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1387754

	registered interest
	date	14/12/2021
	answering body	Department for Education
	answering dept id	60
	answering dept short name	Education
	answering dept sort name	Education
	hansard heading	Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder and Autism
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment he has made of the level of demand for (a) specialised training for professionals and education providers working in the autism spectrum disorder and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder sector and (b) support for females diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder.
	tabling member constituency	Lewisham, Deptford
	tabling member printed	Vicky Foxcroft
	uin	92987
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 21/12/2021 answer text <p>The government is committed to addressing the inequalities experienced by autistic people of all ages. Within the new autism strategy, published in July 2021 and extended to children and young people for the first time, we set out how we will continue our programme of developing training and resources for education staff and will consider the issue of identification and support for autistic girls within this. We know that more needs to be done to improve autism identification for girls. That is why, as part of the wider work on improving diagnostic pathways, NHS England/Improvement is looking at ways to improve the quality of diagnosis for girls.</p><p>We also want the public to understand how autism can affect people differently, including the difference in how autistic women and girls present, and to help change people’s behaviour towards autistic people and their families.</p><p>In the strategy’s first year alone, we are investing £74 million to promote a straightforward route to diagnosis, the correct support, increasing understanding and improving access to a quality education and social care. Work is currently underway to deliver on the actions for the first year, set out in our implementation plan (2021- 2022). We are also in the process of putting in place a new governance structure to ensure there is accountability for delivery of the actions in the autism strategy, which we are aiming to establish in the new year.</p><p>£600,000 of this funding has gone towards the department’s contract with the Autism Education Trust (AET) for 2021/22, to deliver autism awareness training to education staff in early years, schools and further education settings. This contract has been provided annually since 2011, and has so far reached more than 305,000 people across the country.</p><p>Through this contract with the AET, the department has funded the development of Good Autism Practice Guidance for education settings. This includes a focus on attending to the strengths, needs and challenges of autistic girls.</p><p>The department has also provided £2 million of funding for the Whole School SEND consortium in 2021/22, through our contract with Nasen. This will continue their wider programme of work to equip the workforce to deliver high quality teaching for all children and young people with SEND, including autism and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, this year.</p><p>Local authorities have a statutory duty to ensure there are sufficient places to meet the needs of children in their care, including autistic children who need to be cared for in a children’s home. Local authorities set their own children’s services budget from their core spending power, based on local need and priorities. This year, 2021-22, councils have access to £51.3 billion core spending power for their services, including a £1.7 billion grant for social care.</p><p>My right hon. Friend, the Chancellor of the Exchequer, announced at Spending Review 2021 that the government will provide local authorities with £4.8 billion of new grant funding over the next Spending Review period, which is intended to help meet the costs of delivering care for our most vulnerable children.</p> answering member constituency Colchester answering member printed Will Quince grouped question UIN 92989 question first answered 21/12/2021 15:09:57 answering member 4423 label Biography information for Will Quince
	tabling member	4491 label Biography information for Vicky Foxcroft

