{ "format" : "linked-data-api", "version" : "0.2", "result" : {"_about" : "https://eldaddp.azurewebsites.net/answeredquestions.text?hansardHeading=Childcare%3A+Special+Educational+Needs", "definition" : "https://eldaddp.azurewebsites.net/meta/answeredquestions.text?hansardHeading=Childcare%3A+Special+Educational+Needs", "extendedMetadataVersion" : "https://eldaddp.azurewebsites.net/answeredquestions.text?_metadata=all&hansardHeading=Childcare%3A+Special+Educational+Needs", "first" : "https://eldaddp.azurewebsites.net/answeredquestions.text?_page=0&hansardHeading=Childcare%3A+Special+Educational+Needs", "hasPart" : "https://eldaddp.azurewebsites.net/answeredquestions.text?hansardHeading=Childcare%3A+Special+Educational+Needs", "isPartOf" : "https://eldaddp.azurewebsites.net/answeredquestions.text?hansardHeading=Childcare%3A+Special+Educational+Needs", "items" : [{"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/1693232", "AnsweringBody" : [{"_value" : "Department for Education"} ], "answer" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/1693232/answer", "answerText" : {"_value" : "
The department recognises the importance of ensuring that local authorities provide sufficient childcare services for children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND). The department continues to work closely with local authorities to monitor sufficiency of places for children in early years, including for those children with SEND.<\/p>
The local authority statutory guidance on early education and childcare sets out a clear requirement that local authorities must report annually to elected council members on how they are meeting their duty to secure sufficient childcare and make this report available and accessible to parents. The statutory guidance is clear that the report should include a specific reference to how they are ensuring sufficient childcare is available to children with SEND.<\/p>
The department is introducing Local Area Inclusion Plans (LAIPs) which are 3 year plans that explain how the needs of children and young people with SEND aged 0 to 25 in an area will be met. LAIPs will be monitored and reviewed by the department and be underpinned by strengthened accountabilities and improved use of data for all those responsible for local delivery of places.<\/p>"} , "answeringMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/4761", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for David Johnston"} } , "answeringMemberConstituency" : {"_value" : "Wantage"} , "answeringMemberPrinted" : {"_value" : "David Johnston"} , "dateOfAnswer" : {"_value" : "2024-03-22", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} , "isMinisterialCorrection" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"} , "questionFirstAnswered" : [{"_value" : "2024-03-22T13:46:34.267Z", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} ]} , "answeringDeptId" : {"_value" : "60"} , "answeringDeptShortName" : {"_value" : "Education"} , "answeringDeptSortName" : {"_value" : "Education"} , "date" : {"_value" : "2024-03-04", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} , "hansardHeading" : {"_value" : "Childcare: Special Educational Needs"} , "houseId" : {"_value" : "1"} , "legislature" : [{"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/terms/25259", "prefLabel" : {"_value" : "House of Commons"} } ], "questionText" : "To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will make an assessment of the adequacy of the availability of childcare for children with special educational needs in each constituency.", "registeredInterest" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"} , "tablingMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/4418", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Justin Madders"} } , "tablingMemberConstituency" : {"_value" : "Ellesmere Port and Neston"} , "tablingMemberPrinted" : [{"_value" : "Justin Madders"} ], "uin" : "16710"} , {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/1692864", "AnsweringBody" : [{"_value" : "Department for Education"} ], "answer" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/1692864/answer", "answerText" : {"_value" : "
The government provides high needs funding for children aged 0-25 with complex special educational needs and disabilities (SEND), including those in their early years who need childcare. The department is increasing high needs revenue funding, nationally, to over £10.5 billion in the 2024/25 financial year, which will be an increase of over 60% from the 2019/20 allocations of high needs funding. The City of York Council is due to receive an allocation of £28.5 million in 2024/25, which is a cumulative increase of 27% per head through the high needs national funding formula, over the three years from 2021/22.<\/p>
In addition, specifically for those in the early years, the government provides the Disability Access Fund. In the 2024/25 financial year, this will increase to £910 per eligible child per annum, and will be extended to children aged 2 and under. Children aged 2, 3 and 4 years old who are in receipt of Disability Living Allowance or have an Education, Health and Care plan are also eligible for 15 hours free childcare a week.<\/p>
The department is also funding training for up to 7,000 early years Special Educational Needs Coordinators (SENCOs), resulting in an accredited Level 3 early years SENCO\u202fqualification. Some 5,000 practitioners have already registered for the training.<\/p>
The\u202fThe SEND and Alternative Provision (AP) Improvement Plan, published in March 2023, sets out how an effective single national SEND and AP system will be delivered. Many of the proposals in the Improvement Plan will have an impact on early years education, and young children with SEND. There will be new national practitioner standards for meeting the needs of children with SEND and identifying their individual needs. There will also be new local SEND and AP Partnerships, strengthened accountability and dashboards, and funding reforms to ensure all settings are able to deliver an inclusive practice for all.<\/p>
