to ensure that each school and college receives the support that suits their circumstances. Project delivery, property, and technical experts are on hand to support schools to put face-to-face education measures in place.</p><p>Responsibility for keeping buildings safe and well-maintained lies with schools and their responsible bodies. The department supports them in meeting their responsibilities through condition programmes, guidance, and funding, including £1.8 billion of capital funding in 2023/24, as part of over £15 billion allocated since 2015.</p><p>The department is providing significant support to schools and colleges to ensure children remain in face-to-face education or are returned to it as soon as possible. This includes providing all schools and colleges where RAAC is confirmed with a dedicated caseworker to work with them to assess what support is needed and implement mitigations plans that are right for them with a clear focus on getting children back to full time face-to-face education as quickly as possible. These arrangements change quickly and so any data regarding mitigations would soon be out of date.</p> answering member constituency East Hampshire answering member printed Damian Hinds grouped question UIN 762 question first answered 27/11/2023 13:44:26 answering member 3969 label Biography information for Damian Hinds
tabling member	4046 label Biography information for Bridget Phillipson

1668305

registered interest
date	08/11/2023
answering body	Department for Education
answering dept id	60
answering dept short name	Education
answering dept sort name	Education
hansard heading	Schools: Concrete
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to the schools listed in her Department's publication entitled Education settings with confirmed reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete and mitigations in place as of 16 October 2023, how many and what proportion of the schools listed as having all pupils in face-to-face education are (a) utilising space in other schools and (b) merging classes across schools to deliver that education.
tabling member constituency	Houghton and Sunderland South
tabling member printed	Bridget Phillipson
uin	762
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 27/11/2023 answer text <p>An updated list of schools and colleges with confirmed cases of RAAC was published on 16 October 2023, which is available at: <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/reinforced-autoclaved-aerated-concrete-raac-management-information" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/reinforced-autoclaved-aerated-concrete-raac-management-information</a>.</p><p>Asbestos ‘duty holders’ for schools, who usually include local authorities and academy trusts, must comply with the Control of Asbestos Regulations 2012. Information on duty holders is available at: <a href="https://www.hse.gov.uk/asbestos/duty.htm#who" target="_blank">https://www.hse.gov.uk/asbestos/duty.htm#who</a>. The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) regulates schools’ compliance with legislation to manage their asbestos safely. These require duty holders to have a robust asbestos management plan, train staff, and maintain an asbestos register detailing location, type, and condition of asbestos in their buildings.</p><p>Where asbestos is present in a building that has RAAC, remediation activity could disturb it, duty holders must identify, assess, and manage asbestos risk. They must share any information on the location, type, and condition of asbestos with anyone who is liable to disturb it, such as contractors or the emergency services. The HSE has published a comprehensive guide to managing asbestos in premises to help duty holders, which is available at: <a href="https://www.hse.gov.uk/pubns/books/hsg227.htm" target="_blank">https://www.hse.gov.uk/pubns/books/hsg227.htm</a>. Where asbestos needs to be removed as part of work to mitigate RAAC, based on professional advice, the department will work closely with responsible bodies to help them do so.</p><p>The department is providing significant support to schools and colleges. Every school and college with confirmed RAAC is assigned dedicated support from our team of 80 caseworkers who work with them to assess what support is needed and implement mitigations plans that are right for them. Schools and colleges with confirmed RAAC are also being supported by the department’s ten Regional Directors and their teams across the country.</p><p>Project delivery teams are on site to support schools and colleges to minimise the disruption to children and young people’s learning, whether that is finding short-term accommodation options or designing and putting in place structural solutions for affected spaces. Mitigation plans could include using other spaces on the school site, in nearby schools or elsewhere in the local area, until structural works are carried out or temporary buildings are installed. A bespoke plan is put in place to ensure that each school and college receives the support that suits their circumstances. Project delivery, property, and technical experts are on hand to support schools to put face-to-face education measures in place.</p><p>Responsibility for keeping buildings safe and well-maintained lies with schools and their responsible bodies. The department supports them in meeting their responsibilities through condition programmes, guidance, and funding, including £1.8 billion of capital funding in 2023/24, as part of over £15 billion allocated since 2015.</p><p>The department is providing significant support to schools and colleges to ensure children remain in face-to-face education or are returned to it as soon as possible. This includes providing all schools and colleges where RAAC is confirmed with a dedicated caseworker to work with them to assess what support is needed and implement mitigations plans that are right for them with a clear focus on getting children back to full time face-to-face education as quickly as possible. These arrangements change quickly and so any data regarding mitigations would soon be out of date.</p> answering member constituency East Hampshire answering member printed Damian Hinds grouped question UIN 761 question first answered 27/11/2023 13:44:26 answering member 3969 label Biography information for Damian Hinds
tabling member	4046 label Biography information for Bridget Phillipson