1387756

	registered interest
	date	14/12/2021
	answering body	Department for Education
	answering dept id	60
	answering dept short name	Education
	answering dept sort name	Education
	hansard heading	Autism
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what recent steps he has taken to progress implementation of the Government's national strategy for autistic children, young people and adults: 2021 to 2026; and what assessment he has made of the adequacy of funding available specifically for girls and women diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder in (a) educational settings and (b) care homes.
	tabling member constituency	Lewisham, Deptford
	tabling member printed	Vicky Foxcroft
	uin	92989
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 21/12/2021 answer text <p>The government is committed to addressing the inequalities experienced by autistic people of all ages. Within the new autism strategy, published in July 2021 and extended to children and young people for the first time, we set out how we will continue our programme of developing training and resources for education staff and will consider the issue of identification and support for autistic girls within this. We know that more needs to be done to improve autism identification for girls. That is why, as part of the wider work on improving diagnostic pathways, NHS England/Improvement is looking at ways to improve the quality of diagnosis for girls.</p><p>We also want the public to understand how autism can affect people differently, including the difference in how autistic women and girls present, and to help change people’s behaviour towards autistic people and their families.</p><p>In the strategy’s first year alone, we are investing £74 million to promote a straightforward route to diagnosis, the correct support, increasing understanding and improving access to a quality education and social care. Work is currently underway to deliver on the actions for the first year, set out in our implementation plan (2021- 2022). We are also in the process of putting in place a new governance structure to ensure there is accountability for delivery of the actions in the autism strategy, which we are aiming to establish in the new year.</p><p>£600,000 of this funding has gone towards the department’s contract with the Autism Education Trust (AET) for 2021/22, to deliver autism awareness training to education staff in early years, schools and further education settings. This contract has been provided annually since 2011, and has so far reached more than 305,000 people across the country.</p><p>Through this contract with the AET, the department has funded the development of Good Autism Practice Guidance for education settings. This includes a focus on attending to the strengths, needs and challenges of autistic girls.</p><p>The department has also provided £2 million of funding for the Whole School SEND consortium in 2021/22, through our contract with Nasen. This will continue their wider programme of work to equip the workforce to deliver high quality teaching for all children and young people with SEND, including autism and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, this year.</p><p>Local authorities have a statutory duty to ensure there are sufficient places to meet the needs of children in their care, including autistic children who need to be cared for in a children’s home. Local authorities set their own children’s services budget from their core spending power, based on local need and priorities. This year, 2021-22, councils have access to £51.3 billion core spending power for their services, including a £1.7 billion grant for social care.</p><p>My right hon. Friend, the Chancellor of the Exchequer, announced at Spending Review 2021 that the government will provide local authorities with £4.8 billion of new grant funding over the next Spending Review period, which is intended to help meet the costs of delivering care for our most vulnerable children.</p> answering member constituency Colchester answering member printed Will Quince grouped question UIN 92987 question first answered 21/12/2021 15:09:57 answering member 4423 label Biography information for Will Quince
	tabling member	4491 label Biography information for Vicky Foxcroft

1403911

	registered interest
	date	18/01/2022
	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 assessment he has made of the adequacy of funding for SEN support in schools for the purposes of ensuring that autistic children who do not have an education health and care plan are supported.
	tabling member constituency	Lewisham, Deptford
	tabling member printed	Vicky Foxcroft
	uin	106797
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 25/01/2022 answer text <p>The majority of children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) do not have an education, health and care plan and are supported by their schools from the allocations of funding they receive for all their pupils. We have announced that significant additional funding is being made available for schools.</p><p>In financial year 2022-23 alone, core schools funding will increase by £4 billion compared to financial year 2021-22, a 5% real terms per pupil boost. This total includes a £2.5 billion increase in mainstream school funding for 5 to 16 year olds in financial year 2022-23, compared to this financial year 2021-22. This is equivalent to an average 5.8% cash increase, or £300, per pupil – with each local authority forecast to see at least a 4.7% increase per pupil for the mainstream schools in their area.</p><p>The national funding formula continues to distribute this funding fairly, based on the needs of schools and their pupil cohorts. It is provided to cover mainstream schools’ core spending, including support for pupils with low to mid-level SEND. Regulations require local authorities to identify such an amount within each school’s budget, and to calculate that amount using a sum of £6,000 (per pupil) as the threshold below which the school will be expected to meet the additional costs of pupils with special educational needs from its core budget, before accessing further high needs top-up funding from the local authority. It remains for individual schools to determine the best use of the funds available to them, to support all their pupils, including those with SEND.</p><p>Alongside additional funding, we have made significant progress with the SEND Review and my right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Education, committed, at the 3 November 2021 Education Select Committee, that in the first three months of this year we would publish proposals for full public consultation.</p> answering member constituency Colchester answering member printed Will Quince question first answered 25/01/2022 16:33:04 answering member 4423 label Biography information for Will Quince
	tabling member	4491 label Biography information for Vicky Foxcroft

