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1719796

registered interest
date	21/05/2024
answering body	Department for Education
answering dept id	60
answering dept short name	Education
answering dept sort name	Education
hansard heading	Nurseries: Government Assistance
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether she has made an assessment of the potential merits of increasing Government (a) financial and (b) other support for people looking to open new nurseries.
tabling member constituency	Eastbourne
tabling member printed	Caroline Ansell
uin	27478
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 24/05/2024 answer text <p>It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.</p> answering member constituency Wantage answering member printed David Johnston question first answered 24/05/2024 13:18:29 answering member 4761 label Biography information for David Johnston
tabling member	4512 label Biography information for Caroline Ansell

1719033

registered interest
date	17/05/2024
answering body	Department for Education
answering dept id	60
answering dept short name	Education
answering dept sort name	Education
hansard heading	Pre-school Education
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 of the potential merits of a curiosity-led learning approach in early years settings.
tabling member constituency	Eastbourne
tabling member printed	Caroline Ansell
uin	26897
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 24/05/2024 answer text <p>The Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) statutory framework sets the standards that all early years providers must meet to ensure that children learn and develop well and are kept healthy and safe. It promotes teaching and learning to give children the right foundation for future progress in school and life. The EYFS defines three characteristics of effective teaching and learning: playing and exploring, active learning and creating and thinking critically. Early years settings have the flexibility to utilise different learning approaches and design their own curriculum, based on the EYFS statutory requirements.</p> answering member constituency Wantage answering member printed David Johnston grouped question UIN 26898 question first answered 24/05/2024 12:57:11 answering member 4761 label Biography information for David Johnston
tabling member	4512 label Biography information for Caroline Ansell

1718047

registered interest
date	14/05/2024
answering body	Department for Education
answering dept id	60
answering dept short name	Education
answering dept sort name	Education
hansard heading	Special Educational Needs
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many (a) children and (b) adults have required a SEND placement in each of the last 20 years.
tabling member constituency	Redditch
tabling member printed	Rachel Maclean
uin	26239
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 22/05/2024 answer text <p>The department recognises that special educational needs (SEN) is a broad term, and that a child is defined as having a SEN if he or she has a learning difficulty or disability which calls for special educational provision to be made for him or her. The Education, Health and Care (EHC) plan process is driven by a child's needs rather than any diagnosis they might have. The EHC needs assessment identifies the child or young person’s SEN, together with any relevant health or social care needs. The local authority, with advice from its partners, then considers whether to issue an EHC plan, which specifies provision to meet each identified need. The ‘SEND code of practice: 0 to 25 years’ makes it clear that meeting the needs of a child or young person with SEN does not require a diagnostic label or test. The ‘SEND code of practice: 0 to 25 years’ can be found here: <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/send-code-of-practice-0-to-25" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/send-code-of-practice-0-to-25</a>.</p><p> </p><p>Local authorities have a statutory responsibility to assess whether children and young people have SEN that requires an EHC plan if they are requested to do so.</p><p>The department does not hold a breakdown by age group of individuals assessed over the last 10 years because the SEN2 collection has changed into an individual level collection from an aggregate level last year. Therefore, there is one year (2022) that shows the number of assessments carried out broken down by single years of age, which is attached.</p><p> </p><p>In terms of figures over time, the number of people assessed for a statement (which were replaced in 2014 by EHC plans, with no new statements since 2015), the number of individuals assessed for an EHC plan, and the number of people assessed where an EHC plan was issued are available at the following link: <a href="https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/data-tables/permalink/b4f6814c-b0da-43d1-0b12-08dc74c3bb80" target="_blank">https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/data-tables/permalink/b4f6814c-b0da-43d1-0b12-08dc74c3bb80</a></p><p> </p><p>The department publishes information about SEN and EHC plans annually on the GOV.UK website. The information for the 2022/23 academic year can be found here: <a href="https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/special-educational-needs-in-england" target="_blank">https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/special-educational-needs-in-england</a>. The data for the 2023 reporting year can be found here: <a href="https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/education-health-and-care-plans" target="_blank">https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/education-health-and-care-plans</a>.</p> answering member constituency Wantage answering member printed David Johnston grouped question UIN 26242 26243 question first answered 22/05/2024 15:26:46 answering member 4761 label Biography information for David Johnston attachment 1 file name 26239 26242 26243 Table attachment.xlsx title 26239_26242_26243_Table_attachment
tabling member	4668 label Biography information for Rachel Maclean