1668309

registered interest
date	08/11/2023
answering body	Department for Education
answering dept id	60
answering dept short name	Education
answering dept sort name	Education
hansard heading	Schools: Attendance
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what recent assessment she has made of the adequacy of the level of school attendance in (a) England and (b) Gloucestershire.
tabling member constituency	Tewkesbury
tabling member printed	Mr Laurence Robertson
uin	666
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 14/11/2023 answer text <p>Improving attendance remains a priority for the Department. The Department is implementing a comprehensive attendance strategy, to ensure that absence is minimised and rates are returned to pre pandemic levels as soon as possible.</p><p>Absence data from the School Census is available here: <a href="https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/pupil-absence-in-schools-in-england" target="_blank">https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/pupil-absence-in-schools-in-england</a>.</p><p>Data showing the overall absence rate in England and Gloucestershire in the combined autumn and spring terms from 2018/19 to 2022/23 is available here: <a href="https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/data-tables/permalink/8e7082d1-d935-476b-48d8-08dbdfb23d99" target="_blank">https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/data-tables/permalink/8e7082d1-d935-476b-48d8-08dbdfb23d99</a>.</p><p>Data showing the overall absence rates for pupils with Free School Meals and those not eligible is available here: <a href="https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/data-tables/permalink/26b94e77-f63c-4287-48d9-08dbdfb23d99" target="_blank">https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/data-tables/permalink/26b94e77-f63c-4287-48d9-08dbdfb23d99</a>.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Wantage answering member printed David Johnston grouped question UIN 667 question first answered 14/11/2023 16:51:13 answering member 4761 label Biography information for David Johnston
tabling member	253 label Biography information for Mr Laurence Robertson

1668314

registered interest
date	08/11/2023
answering body	Department for Education
answering dept id	60
answering dept short name	Education
answering dept sort name	Education
hansard heading	Schools: Attendance
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what recent assessment she has made of the adequacy of the level of school attendance by (a) pupils who receive free school meals and (b) other pupils.
tabling member constituency	Tewkesbury
tabling member printed	Mr Laurence Robertson
uin	667
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 14/11/2023 answer text <p>Improving attendance remains a priority for the Department. The Department is implementing a comprehensive attendance strategy, to ensure that absence is minimised and rates are returned to pre pandemic levels as soon as possible.</p><p>Absence data from the School Census is available here: <a href="https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/pupil-absence-in-schools-in-england" target="_blank">https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/pupil-absence-in-schools-in-england</a>.</p><p>Data showing the overall absence rate in England and Gloucestershire in the combined autumn and spring terms from 2018/19 to 2022/23 is available here: <a href="https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/data-tables/permalink/8e7082d1-d935-476b-48d8-08dbdfb23d99" target="_blank">https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/data-tables/permalink/8e7082d1-d935-476b-48d8-08dbdfb23d99</a>.</p><p>Data showing the overall absence rates for pupils with Free School Meals and those not eligible is available here: <a href="https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/data-tables/permalink/26b94e77-f63c-4287-48d9-08dbdfb23d99" target="_blank">https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/data-tables/permalink/26b94e77-f63c-4287-48d9-08dbdfb23d99</a>.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Wantage answering member printed David Johnston grouped question UIN 666 question first answered 14/11/2023 16:51:13 answering member 4761 label Biography information for David Johnston
tabling member	253 label Biography information for Mr Laurence Robertson