The statutory duty to provide sufficient school places, including for pupils with SEND, sits with local authorities. The department allocates funding to support authorities to meet this duty and has provided over £1.5 billion of High Needs Provision Capital Allocations for the 2022/23 and 2023/24 financial years. This funding can be used 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>"} , "answeringMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/4761", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for David Johnston"} } , "answeringMemberConstituency" : {"_value" : "Wantage"} , "answeringMemberPrinted" : {"_value" : "David Johnston"} , "dateOfAnswer" : {"_value" : "2024-03-11", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} , "isMinisterialCorrection" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"} , "questionFirstAnswered" : [{"_value" : "2024-03-11T16:01:59.237Z", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} ]} , "answeringDeptId" : {"_value" : "60"} , "answeringDeptShortName" : {"_value" : "Education"} , "answeringDeptSortName" : {"_value" : "Education"} , "date" : {"_value" : "2024-02-29", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} , "hansardHeading" : {"_value" : "Childcare: Special Educational Needs"} , "houseId" : {"_value" : "1"} , "legislature" : [{"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/terms/25259", "prefLabel" : {"_value" : "House of Commons"} } ], "questionText" : "To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to (a) fund and (b) ensure adequate provision of (i) facilities and (ii) childcare for children with SEND.", "registeredInterest" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"} , "tablingMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/4471", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Rachael Maskell"} } , "tablingMemberConstituency" : {"_value" : "York Central"} , "tablingMemberPrinted" : [{"_value" : "Rachael Maskell"} ], "uin" : "16405"} , {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/1679404", "AnsweringBody" : [{"_value" : "Department for Education"} ], "answer" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/1679404/answer", "answerText" : {"_value" : "
Local authorities establish Special Educational Needs Inclusion Funds (SENIFs) locally, using funding from the early years and high needs blocks of their Dedicated Schools Grant allocation.<\/p>
The department does not hold information relating to the SENIF at this level.<\/p>
The department requires all local authorities to submit their planned early years spending on funding for 2, 3 and 4 year olds, including on SENIFs, annually via their Section 251 budget statement returns, and publishes tools which allow analysis of that data. For the 2023/24 financial year, total planned spending on SENIFs, as reported by local authorities, is £88,316,241.<\/p>"} , "answeringMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/4761", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for David Johnston"} } , "answeringMemberConstituency" : {"_value" : "Wantage"} , "answeringMemberPrinted" : {"_value" : "David Johnston"} , "dateOfAnswer" : {"_value" : "2024-01-15", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} , "isMinisterialCorrection" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"} , "questionFirstAnswered" : [{"_value" : "2024-01-15T17:42:33.153Z", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} ]} , "answeringDeptId" : {"_value" : "60"} , "answeringDeptShortName" : {"_value" : "Education"} , "answeringDeptSortName" : {"_value" : "Education"} , "date" : {"_value" : "2024-01-05", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} , "hansardHeading" : {"_value" : "Childcare: Special Educational Needs"} , "houseId" : {"_value" : "1"} , "legislature" : [{"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/terms/25259", "prefLabel" : {"_value" : "House of Commons"} } ], "questionText" : "To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what information her Department holds on the number of children in early years settings for whom Special Educational Needs Inclusion Funding payments were being made on 31 December 2023.", "registeredInterest" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"} , "tablingMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/4046", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Bridget Phillipson"} } , "tablingMemberConstituency" : {"_value" : "Houghton and Sunderland South"} , "tablingMemberPrinted" : [{"_value" : "Bridget Phillipson"} ], "uin" : "7895"} , {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/1679405", "AnsweringBody" : [{"_value" : "Department for Education"} ], "answer" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/1679405/answer", "answerText" : {"_value" : "
In the Spring Budget on 15 March 2023, the government announced the expansion of the free childcare entitlements offer so that eligible working parents in England will be able to access 30 free hours of childcare per week, over 38 weeks of the year, from the term after their child turns 9 months old to when they start school. The expanded working parent entitlement (which will be rolled out in phases from April 2024) will be available to working parents who meet the eligibility criteria. A link to the eligibility criteria is available here: https://www.gov.uk/check-eligible-free-childcare-if-youre-working?step-by-step-nav=f517cd57-3c18-4bb9-aa8b-1b907e279bf9<\/a>. These are the same as the current 30 hours offer for 3 and 4-year-olds.<\/p>