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1612766

registered interest
date	20/04/2023
answering body	Department for Education
answering dept id	60
answering dept short name	Education
answering dept sort name	Education
hansard heading	Special Educational Needs: Training
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of amending the SEND and alternative provision improvement plan, published on 2 March 2023, to require training on special educational needs and disabilities to be included in the continuing professional development of all classroom staff.
tabling member constituency	Washington and Sunderland West
tabling member printed	Mrs Sharon Hodgson
uin	181918
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 02/05/2023 answer text <p>High-quality teaching is central to ensuring that pupils with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) are given the best possible opportunity to achieve in their education. The SEND and Alternative Provision (AP) Improvement Plan published on 2 March outlines our approach to building capacity to achieve the behaviours and culture required for the successful implementation of these policy reforms.</p><p>The department has transformed the support and training available to support teachers and leaders at every stage of their career to deliver improved outcomes for young people across the country.</p><p>The golden thread of professional development begins with Initial Teacher Training (ITT) followed by a new two-year induction programme based on the Early Career Framework (ECF), which are designed to support trainees and newly qualified teachers to meet the Teachers’ Standards at the appropriate level. This includes the requirement in Standard 5, that all teachers must have a clear understanding of the needs of all pupils, including, where appropriate those identified as being neurodivergent or other special educational needs.</p><p>The department has publicly committed to reviewing the ITT core content framework and ECF alongside each other into more closely combined frameworks and we will explore how to better support new teachers to meet the needs of pupils with SEND.</p><p>For experienced teachers and leaders, a range of specialist and leadership National Professional Qualifications (NPQs) are available. NPQs are designed to support professionals to hone and develop their existing skills, helping them to become more effective inside and outside the classroom, and ensure they support all pupils to succeed in both mainstream and specialist settings.</p><p>In March 2023, as part of the Improvement Plan for SEND and AP, the department announced plans to introduce a new leadership NPQ for Special Educational Needs Co-ordinators (SENCos). This new NPQ will equip SENCos with the knowledge, practical skills, and leadership expertise to shape their school’s approach to supporting children with SEND.</p> answering member constituency East Surrey answering member printed Claire Coutinho question first answered 02/05/2023 14:44:31 answering member 4806 label Biography information for Claire Coutinho
tabling member	1521 label Biography information for Mrs Sharon Hodgson

1612767

registered interest
date	20/04/2023
answering body	Department for Education
answering dept id	60
answering dept short name	Education
answering dept sort name	Education
hansard heading	Disability and Special Educational Needs: Training
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of amending the SEND and alternative provision improvement plan, published on 2 March 2023, to include a commitment to provide staff training in assistive technologies to all schools.
tabling member constituency	Washington and Sunderland West
tabling member printed	Mrs Sharon Hodgson
uin	181919
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 02/05/2023 answer text <p>High-quality teaching is central to ensuring that pupils with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) are given the best possible opportunity to achieve in their education. The SEND and Alternative Provision Improvement Plan outlines the department’s approach to building the capacity to achieve the behaviours and the culture required for the successful implementation of these policy reforms.</p><p>To support all teachers, the department is implementing a ‘golden thread’ of teacher training reforms which begins with initial teacher training and continues into early career teaching, through to middle and senior leadership. These reforms are designed to ensure teachers have the skills to support all pupils to succeed, including those with SEND.</p><p>The department is expanding training to increase school staff confidence in using assistive technology (AT). Following the promising results of the initial pilot, we are extending assistive technology training to a further 150 maintained schools. The extension, known as the ‘AT Test and Learn’ programme, will teach mainstream school staff how to use AT effectively, with a focus on the technology schools already have available or can easily obtain, such as text-to-speech tools.</p><p>The department wants to build on the learnings from last year’s pilot, where participants reported improved awareness, understanding and confidence in using AT and assessing its effectiveness. By running the AT Test and Learn training over 6 months and commissioning a comprehensive impact evaluation, we will gain a more thorough picture of how AT training can support wider SEND training.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency East Surrey answering member printed Claire Coutinho question first answered 02/05/2023 14:50:59 answering member 4806 label Biography information for Claire Coutinho
tabling member	1521 label Biography information for Mrs Sharon Hodgson