1668318

registered interest
date	08/11/2023
answering body	Department for Education
answering dept id	60
answering dept short name	Education
answering dept sort name	Education
hansard heading	Teachers: Recruitment
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made for her policies of difficulties experienced by schools in attracting teachers to take up leadership roles.
tabling member constituency	Tewkesbury
tabling member printed	Mr Laurence Robertson
uin	668
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 14/11/2023 answer text <p>There are now over 468,000 full time equivalent (FTE) teachers in state funded schools in England, which is an increase of 27,000 (6%) since 2010. This makes it the highest number of FTE of teachers since the School Workforce Census began in 2010.</p><p>The Department has put in place a range of measures, including bursaries worth £28,000 tax free and scholarships worth £30,000 tax free, to encourage talented trainees to key subjects such as mathematics, physics, chemistry and computing. The Initial Teacher Training financial incentives package for the 2024/25 recruitment cycle, which incentivises candidates to take teacher training in hard to recruit subjects, is worth up to £196 million, which is an increase of 15 million on the last cycle.</p><p>Teacher retention is key to ensuring effective teacher supply and quality. To support retention, the Department is funding a Levelling Up Premium worth up to £3,000 after tax for mathematics, physics, chemistry and computing teachers in the first five years of their careers who choose to work in disadvantaged schools, including in Education Investment Areas. For 2024/25 and 2025/26, the Department will be providing around £100 million each year to double the rates of the Levelling Up Premium to up to £6,000 after tax.</p><p>On 13 July, the Department announced that it is accepting the School Teachers Review Body’s recommendations for the 2023/24 pay award for teachers and leaders. This means that teachers and leaders in maintained schools received a pay award of 6.5%, which is the highest pay award for teachers in over 30 years. This delivers the Government’s manifesto commitment for school teachers in all regions of the country to have a starting salary of at least £30,000.</p><p>The Department has also launched a new and updated suite of National Professional Qualifications (NPQs) for teachers and school leaders at all levels, designed for those who want to develop expertise in high quality teaching practice to those leading multiple schools across trusts. Four leadership NPQs are available to help boost leaders’ existing knowledge and confidence as they progress into more senior roles. This includes an NPQ in Headship (NPQH), Executive Leadership (NPQEL), Senior Leadership (NPQSL) and Early Years Leadership (NPQEYL). An Early Headship Coaching offer (EHCO) is also available to professionals who are new to the role of headship.</p><p>The qualifications are part of a wider set of teacher development reforms. These qualifications sit alongside the support, training and development which is available through the entirety of a teacher’s career.</p> answering member constituency Wantage answering member printed David Johnston grouped question UIN 669 question first answered 14/11/2023 17:11:39 answering member 4761 label Biography information for David Johnston
tabling member	253 label Biography information for Mr Laurence Robertson

1668320

registered interest
date	08/11/2023
answering body	Department for Education
answering dept id	60
answering dept short name	Education
answering dept sort name	Education
hansard heading	Teachers: Labour Turnover
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to help schools improve the (a) recruitment and (b) retention of teachers.
tabling member constituency	Tewkesbury
tabling member printed	Mr Laurence Robertson
uin	669
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 14/11/2023 answer text <p>There are now over 468,000 full time equivalent (FTE) teachers in state funded schools in England, which is an increase of 27,000 (6%) since 2010. This makes it the highest number of FTE of teachers since the School Workforce Census began in 2010.</p><p>The Department has put in place a range of measures, including bursaries worth £28,000 tax free and scholarships worth £30,000 tax free, to encourage talented trainees to key subjects such as mathematics, physics, chemistry and computing. The Initial Teacher Training financial incentives package for the 2024/25 recruitment cycle, which incentivises candidates to take teacher training in hard to recruit subjects, is worth up to £196 million, which is an increase of 15 million on the last cycle.</p><p>Teacher retention is key to ensuring effective teacher supply and quality. To support retention, the Department is funding a Levelling Up Premium worth up to £3,000 after tax for mathematics, physics, chemistry and computing teachers in the first five years of their careers who choose to work in disadvantaged schools, including in Education Investment Areas. For 2024/25 and 2025/26, the Department will be providing around £100 million each year to double the rates of the Levelling Up Premium to up to £6,000 after tax.</p><p>On 13 July, the Department announced that it is accepting the School Teachers Review Body’s recommendations for the 2023/24 pay award for teachers and leaders. This means that teachers and leaders in maintained schools received a pay award of 6.5%, which is the highest pay award for teachers in over 30 years. This delivers the Government’s manifesto commitment for school teachers in all regions of the country to have a starting salary of at least £30,000.</p><p>The Department has also launched a new and updated suite of National Professional Qualifications (NPQs) for teachers and school leaders at all levels, designed for those who want to develop expertise in high quality teaching practice to those leading multiple schools across trusts. Four leadership NPQs are available to help boost leaders’ existing knowledge and confidence as they progress into more senior roles. This includes an NPQ in Headship (NPQH), Executive Leadership (NPQEL), Senior Leadership (NPQSL) and Early Years Leadership (NPQEYL). An Early Headship Coaching offer (EHCO) is also available to professionals who are new to the role of headship.</p><p>The qualifications are part of a wider set of teacher development reforms. These qualifications sit alongside the support, training and development which is available through the entirety of a teacher’s career.</p> answering member constituency Wantage answering member printed David Johnston grouped question UIN 668 question first answered 14/11/2023 17:11:39 answering member 4761 label Biography information for David Johnston
tabling member	253 label Biography information for Mr Laurence Robertson

