PARLIAMENTARY WRITTEN QUESTION
Special Educational Needs (18 January 2018)

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what discussions he has had with (a) the Department for Health, (b) school leaders, (c) teaching unions and (d) other professional bodies on the conclusion of the Ofsted Care Quality Commission report, C Report, Local area SEND inspections: one year on, regarding the adequacy of the knowledge and skills of school staff to identify accurately children and young people that need further assessments.

Asked by:
Mr James Frith (Labour)

Ministers from the Department for Education (DfE) have written to all local authorities and Clinical Commissioning Groups (CCGs) whose areas have been inspected under the Ofsted/Care Quality Commission (CQC) Special Educational Needs and Disability (SEND) inspection framework; and have written again, after 12 months, to those areas identified by the inspections as having significant weaknesses. These letters follow up the key points raised in the inspection reports, a summary of which is reflected in the one year on report.

The government has provided, since April 2014, over £300 million to support local authorities, working with their partners, including health and schools, to implement the SEND reforms; and we are in the process of procuring further support for 2018-2020.

We have funded training and a SEND leadership programme to support local authorities and health services to deliver their SEND services, which included training on joint commissioning. To improve the knowledge and skills of school staff on good SEND practice we have funded a school improvement programme. This includes a ‘what works’ resource, drawing on evidence-based practice on SEND in good and outstanding schools and colleges.

Where local area performance, such as the commissioning of services, is a particular concern, officials from the DfE working closely with partners, including Department of Health and Social Care and NHS England, have engaged with local areas to provide support and challenge, and have seen a proactive and positive response.

Answered by:
Nadhim Zahawi (Conservative)
26 January 2018