1612546

registered interest
date	19/04/2023
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, with reference to the SEND and Alternative Provision Improvement Plan, published on 2 March 2023, whether her Department plans to confirm the status of pre-existing legislation in areas where National Standards are to be trialled.
tabling member constituency	Washington and Sunderland West
tabling member printed	Mrs Sharon Hodgson
uin	181836
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 02/05/2023 answer text <p>The new National Standards will build on the comprehensive legal framework relevant to children and young people with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) by clarifying what good evidence-based provision looks like, who is responsible for securing it and from what budgets.</p><p>Through the SEND and Alternative Provision Green Paper, the department has identified how important it is that National Standards are evidence-based and that children, young people and their families are able to feed into the development process. We are setting up a steering group of cross sector representatives, that will include parent-carer representatives, to oversee the development of standards. We will test the National Standards in the context of our £70 million Change Programme to ensure they are iterated and set up for success.</p><p>The development of the National Standards may require updates to both the legislation on SEND and to the SEND Code of Practice. The department will publish the National Standards in full for consultation.</p> answering member constituency East Surrey answering member printed Claire Coutinho grouped question UIN 181840 question first answered 02/05/2023 14:43:47 answering member 4806 label Biography information for Claire Coutinho
tabling member	1521 label Biography information for Mrs Sharon Hodgson

1612550

registered interest
date	19/04/2023
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, whether her Department plans to communicate with local authorities and parents in areas where National Standards for SEND provision are being trialled to make it clear that existing legislation including the (a) Equality Act 2010, (b) Children and Families’ Act 2014 and (c) SEND Code of Practice still apply.
tabling member constituency	Washington and Sunderland West
tabling member printed	Mrs Sharon Hodgson
uin	181840
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 02/05/2023 answer text <p>The new National Standards will build on the comprehensive legal framework relevant to children and young people with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) by clarifying what good evidence-based provision looks like, who is responsible for securing it and from what budgets.</p><p>Through the SEND and Alternative Provision Green Paper, the department has identified how important it is that National Standards are evidence-based and that children, young people and their families are able to feed into the development process. We are setting up a steering group of cross sector representatives, that will include parent-carer representatives, to oversee the development of standards. We will test the National Standards in the context of our £70 million Change Programme to ensure they are iterated and set up for success.</p><p>The development of the National Standards may require updates to both the legislation on SEND and to the SEND Code of Practice. The department will publish the National Standards in full for consultation.</p> answering member constituency East Surrey answering member printed Claire Coutinho grouped question UIN 181836 question first answered 02/05/2023 14:43:47 answering member 4806 label Biography information for Claire Coutinho
tabling member	1521 label Biography information for Mrs Sharon Hodgson

1612552

registered interest
date	19/04/2023
answering body	Department for Education
answering dept id	60
answering dept short name	Education
answering dept sort name	Education
hansard heading	Pre-school Education: Special Educational Needs
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether staff who receive the Early Years Level 3 SENCo qualification as part of the SEND and Alternative Provision Plan will be expected to train colleagues on how to identity and take early action for children with special educational needs; and whether her Department has made an assessment of the suitability of Level 3 in achieving that objective.
tabling member constituency	Washington and Sunderland West
tabling member printed	Mrs Sharon Hodgson
uin	181842
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 02/05/2023 answer text <p>The early years (EY) Level 3 SENCO qualification is designed to equip early years Special Educational Needs Coordinators (SENCOs) to fulfil the role of EY SENCO as described in the special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) code of practice. At section 5.54, the code of practice requires EY SENCOs to ensure that all practitioners in their setting understand their responsibilities to children with SEND, the setting’s approach to identifying and meeting special educational needs, and to provide advice and support to colleagues.</p><p>The qualification offered by the training provider is accredited by an Ofqual-registered awarding organisation, NCFE. Part of achieving and maintaining accreditation is demonstrating delivery of NCFE’s qualification specification, which includes a range of modules designed to equip SENCOs to fulfil the role of EY SENCO as described in the SEND code of practice.</p> answering member constituency East Surrey answering member printed Claire Coutinho question first answered 02/05/2023 14:47:44 answering member 4806 label Biography information for Claire Coutinho
tabling member	1521 label Biography information for Mrs Sharon Hodgson