1668332

registered interest
date	08/11/2023
answering body	Department for Education
answering dept id	60
answering dept short name	Education
answering dept sort name	Education
hansard heading	Children: Neurodiversity
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what recent progress her Department has made towards strengthening (a) early intervention and (b) support for children with neurodivergent conditions in schools.
tabling member constituency	West Suffolk
tabling member printed	Matt Hancock
uin	775
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 17/11/2023 answer text <p>The department wants all children and young people, no matter what their Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) to receive the right support to reach their full potential.</p><p>Under the Children and Families Act 2014, mainstream schools and colleges must use their best endeavours to ensure that a child or young person who has Special Educational Needs (SEN) gets the special educational provision they need. The SEND Code of Practice is clear that meeting the needs of a child with SEN does not require a diagnostic label or test. Instead, the department expects teachers to monitor the progress of all children and young people and provide support where it is needed, including arranging diagnostic tests where appropriate.</p><p>To support all teachers in meeting these expectations, the department is implementing teacher training reforms. These reforms are designed to ensure that teachers have the skills to support all pupils to succeed, including those with SEND. Since 2020, the Initial Teacher Training Core Content Framework (CCF) has included content on adapting teaching to the strengths and needs of all pupils. The department is conducting a review of the CCF and Early Career Framework, which will consider further opportunities to improve how the frameworks support new teachers to meet the needs of pupils with SEND.</p><p>The department’s Universal Services (US) contract brings together SEND-specific continuous professional development and support for the teaching workforce to improve outcomes for children and young people. This includes autism awareness training and resources. Over 100,000 professionals have undertaken autism awareness training since the US programme launched.</p><p>The 2023 SEND and Alternative Provision Improvement Plan outlines the department’s vision to improve mainstream education by setting standards for the early and accurate identification of need, and timely access to support to meet those needs. The standards will clarify the types of support that should be ordinarily available in mainstream settings and practitioner standards will be developed to support frontline professionals. The first three practitioner standards will be published by the end of 2025 and will include one on autism. To inform this, analysts and policy officials keep under review all evidence-based good practice, including international evidence.</p><p>The 2021 Autism Strategy sets out the government’s ambition to make significant progress on improving early identification, reducing diagnosis waiting times and improving diagnostic pathways for all people, including children and young people. The Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) is taking steps to improve access to assessments for autism. In 2023/24, DHSC allocated £4.2 million to improve services for autistic children and young people including assessments, pre- and post-diagnostic support, and the continuation of the Autism in Schools programme. Additionally, in April 2023, NHS England published a national framework to support the local NHS to commission and deliver autism assessment services for children, young people, and adults.</p><p>The department has not undertaken an assessment of the effectiveness of universal screening for neurodivergent conditions. However, from 2019, the department’s Opportunity Area programme invested £600,000 in a pilot to deliver earlier identification and faster assessment of autism, by connecting teachers and health professionals in schools. The pilot began in Bradford and was subsequently adopted by four other Opportunity Areas. The University of Manchester has been commissioned to evaluate the Early Identification of Autism Projects, and their report is due by the end of November 2023. Bradford’s Centre for Applied Education Research is drawing on the learning from the pilot to build and test a new digital tool to help Key Stage 1 teachers to identify and respond to learning and support needs of neurodivergent children in the classroom.</p> answering member constituency Wantage answering member printed David Johnston grouped question UIN 776 777 778 780 781 782 question first answered 17/11/2023 09:58:25 answering member 4761 label Biography information for David Johnston
tabling member	4070 label Biography information for Matt Hancock