1718052

registered interest
date	14/05/2024
answering body	Department for Education
answering dept id	60
answering dept short name	Education
answering dept sort name	Education
hansard heading	Special Educational Needs
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many (a) school, (b) alternative provision and (c) other places for (i) children and (ii) adults with (A) SEND and (B) an education, health and care plan there were in each of the last 20 years.
tabling member constituency	Redditch
tabling member printed	Rachel Maclean
uin	26244
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 22/05/2024 answer text <p>Data on special educational needs (SEN) provision was collected for the first time in the School Capacity Survey (SCAP) in 2023. Local authorities provided the capacity, as at May 2023, of special schools plus SEN units and resourced provision in mainstream schools. This includes post-16 capacity in secondary specialist provision, where appropriate, and does not include independent or alternative provision. As a new data collection, the department expects the quality of the data returns to improve over time as the collection becomes established. However, it should be noted that all local authorities returned data as requested for this first collection. Data was published as official statistics in development here: <a href="https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/school-capacity" target="_blank">https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/school-capacity</a>.</p><p> </p><p>There were 148,000 special school places reported in 2022/23, including 60,000 primary places and 88,000 secondary. This is alongside 9,000 places in SEN units, of which 6,000 were in primary schools and 3,000 in secondary, and 18,000 places in resourced provision, of which 10,000 were in primary schools and 8,000 in secondary, in mainstream schools. Data is not available by age. Secondary places in some special schools will include places for some young people over compulsory school age.</p><p> </p><p>The department publishes annual statistics on the number of pupils with SEN support and Education, Health and Care (EHC) plans over time. Due to the request ranging back 20 years, there are three publications required to answer the question. The most recent figures are from the 2022/23 academic year and are available here: <a href="https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/special-educational-needs-in-england" target="_blank">https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/special-educational-needs-in-england</a>. These statistics date back to 2015/16.</p><p> </p><p>Data prior to 2015/16 is available here: <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/special-educational-needs-in-england-january-2015" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/special-educational-needs-in-england-january-2015</a> and data prior to 2007 is available here: <a href="https://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/ukgwa/20070905140107/http:/www.dcsf.gov.uk/rsgateway/DB/SFR/s000661/index.shtml" target="_blank">https://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/ukgwa/20070905140107/http:/www.dcsf.gov.uk/rsgateway/DB/SFR/s000661/index.shtml</a>.</p><p> </p><p>The department does not hold historical trend information on adults with SEN and their placements. This is because the Special Educational Needs survey only accounts for school pupils. Also, the SEN2 collection has changed into an individual level collection from an aggregate level last year.</p> answering member constituency Wantage answering member printed David Johnston question first answered 22/05/2024 15:30:53 answering member 4761 label Biography information for David Johnston
tabling member	4668 label Biography information for Rachel Maclean