1612553

registered interest
date	19/04/2023
answering body	Department for Education
answering dept id	60
answering dept short name	Education
answering dept sort name	Education
hansard heading	Special Educational Needs: Teachers
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Education, for what reason her Department is proposing to replace the Level 7 NASENCo qualification with a new SENCo NPQ.
tabling member constituency	Washington and Sunderland West
tabling member printed	Mrs Sharon Hodgson
uin	181843
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 02/05/2023 answer text <p>The department consulted on the proposal to introduce a new leadership National Professional Qualification (NPQ) for Special Educational Needs Coordinators (SENCOs) to replace the existing qualification through the Special Educational Needs and Disability (SEND) and Alternative Provision (AP) Green Paper. As set out in the SEND and AP Improvement Plan, published on 2 March 2023, the department will be proceeding with the proposal and the NPQ for SENCOs will become the mandatory qualification.</p><p>The introduction of the NPQ will play a key role in achieving our ambition to improve outcomes for children and young people with SEND by ensuring SENCOs consistently receive high-quality, evidence-based training.</p><p>NPQs are designed to provide training and support for education professionals at all levels and deliver improved outcomes for children and young people. They are built with education professionals in mind, using the latest and best available evidence with content and delivery quality assured by Ofsted and the Education Endowment Foundation. A leadership NPQ will also empower SENCOs to take on leadership roles within their settings, providing the essential knowledge and skills needed to set the strategic direction of SEN policy in a school.</p> answering member constituency East Surrey answering member printed Claire Coutinho question first answered 02/05/2023 14:46:25 answering member 4806 label Biography information for Claire Coutinho
tabling member	1521 label Biography information for Mrs Sharon Hodgson

1612555

registered interest
date	19/04/2023
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, if her Department will take steps to ensure that people identified as having a special educational need in the education system can access the appropriate support when looking for employment in adult life.
tabling member constituency	Washington and Sunderland West
tabling member printed	Mrs Sharon Hodgson
uin	181845
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 02/05/2023 answer text <p>The department wants to provide all young people with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) with good opportunities which allow them to transition from education into a fulfilling adult life.</p><p>On 2 March 2023, we published the SEND and Alternative Provision (AP) Improvement Plan, in response to the Green Paper published in March 2022. This outlines the department’s mission for the SEND and AP system to fulfil children and young people’s potential, build parent’s trust and provide financial sustainability.</p><p>The department is developing good practice guidance to support consistent, timely, high-quality transitions for children and young people with SEND and in AP. This will ultimately look at transitions between all stages of education from early years and will focus initially on transitions into and out of post-16 settings, including into employment.</p><p>The department is also supporting the Department for Work and Pensions to develop an Adjustments Passport that will help to smooth the transition into employment and support people changing jobs. The Adjustments Passport will capture the in-work support needs of the individual and empower them to have confident discussions about adjustments with employers.</p><p>The government is committed to supporting pathways to employment for disabled learners, including through strengthening the Supported Internships Programme. We are investing approximately £18 million until 2025 to build capacity in the Supported Internships Programme and level up the quality of internships across the country. As part of this investment, over 700 job coaches will be trained by 2025 to ensure interns receive high-quality support on their work placements.</p><p>In the Spring Budget 2023, my right hon. Friend, the Chancellor of the Exchequer, announced up to £3 million to pilot extending the Supported Internships Programme to young people with learning difficulties and disabilities, but without Education, Health and Care plans.</p> answering member constituency East Surrey answering member printed Claire Coutinho question first answered 02/05/2023 14:42:24 answering member 4806 label Biography information for Claire Coutinho
tabling member	1521 label Biography information for Mrs Sharon Hodgson

