Written questions by Dance.

If she will publish assessments of the impact of the proposed reforms to the Special Educational Needs and Disabilities system on workloads of teaching staff in (a) Yeovil constituency (b) Somerset and (c) Engl

Awaiting answer.

What support her Department will have in place for schools implementing changes to menus under the new School Food Standards before September 2027.

The government is committed to raising the healthiest generation ever and we have recently consulted on proposed updates to the School Food Standards in England to ensure that all food served at school better reflects current nutritional guidance and supp...

Whether she will publish a costed implementation plan for Special Educational Needs and Disability reform.

The department’s approach to special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) reform, including funding and implementation, is set out in the SEND consultation document and its accompanying annexes which can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/c...

What steps she is taking to improve access to respite provision outside of term time for children with complex Special Educational Needs and Disabilities in Yeovil constituency.

The department recognises the important role that short breaks provision outside of term time play in supporting children and young people with complex special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) and their families.In February 2026, the department p...

Pursuant to the Answer of 1 June 2026 to Question 3393 on PE and Sport Premium, what assessment she has made of replacing the Physical Education and sport premium with the new Partnerships Network on schools in

On 21 May 2026, the government announced a new approach to PE and school sport funding.We will procure a National Delivery Partner (NDP) to establish the new PE and School Sport Partnership Network. The NDP will conduct an assessment of need in each area ...

What steps she is taking to help reduce inequalities in Dedicated Schools Grant funding.

The core schools budget is increasing by £1.7 billion in the 2026/27 financial year. This includes funding that will enable us to reform the special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) system as announced within the Schools White Paper.The departmen...

What assessment she has made of the potential merits of including full time professional educational psychologists working through (a) traded services, (b) multi-academy trusts and (c) private practice in offic

Data on the educational psychologist (EP) workforce is held by several organisations, including the department. The department collects data on the number of EPs centrally employed by local authorities for 28 or more days through the Schools Workforce Cen...

What steps she is taking to help reduce inequalities in access to educational psychologists.

The department is investing around £1.8 billion over the next three years for local area partnerships, including local authorities and Integrated Care Boards, to develop a new ‘Experts at Hand’ offer, strengthening mainstream education through access to h...

What assessment she has made of the quality of the Office for Standards in Education, Children's Services and Skills' (Ofsted) training materials that suggest children with autism are at increased risk of being

Ofsted are now delivering the renewed education inspection framework, with new training for inspectors, including updates on the Prevent duty, which no longer includes reference to children with autism.

What steps she is taking to ensure that the proposed Education for All Bill allows children in Yeovil constituency with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities to receive support from a teaching assistant wh

The department’s consultation ‘SEND reform: putting children and young people first’ has now closed after a 12-week consultation period including over 200 engagement events, meetings and roundtables. We are carefully reviewing and taking into account all ...

What steps she is taking to ensure that the proposed Education for All Bill does not adversely impact (a) parents and (b) guardians’ legal recourse to challenge the number of hours of speech and language therap

After a 12-week consultation period including over 200 engagement events, meetings and roundtables, the department’s consultation ‘SEND reform: putting children and young people first‘ has now closed. We are carefully reviewing and taking into account all...

What steps she is taking to ensure that the proposed Education for All Bill does not adversely impact (a) parents and (b) guardians' legal recourse to appeal the details of a child’s individual Special Educatio

The department’s consultation ‘SEND reform: putting children and young people first‘ has now closed after a 12-week consultation period including over 200 engagement events, meetings and roundtables. We are carefully reviewing and taking into account all ...

Education, what steps she is taking to ensure that the proposed Education for All Bill does not adversely impact (a) parents and (b) guardians’ legal recourse to challenge the number of hours of occupational th

After a 12-week consultation period including over 200 engagement events, meetings and roundtables, the department’s consultation ‘SEND reform: putting children and young people first‘ has now closed. We are carefully reviewing and taking into account all...

What assessment she has made of the potential merits of supporting educational settings in Yeovil constituency with the delivery of Romanian language.

Decisions about which languages are taught in schools are made locally. Individual schools are free to decide which languages to offer as part of their curriculum and the government does not prescribe which languages should be taught or how they should be...

What assessment she has made of the potential merits of extending Pupil Premium funding to support 16-19-year-olds from disadvantaged backgrounds in (a) Yeovil constituency, (b) Somerset and (c) England.

The 16 to 19 funding formula includes extra funding for disadvantaged students across England including Yeovil constituency and Somerset. This is made up of two blocks:Disadvantage Block 1 funding recognises that there are additional costs incurred in eng...

What steps she is taking to fund services for deaf learners in (a) Yeovil constituency (b) Somerset and (c) England.

The department wants every child to have the best start in life, with support available earlier and closer to home when families need it. We will ensure children receive the right support in their early years setting, school or college, supported by inves...

What steps he is taking to ensure staff working in specialist deaf education settings have access to appropriate professional (a) development and (b) support.

Children and young people with sensory impairments can be taught in both mainstream and special schools. Through our proposed special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) reforms, we aim to improve inclusivity and expertise in mainstream schools, whi...

What steps she is taking to ensure that service children with SEND are included in (a) initial teacher training, (b) continuing professional development, (c) SEND practitioner training and (d) school leadership

The ‘Every Child Achieving and Thriving’ White Paper set out proposals for a package of professional development on special educational needs and disabilities (SEND), backed by over £200 million of funding.This includes a new requirement in the SEND Code ...

Whether guidance on universal screening for neurodivergence will be included in the proposed National Inclusion Standards.

The department will appoint an independent panel of experts, selected for their skills, knowledge, and professional standing, and led by health and education co-chairs, to design the National Inclusion Standards and Specialist Provision Packages.The Natio...

When she will provide details on how the role of the Special Educational Needs and Disabilities tribunal will be reformed.

The department’s consultation ‘SEND reform: putting children and young people first’ has now closed after a 12-week consultation period including over 200 engagement events, meetings and roundtables. We are carefully reviewing and taking into account all ...