1668333

registered interest
date	08/11/2023
answering body	Department for Education
answering dept id	60
answering dept short name	Education
answering dept sort name	Education
hansard heading	Children: Neurodiversity
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to support the early identification of neurodivergent conditions in students within the education system.
tabling member constituency	West Suffolk
tabling member printed	Matt Hancock
uin	776
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 17/11/2023 answer text <p>The department wants all children and young people, no matter what their Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) to receive the right support to reach their full potential.</p><p>Under the Children and Families Act 2014, mainstream schools and colleges must use their best endeavours to ensure that a child or young person who has Special Educational Needs (SEN) gets the special educational provision they need. The SEND Code of Practice is clear that meeting the needs of a child with SEN does not require a diagnostic label or test. Instead, the department expects teachers to monitor the progress of all children and young people and provide support where it is needed, including arranging diagnostic tests where appropriate.</p><p>To support all teachers in meeting these expectations, the department is implementing teacher training reforms. These reforms are designed to ensure that teachers have the skills to support all pupils to succeed, including those with SEND. Since 2020, the Initial Teacher Training Core Content Framework (CCF) has included content on adapting teaching to the strengths and needs of all pupils. The department is conducting a review of the CCF and Early Career Framework, which will consider further opportunities to improve how the frameworks support new teachers to meet the needs of pupils with SEND.</p><p>The department’s Universal Services (US) contract brings together SEND-specific continuous professional development and support for the teaching workforce to improve outcomes for children and young people. This includes autism awareness training and resources. Over 100,000 professionals have undertaken autism awareness training since the US programme launched.</p><p>The 2023 SEND and Alternative Provision Improvement Plan outlines the department’s vision to improve mainstream education by setting standards for the early and accurate identification of need, and timely access to support to meet those needs. The standards will clarify the types of support that should be ordinarily available in mainstream settings and practitioner standards will be developed to support frontline professionals. The first three practitioner standards will be published by the end of 2025 and will include one on autism. To inform this, analysts and policy officials keep under review all evidence-based good practice, including international evidence.</p><p>The 2021 Autism Strategy sets out the government’s ambition to make significant progress on improving early identification, reducing diagnosis waiting times and improving diagnostic pathways for all people, including children and young people. The Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) is taking steps to improve access to assessments for autism. In 2023/24, DHSC allocated £4.2 million to improve services for autistic children and young people including assessments, pre- and post-diagnostic support, and the continuation of the Autism in Schools programme. Additionally, in April 2023, NHS England published a national framework to support the local NHS to commission and deliver autism assessment services for children, young people, and adults.</p><p>The department has not undertaken an assessment of the effectiveness of universal screening for neurodivergent conditions. However, from 2019, the department’s Opportunity Area programme invested £600,000 in a pilot to deliver earlier identification and faster assessment of autism, by connecting teachers and health professionals in schools. The pilot began in Bradford and was subsequently adopted by four other Opportunity Areas. The University of Manchester has been commissioned to evaluate the Early Identification of Autism Projects, and their report is due by the end of November 2023. Bradford’s Centre for Applied Education Research is drawing on the learning from the pilot to build and test a new digital tool to help Key Stage 1 teachers to identify and respond to learning and support needs of neurodivergent children in the classroom.</p> answering member constituency Wantage answering member printed David Johnston grouped question UIN 775 777 778 780 781 782 question first answered 17/11/2023 09:58:25 answering member 4761 label Biography information for David Johnston
tabling member	4070 label Biography information for Matt Hancock