1612560

registered interest
date	19/04/2023
answering body	Department for Education
answering dept id	60
answering dept short name	Education
answering dept sort name	Education
hansard heading	Teachers: Training
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether the Government's commitment to ensure the ITT Core Content and Early Career Frameworks are up to date and fit for purpose includes an amendment to add specific reference to dyslexia to those frameworks.
tabling member constituency	Washington and Sunderland West
tabling member printed	Mrs Sharon Hodgson
uin	181850
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 27/04/2023 answer text <p>The Department knows that quality teaching is the most important in-school factor in improving outcomes for all children, particularly those with additional needs. From September 2020, all new teachers have benefited from at least three years of evidence-based professional development and support, starting with Initial Teacher Training (ITT) based on the new ITT Core Content Framework (CCF), and followed by a new two-year induction underpinned by the Early Career Framework (ECF). These reforms support the Department’s ambition that all new teachers starting in the profession learn how to meet the needs of all pupils, including those with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND).</p><p>Both the CCF and ECF were based on the most up to date research into excellent teaching practice and have been independently reviewed by the Education Endowment Foundation.</p><p>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. This includes the requirement in Standard 1, that teachers must set goals that stretch and challenge pupils of all backgrounds, abilities and dispositions, as well as Standard 5, that all teachers must have a clear understanding of the needs of all pupils, including those with special educational needs, and be able to adapt teaching to respond to those strengths and needs.</p><p>When launching the CCF and ECF, the Department committed to updating the frameworks as research progresses. The Department is reviewing and revising the ITT CCF and ECF into more closely combined frameworks which 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 how to do it. The Department is building on what we have learned from the first few years of CCF implementation and ECF delivery and this will include identifying opportunities to improve how the frameworks can support new teachers to be more confident in meeting the needs of pupils with SEND, including those with dyslexia.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Bognor Regis and Littlehampton answering member printed Nick Gibb question first answered 27/04/2023 13:51:34 answering member 111 label Biography information for Nick Gibb
tabling member	1521 label Biography information for Mrs Sharon Hodgson

1610253

registered interest
date	14/04/2023
answering body	Department for Education
answering dept id	60
answering dept short name	Education
answering dept sort name	Education
hansard heading	Free School Meals: Finance
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether she plans to provide additional funding (a) for increased (i) food and (ii) labour costs for school meal caterers and (b) to increase (A) universal infant free school meal and (B) free school meal funding in line with inflation.
tabling member constituency	Washington and Sunderland West
tabling member printed	Mrs Sharon Hodgson
uin	180386
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 24/04/2023 answer text <p>The Department recognises the cost pressures that some schools and suppliers may be facing. The Department is holding regular meetings with other Government Departments and with food industry representatives, covering a variety of issues including public sector food supplies.</p><p>Following the 2022 Autumn Statement, schools will receive an additional £2 billion in each of the 2023/24 and 2024/25 academic years. The core schools’ budget, which covers schools’ day-to-day running costs, including schools’ energy bills and the costs of providing income-related free school meals (FSM), has risen from £49.8 billion in 2021/22 to £53.8 billion in 2022/23 and will continue to rise to £57.3 billion in 2023/24 and £58.8 billion in 2024/25. By 2024/25, funding per pupil will have risen to its highest ever level in real terms. These increases provide support to schools to deal with the impact of inflation on their budgets.</p><p>The Department is continuing to review funding to ensure that schools continue to be able to provide healthy and nutritious meals in schools. The funding for the FSM factor is increasing by 2.4% for 2023/24, in line with the latest available Gross Domestic Product deflator forecast when the National Funding Formula was published in July 2022.</p><p>Universal Infant Free School Meals (UIFSM) are funded through a direct grant to schools. In June 2022, the Government announced an increase to the per pupil meal rate in UIFSM to £2.41. This was backdated, recognising the cost pressures schools and some suppliers may be experiencing.</p><p>The standards for school food are set out in the requirements for school food regulations 2014 and are designed to ensure that schools provide children with healthy food and drink options, and to make sure that children get the energy and nutrition they need throughout the school day. Schools also have flexibility under the Standards to substitute food and regularly update and change menus. They may make changes if ingredients or meals are not readily available.</p><p>Schools are responsible for the provision of school meals and most contract with private sector caterers to manage this on their behalf. It is for schools and caterers to decide what is an appropriate portion and to balance the food served across the school week. Guidance to accompany the School Food Standards includes guidance on portion sizes and food groups.</p><p> </p><p> </p> answering member constituency Bognor Regis and Littlehampton answering member printed Nick Gibb grouped question UIN 180387 180388 question first answered 24/04/2023 12:26:55 answering member 111 label Biography information for Nick Gibb
tabling member	1521 label Biography information for Mrs Sharon Hodgson