1403913

	registered interest
	date	18/01/2022
	answering body	Department for Education
	answering dept id	60
	answering dept short name	Education
	answering dept sort name	Education
	hansard heading	Education: Coronavirus
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether he has made an estimate of the number of (a) autistic children and young people and (b) other pupils in Lewisham Deptford that have yet to return to full-time education as a result of covid-19.
	tabling member constituency	Lewisham, Deptford
	tabling member printed	Vicky Foxcroft
	uin	106799
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 25/01/2022 answer text <p>We do not collect data on the attendance of children and young people broken down by specific conditions. Statistics on attendance during the COVID-19 outbreak can be found here: <a href="https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/attendance-in-education-and-early-years-settings-during-the-coronavirus-covid-19-outbreak" target="_blank">https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/attendance-in-education-and-early-years-settings-during-the-coronavirus-covid-19-outbreak</a>.</p><p>The department collects data on the total number of children that are absent each day from school due to any reason relating to COVID-19. As we collect the total number of students absent from school, we are unable to determine if the same pupil is absent on consecutive days, so are unable to provide a total for the number of pupils that are yet to return to full-time education because of COVID-19.</p><p>Throughout the COVID-19 outbreak, we have published and updated guidance for special schools, special post-16 providers and alternative provision to provide additional information and support for delivering education in these settings. This is clear that regular attendance at school, both special and mainstream, is vital for children’s education, wellbeing and long-term development and school attendance has been mandatory since the end of the last national lockdown. Our guidance is available here: <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/guidance-for-full-opening-special-schools-and-other-specialist-settings" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/guidance-for-full-opening-special-schools-and-other-specialist-settings</a>.</p><p>To support this, we recommend that leaders in education work collaboratively with families to reassure them and to help their child engage with their everyday activities. Discussions should have a collaborative approach, focusing on the welfare of the child or young person and responding to the concerns of the parent, carer, or young person.</p><p>Any families with concerns about their child’s health should speak with their child’s GP or health care team for advice and guidance.</p> answering member constituency Colchester answering member printed Will Quince question first answered 25/01/2022 16:08:27 answering member 4423 label Biography information for Will Quince
	tabling member	4491 label Biography information for Vicky Foxcroft

1417274

	registered interest
	date	27/01/2022
	answering body	Department for Education
	answering dept id	60
	answering dept short name	Education
	answering dept sort name	Education
	hansard heading	Special Educational Needs: Unpaid Work
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to Part One of the National Disability Strategy, published 28 July 2021, what recent steps his Department has to improve supported internships in England.
	tabling member constituency	Lewisham, Deptford
	tabling member printed	Vicky Foxcroft
	uin	113208
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 03/02/2022 answer text <p>In the National Disability Strategy, we committed to supporting pathways to employment for learners with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND), including strengthening the Supported Internship Programme. We have recently announced investment of up to £18 million, aiming to double the capacity of this programme to help more young people with an education, health and care plan gain the skills they need to secure and sustain paid employment. We have also updated the Supported Internship Programme guidance, and through our contract/grant delivery partners in financial year 2020-21 we are developing a self-assessment quality framework for providers and helping local authorities to develop local supported employment forums. In addition, the Careers and Enterprise Company continues to encourage employers to provide work experience and supported internships for young people with SEND.</p> answering member constituency Colchester answering member printed Will Quince question first answered 03/02/2022 17:21:31 answering member 4423 label Biography information for Will Quince
	tabling member	4491 label Biography information for Vicky Foxcroft