1717683

registered interest
date	13/05/2024
answering body	Department for Education
answering dept id	60
answering dept short name	Education
answering dept sort name	Education
hansard heading	Children in Care
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many children in care are moved more than 10 miles away due to a lack of appropriate local care options.
tabling member constituency	St Albans
tabling member printed	Daisy Cooper
uin	25989
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 21/05/2024 answer text <p>The ‘Children looked after in England including adoptions’ 2023 data shows that 70% of children who were looked after on 31 March 2023 were placed within 20 miles of home and 21% were placed over 20 miles from home. This data is published on GOV.UK. Information for the remaining 9% was not known or not recorded. In most cases this will be because the child was an unaccompanied asylum-seeking child but it could also be because the home address was not known or for reasons of confidentiality. Information on reasons why children were placed more than 20 miles from their home is not held centrally by the department.</p><p> </p><p>Sometimes out of area placements are essential to keep a child safe, but the department recognises there are challenges in the children’s social care sector. At the Spring Budget, the government announced a £165 million boost to expand places in secure and open residential children’s homes, on top of the £259 million secured at Spending Review 2021. This takes the total planned investment to over £400 million. This Spring Budget funding is expected to create a further 200 open children’s homes (OCHs) places and rebuild Atkinson and Swanwick secure children’s homes (SCHs). This is in addition to the 95 new OCHs, providing 360 additional placements, and two brand new regional SCHs in London and West Midlands created by the Spending Review funding. This total investment illustrates the department’s commitment to support councils in continuing to deliver high-quality services to vulnerable children and families.</p> answering member constituency Wantage answering member printed David Johnston question first answered 21/05/2024 11:38:14 answering member 4761 label Biography information for David Johnston
tabling member	4769 label Biography information for Daisy Cooper

1717179

registered interest
date	10/05/2024
answering body	Department for Education
answering dept id	60
answering dept short name	Education
answering dept sort name	Education
hansard heading	Care Homes: Children
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to the Care Standards Act 2000, what the annual spend on children's homes was in each of the last 20 years.
tabling member constituency	Redditch
tabling member printed	Rachel Maclean
uin	25684
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 20/05/2024 answer text <p>Spend on children’s homes takes place at a Local Authority (LA) level. Annual LA expenditure statistics based on Section 251 (Outturn) returns are available at: <a href="https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/la-and-school-expenditure" target="_blank">https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/la-and-school-expenditure</a>.</p><p>Within this release, expenditure on children looked after in residential care shows the spend on children’s homes. Residential care expenditure includes expenditure on residential care in voluntary children’s and registered children’s homes as defined in the Children Act 1989, which can be found here: <a href="https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1989/41/contents" target="_blank">https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1989/41/contents</a>.</p><p>The latest publication on 25 January 2024 providers cumulative expenditure data for LAs in England from the 2015/16 to 2022/23 financial years.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Wantage answering member printed David Johnston question first answered 20/05/2024 15:46:03 answering member 4761 label Biography information for David Johnston
tabling member	4668 label Biography information for Rachel Maclean

1717180

registered interest
date	10/05/2024
answering body	Department for Education
answering dept id	60
answering dept short name	Education
answering dept sort name	Education
hansard heading	Special Educational Needs
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what the average annual cost per child of an education, health and care plan was in each of the last 10 years.
tabling member constituency	Redditch
tabling member printed	Rachel Maclean
uin	25685
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 20/05/2024 answer text <p>The department does not hold this information. <br> <br> However, the department is reforming the special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) system so that, where children require an Education, Health and Care (EHC) plan and specialist provision, they get access to the support they need and parents do not face an adversarial system to secure this. Through Multi-Agency Panels, templates and supporting materials for the EHC plan process, tailored lists and strengthened mediation arrangements, the department’s SEND reforms focus on:</p><ul><li>Improving the quality of EHC plans and making the process more consistent.</li><li>Reducing conflicts through better co-production.</li><li>Improving the outcomes of children and young people.</li></ul><p> </p><p>The department is also significantly increasing the high needs budget, which is worth £10.54 billion by 2024/25 and worth 60% more than in 2019/20.</p> answering member constituency Wantage answering member printed David Johnston question first answered 20/05/2024 15:51:15 answering member 4761 label Biography information for David Johnston
tabling member	4668 label Biography information for Rachel Maclean