1610254

registered interest
date	14/04/2023
answering body	Department for Education
answering dept id	60
answering dept short name	Education
answering dept sort name	Education
hansard heading	School Meals
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 potential impact of food inflation on the ability of school meal caterers to deliver (a) hot, (b) freshly-prepared and (c) nutritionally-balanced meals.
tabling member constituency	Washington and Sunderland West
tabling member printed	Mrs Sharon Hodgson
uin	180387
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 24/04/2023 answer text <p>The Department recognises the cost pressures that some schools and suppliers may be facing. The Department is holding regular meetings with other Government Departments and with food industry representatives, covering a variety of issues including public sector food supplies.</p><p>Following the 2022 Autumn Statement, schools will receive an additional £2 billion in each of the 2023/24 and 2024/25 academic years. The core schools’ budget, which covers schools’ day-to-day running costs, including schools’ energy bills and the costs of providing income-related free school meals (FSM), has risen from £49.8 billion in 2021/22 to £53.8 billion in 2022/23 and will continue to rise to £57.3 billion in 2023/24 and £58.8 billion in 2024/25. By 2024/25, funding per pupil will have risen to its highest ever level in real terms. These increases provide support to schools to deal with the impact of inflation on their budgets.</p><p>The Department is continuing to review funding to ensure that schools continue to be able to provide healthy and nutritious meals in schools. The funding for the FSM factor is increasing by 2.4% for 2023/24, in line with the latest available Gross Domestic Product deflator forecast when the National Funding Formula was published in July 2022.</p><p>Universal Infant Free School Meals (UIFSM) are funded through a direct grant to schools. In June 2022, the Government announced an increase to the per pupil meal rate in UIFSM to £2.41. This was backdated, recognising the cost pressures schools and some suppliers may be experiencing.</p><p>The standards for school food are set out in the requirements for school food regulations 2014 and are designed to ensure that schools provide children with healthy food and drink options, and to make sure that children get the energy and nutrition they need throughout the school day. Schools also have flexibility under the Standards to substitute food and regularly update and change menus. They may make changes if ingredients or meals are not readily available.</p><p>Schools are responsible for the provision of school meals and most contract with private sector caterers to manage this on their behalf. It is for schools and caterers to decide what is an appropriate portion and to balance the food served across the school week. Guidance to accompany the School Food Standards includes guidance on portion sizes and food groups.</p><p> </p><p> </p> answering member constituency Bognor Regis and Littlehampton answering member printed Nick Gibb grouped question UIN 180386 180388 question first answered 24/04/2023 12:26:55 answering member 111 label Biography information for Nick Gibb
tabling member	1521 label Biography information for Mrs Sharon Hodgson