1433805

	registered interest
	date	21/02/2022
	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 assessment he has made of the adequacy of the funding allocated from the high needs budget to young people aged 16-25 years when compared with the proportion of Education Health and Care Plans that are held by people in that age bracket.
	tabling member constituency	Lewisham, Deptford
	tabling member printed	Vicky Foxcroft
	uin	126741
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 01/03/2022 answer text <p>When the high needs funding block of the dedicated schools grant (DSG) was created in 2013/14, it incorporated funding to reflect the costs of support to young people up to age 25. The expected additional cost to local authorities was directly taken into account by:</p><ul><li>moving all funds previously allocated to supporting young people aged 16-25 with high needs through the previous funding system, into the high needs block of the DSG and;</li><li>increasing the high needs block further to reflect the likely increase in numbers of young people requiring high needs funding.</li></ul><p> </p><p>An additional £272 million was allocated to the DSG in the financial year 2013/14, and £390 million in the financial year 2014/15. The difference between the two years lies in the fact that some of the changes relating to funding provision for young people aged over 16 years old with high needs started in August 2013, rather than at the start of the financial year in April 2013.</p><p> </p><p>These increases in the 2013/14 and 2014/15 financial years were consolidated into the funding baseline. This informed the 2015 spending review settlement reached between the department and Her Majesty’s Treasury. Local authorities’ increased spending, including on 16-25-year-olds, was also considered in subsequent decisions on the appropriate level of high needs funding through the DSG, and for informing overall Spending Review settlements.</p><p> </p><p>As a result of the Autumn 2021 Spending Review, the core schools budget will have increased by more than £7 billion by the financial year 2024/25, compared to 2021/22. High needs funding for children and young people with complex needs is increasing in the next financial year 2022/23 by £1 billion to over £9.1 billion. This unprecedented increase in high needs funding of 13% in the financial year 2022/23, compared to 2021/22, comes in addition to the £1.5 billion increase over the last two years. It will continue to support local authorities and schools with the increasing costs they are facing.</p><p> </p><p>In 2017, the department produced guidance for local authorities about education, health and care (EHC) plans for 19 to 25-year-olds with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND). This non-statutory guidance is primarily for local authorities. It aims to support them in making fair and consistent decisions about when they should maintain an EHC plan beyond the age of 19 or issue an EHC plan to a young person aged 19 or over. The guidance facilitates the decisions in remaining in line with local authorities’ duties under the Children and Families Act 2014, and as described in the SEND code of practice.</p> answering member constituency Colchester answering member printed Will Quince question first answered 01/03/2022 17:44:37 answering member 4423 label Biography information for Will Quince
	tabling member	4491 label Biography information for Vicky Foxcroft

1458396

	registered interest
	date	19/04/2022
	answering body	Department for Education
	answering dept id	60
	answering dept short name	Education
	answering dept sort name	Education
	hansard heading	Children: Disability
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to the finding in the report by the Disabled Children’s Partnership entitled Left Behind: 6 Months On, which found nearly 70 per cent of parent carers of disabled children have seen their physical health deteriorate as a result of lack of the right support, what steps he is taking to improve support for parent carers.
	tabling member constituency	Lewisham, Deptford
	tabling member printed	Vicky Foxcroft
	uin	155832
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 26/04/2022 answer text <p>On 1 February 2022, the government launched its plan to level up the country so that every person can make the most of their abilities and succeed in life. For those children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND), levelling up must be even more ambitious, which is why the department has recently announced an additional £45 million of investment over the next three years to support education settings, children and young people with SEND, and their families.</p><p>The department is also improving access to short breaks and respite care for those who care for children with SEND, with funding of £30 million being made available over the next three years to set up more than 10,000 additional respite and short breaks placements for disabled children.</p><p>We will also invest £82 million in a network of family hubs so more children, young people and their families can access wraparound support. These new projects will help to provide positive opportunities for disabled children and young people, whilst also supporting parents and carers with their caring responsibilities.</p><p>In addition to statutory services, the department is providing £27.3 million to the Family Fund in the 2021/22 financial year to support over 60,000 families on low incomes raising children and young people with disabilities or serious illnesses. Grants can be used for a range of purposes, including family breaks.</p><p>The department will continue to work to ensure the right support is in place for the parents and carers of disabled children.</p> answering member constituency Colchester answering member printed Will Quince question first answered 26/04/2022 16:12:50 answering member 4423 label Biography information for Will Quince
	tabling member	4491 label Biography information for Vicky Foxcroft

1188344

	registered interest
	date	20/04/2020
	answering body	Department for Education
	answering dept id	60
	answering dept short name	Education
	answering dept sort name	Education
	hansard heading	Nurseries: Coronavirus
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether the Government plans to take steps to ensure that parents whose children are not able to attend nurseries during the covid-19 outbreak are not required to pay fees to maintain those nurseries in business.
	tabling member constituency	Lewisham, Deptford
	tabling member printed	Vicky Foxcroft
	uin	37799
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 28/04/2020 answer text <p>We are working hard to mitigate the impacts of COVID-19 on all parts of our society, including individuals and business. Childcare providers will have individual agreements with parents and therefore we urge all childcare providers to be reasonable and balanced in their dealings with parents, given the great uncertainty they will be facing too.</p><p> </p><p>Guidance for early years settings, including the support available to them, can be found at the following link:</p><p><a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/coronavirus-covid-19-early-years-and-childcare-closures/coronavirus-covid-19-early-years-and-childcare-closures" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/coronavirus-covid-19-early-years-and-childcare-closures/coronavirus-covid-19-early-years-and-childcare-closures</a>.</p><p> </p><p>Further guidance on funding and financial support available for education, childcare and children’s social care organisations can be found at: <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/coronavirus-covid-19-financial-support-for-education-early-years-and-childrens-social-care" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/coronavirus-covid-19-financial-support-for-education-early-years-and-childrens-social-care</a>.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Chelmsford answering member printed Vicky Ford question first answered 28/04/2020 14:07:36 answering member 4674 label Biography information for Vicky Ford
	tabling member	4491 label Biography information for Vicky Foxcroft