1715172

registered interest
date	01/05/2024
answering body	Department for Education
answering dept id	60
answering dept short name	Education
answering dept sort name	Education
hansard heading	Special Educational Needs: Autism
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 young people with autism spectrum conditions who have education otherwise than at school plans.
tabling member constituency	Bristol North West
tabling member printed	Darren Jones
uin	24512
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 10/05/2024 answer text <p>Local authorities provide support to certain children and young people with special educational needs (SEN) through Education, Health and Care (EHC) plans. A local authority may choose, where statutory criteria are met, to make an ‘Education Otherwise than in School’ arrangement, whereby the child or young person with the EHC plan receives special educational support outside of a school or college.</p><p> </p><p>The department are taking steps to improve the special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) system. There are measures in place for the department to support and challenge local authorities to improve their practice. Ofsted and the Care Quality Commission commenced a strengthened local inspection framework in January 2023. Where local authorities are failing, the department works with them, using a range of improvement programmes and SEND specialist advisers to address weaknesses. Inspections under this new framework will place greater emphasis on the outcomes that are being achieved for children and young people with SEND, including those who are autistic.</p><p> </p><p>More generally, as part of the department’s support for autistic young people, the department worked closely with the Department of Health and Social Care to develop a refreshed cross-government Autism Strategy. This was published in July 2021 and includes children and young people. The strategy recognised the progress that has been made, as well as the challenges and priorities for reducing inequalities, and enabling autistic people of all ages to have the same opportunities as everyone else to lead healthy, happy and fulfilling lives. The national strategy sets out the department’s vision to make life fundamentally better for autistic people, their families and carers by 2026.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Wantage answering member printed David Johnston question first answered 10/05/2024 16:42:07 answering member 4761 label Biography information for David Johnston
tabling member	4621 label Biography information for Darren Jones

1714769

registered interest
date	29/04/2024
answering body	Department for Education
answering dept id	60
answering dept short name	Education
answering dept sort name	Education
hansard heading	Social Services: Training
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether her Department has made an assessment of the potential merits of specialist (a) training and (b) accreditation on (i) alcohol and (ii) other drugs for social workers.
tabling member constituency	Stockton North
tabling member printed	Alex Cunningham
uin	24039
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 02/05/2024 answer text <p>The regulator for the social work profession, Social Work England, sets professional standards. These are standards all social workers must meet. The professional standards include that social workers must be able to address social care needs arising from substance misuse. Social workers complete initial education and training and then they are supported by an Assessed and Supported Year in Employment (ASYE). For child and family social workers the ASYE is due to be replaced by an Early Career Framework. Post-qualification training of social workers is the responsibility of employers such as local authorities and the NHS.</p> answering member constituency Wantage answering member printed David Johnston question first answered 02/05/2024 16:56:02 answering member 4761 label Biography information for David Johnston
tabling member	4122 label Biography information for Alex Cunningham

1713474

registered interest
date	24/04/2024
answering body	Department for Education
answering dept id	60
answering dept short name	Education
answering dept sort name	Education
hansard heading	Special Educational Needs
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what recent steps her Department has taken to increase the number of places for (a) children with autism and (b) children with special needs in schools.
tabling member constituency	Preston
tabling member printed	Sir Mark Hendrick
uin	23389
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 02/05/2024 answer text <p>In March 2024, the department announced trusts to run 30 new special free schools, which included 17 designated to cater for pupils with autism. The Spring Budget announced funding for 15 special free schools. The department will announce the location of these new schools in May.</p><p>In March the department also published just under £850 million of High Needs Provision Capital Allocations for the 2023/24 and 2024/25 financial years. This funding forms part of our transformational investment of £2.6 billion in new high needs provision between 2022 and 2025. Local authorities can use the funding to deliver new places in mainstream and special schools, as well as other specialist settings, and to improve the suitability and accessibility of existing buildings.</p> answering member constituency Wantage answering member printed David Johnston question first answered 02/05/2024 16:56:54 answering member 4761 label Biography information for David Johnston
tabling member	473 label Biography information for Sir Mark Hendrick