1192061

	registered interest
	date	01/05/2020
	answering body	Department for Education
	answering dept id	60
	answering dept short name	Education
	answering dept sort name	Education
	hansard heading	Free School Meals: Coronavirus
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment his Department has made of the efficiency of companies issuing free school meals vouchers to families during the covid-19 outbreak.
	tabling member constituency	Lewisham, Deptford
	tabling member printed	Vicky Foxcroft
	uin	42124
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 11/05/2020 answer text <p>As both my right hon. Friends the Prime Minister and Chancellor of the Exchequer have made clear, the Government will do whatever it takes to support people affected by COVID-19.</p><p>During this period, we are asking schools to support children eligible for free school meals by providing meals or food parcels through their existing food providers wherever possible. We know that many schools are successfully delivering food parcels or arranging food collections for eligible children and we encourage this approach where it is possible.</p><p>However, we recognise that providing meals and food parcels is not a practicable option for all schools. That is why on 31 March we launched a national voucher scheme as an alternative option, with costs covered by the Department for Education.</p><p>We are monitoring the use of the national voucher scheme on a daily basis. As of 28 April, Edenred has indicated that over 16,500 schools have placed orders for codes under this scheme. Edenred has reported that over £65 million worth of voucher codes has been redeemed into supermarket eGift cards by schools and families through the scheme as of Monday 11 May.</p><p>We are working tirelessly with Edenred to resolve any outstanding technical problems. We are very grateful to families and schools for their understanding and patience while we upgrade this service to meet increased demand.</p><p>These are rapidly developing circumstances; we continue to keep the situation under review and will keep Parliament updated accordingly.</p> answering member constituency Chelmsford answering member printed Vicky Ford question first answered 11/05/2020 17:21:40 answering member 4674 label Biography information for Vicky Ford
	tabling member	4491 label Biography information for Vicky Foxcroft

1192062

	registered interest
	date	01/05/2020
	answering body	Department for Education
	answering dept id	60
	answering dept short name	Education
	answering dept sort name	Education
	hansard heading	Free School Meals: Voucher Schemes
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether his Department has made an assessment of the potential merits of extending the contract for provision of free school meal vouchers to EdTech companies.
	tabling member constituency	Lewisham, Deptford
	tabling member printed	Vicky Foxcroft
	uin	42125
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 11/05/2020 answer text <p>As both my right hon. Friends the Prime Minister and Chancellor of the Exchequer have made clear, the government will do whatever it takes to support people affected by COVID-19.</p><p>We are encouraging schools to use existing catering arrangements to provide meals or food parcels to pupils who are eligible for free school meals while they are staying at home. Where this is not possible, the Department for Education has developed a centrally funded national voucher scheme as an alternative to support schools with this process.</p><p>Schools are best placed to determine what is most appropriate locally and are free to make their own arrangements outside the national voucher scheme. We understand that some approaches, such as providing food parcels or purchasing vouchers for shops currently not included in the national scheme, may mean that schools incur additional expenses. Guidance is available setting out how we will compensate schools who incur these additional costs in providing free school meals or vouchers to pupils affected by coronavirus:<br><a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/covid-19-free-school-meals-guidance/covid-19-free-school-meals-guidance-for-schools" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/covid-19-free-school-meals-guidance/covid-19-free-school-meals-guidance-for-schools</a>.</p><p>These are rapidly developing circumstances; we continue to keep the situation under review and will keep Parliament updated accordingly.</p> answering member constituency Chelmsford answering member printed Vicky Ford question first answered 11/05/2020 17:36:05 answering member 4674 label Biography information for Vicky Ford
	tabling member	4491 label Biography information for Vicky Foxcroft