Written questions by Obese-Jecty.

Pursuant to the answer of 19 May 2026 to question 747 on Special Educational Needs: Huntingdon, from which date is the 2026/27 funding for Experts at Hand available to local authorities in Cambridgeshire.

Awaiting answer.

Pursuant to the answer of 19 May 2026 to question 747 on Special Educational Needs: Huntingdon, what is the full remit of assistance provided by Experts at Hand in Cambridgeshire.

Awaiting answer.

What proportion of the Barrow Transformation Fund will be funded by her Department.

Awaiting answer.

With reference to the answer of 22 April 2026 to question 908740 on Service Pupil Premium, how additional funding via the mobility factor in the schools national funding formula is allocated.

Awaiting answer.

What assessment has she made of the potential impact of reductions in the Specialist Teaching Team in Cambridgeshire upon schools in the Huntingdon constituency.

Cambridgeshire’s staffing structures are a matter for the local authority, as is the impact assessment of any changes.We are improving schools’ access to expert advice and support through the new Experts at Hand service, a £1.8 billion investment over three years designed to give mainstream schools rapid access to specialist special educational needs and disabilities expertise. The indicative funding for the 2026/27 financial year for Experts At Hand in Cambridgeshire is £4,675,232. Cambridgeshire local authority will work with its integrated care board to deliver this new service, which will support schools in the Huntingdon constituency.

What assessment she has made of the potential merits of increasing the level of the Service Pupil Premium to match the Pupil Premium.

Service families make extraordinary sacrifices for our country. The department continues to support Service children in a range of ways, principally through the Service Pupil Premium, targeted funding that state schools in England are allocated so that they can provide pastoral and academic support, tailored to the specific needs of Service pupils to mitigate disruptions from frequent school moves and parental deployments.The government keeps the Service Pupil Premium under regular review to ensure it is meeting the intended objectives and providing value for money. We will continue to monitor how funding streams support children’s outcomes and consider future funding decisions as part of the normal budget and spending review processes.It should also be noted that schools which experience major changes in their pupil cohort from year to year, including those serving Armed Forces communities, attract additional funding through the “mobility factor” in the schools national funding formula. In the 2026/27 financial year, schools will attract £985 for eligible primary pupils and £1,415 for eligible secondary pupils, above a threshold of 6% of the schools’ pupil numbers, where more than 6% of the school’s pupil numbers are classified as mobile.

What factors have affected the timing of her responses to Questions (a) 96357, (b) 96475 and (c) 96477.

The response to Written Parliamentary Questions 96357, 96475 and 96477 was published on 20th April 2026.

What assessment she has made of the potential impact of local government reorganisation on the Dedicated Schools Grant allocation for Cambridgeshire with regards to SEND reform.

The department is exploring the implications of all local government reorganisation proposals, including those for Cambridgeshire. When decisions have been made, we will assess the impact of those plans on future dedicated schools grant allocations, and on the allocations of other grants designed to deliver the reforms outlined in our current special educational and disability (SEND) reform consultation.

Pursuant to the answer of 11 March 2026 to question 118316 on Special Educational Needs: Cambridgeshire, if she will publish the monthly data on Cambridgeshire’s education, health and care plan timeliness.

The department publishes information on the number of education, health and care (EHC) plans that are issued within the statutory 20-week timeframe. Excluding cases where exceptions apply, the number and percentage of plans issued within this timeframe for both Cambridgeshire and England are available at: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/data-tables/permalink/b46a4968-aafd-4bd6-948a-08de4155ee12.Information on EHC plans maintained by local authorities, including requests for an EHC needs assessment, the number of assessments carried out, the number where a decision is made to assess, and the number of plans issued within 20 weeks, are included in the annual statistical release. The latest January 2025 statistics were published in June 2025 here: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/education-health-and-care-plans/2025.The department monitors Cambridgeshire’s EHC plan timeliness through regular monitoring meetings. The information shared at these meetings is not published but informs the support and challenge that the department provides.Furthermore, as set out in the recent Schools White Paper and its associated consultation, the department is consulting on proposals to reform the special educational needs and disabilities system, including to ensure that the information, advice and guidance provided offers effective support for children, young people and their families, and promotes greater fairness across the system. The consultation can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/send-reform-putting-children-and-young-people-first.

What steps her Department is taking to actively monitor Cambridgeshire’s recovery plan to reduce EHCP backlogs.

The department is providing targeted help for Cambridgeshire, including a specialist special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) adviser and sector-led improvement support from Islington Council. Officials collect monthly data on Cambridgeshire’s education, health and care plan timeliness and this informs monthly discussions on SEND performance with the local area.

With reference to the oral contribution of the Minister for School Standards during the oral question on EHCP Backlog: Cambridgeshire of 2 March 2026, Official Report, column 565, how much Cambridgeshire County Council has been allocated of the £200 million funding directly provided to support councils' capacity to deliver EHCPs.

To ensure all local authorities have the capacity to undertake meaningful transformation planning and delivery over this spending review period while maintaining current special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) services, we will provide £200 million in support for the transformation of local authority SEND services. This funding will be provided to local authorities in a single payment alongside funding for Experts at Hand, with a proportion allocated to transformation which includes a focus on strategic planning in local SEND reform plans, commissioning, leadership capacity and engaging with the education sector. We will publish methodology documents to explain how the funding will be distributed, and indicative allocations for local authorities, including those for Cambridgeshire County Council, for 2026/27 in due course.

With reference to page 22 of the policy paper entitled SEND Reform: Putting Children and Young People First, published on 23 February 2026, CP1509, how (a) schools, (b) colleges and (c) early years settings in Huntingdonshire will access the capital funding.

We are investing at least £3.7 billion in high needs capital funding between 2025/26 and 2029/30 to support local authorities to provide places for children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND), or who require alternative provision. This funding is expected to fund a transformative expansion of inclusion bases, as well as adaptations to improve the accessibility and inclusivity of mainstream settings. It can also be used to create special school places for pupils with the most complex needs.This reflects the statutory responsibility of local authorities to ensure there are sufficient school places for pupils in their area, including those with SEND. Accordingly, schools, colleges and early years settings in Huntingdonshire access this investment through Cambridgeshire County Council. In 2025/26, Cambridgeshire County Council received £7.1 million high needs capital. We will publish local authority high needs capital allocations for 2026/27 in Spring 2026.

With reference to page 64 of the policy paper entitled SEND Reform: Putting Children and Young People First, published on 23 February 2026, CP1509, when she expects recommendations from the national expert panel on specialist provision packages to be published.

The government’s consultation on special educational needs and disabilities reform, ‘Putting Children and Young People First’, sets out the proposal to introduce Specialist Provision Packages, which would provide comprehensive, evidence-based support for children and young people with the most complex needs. This is subject to consultation.The packages will be developed and reviewed by experts, tested with parents and supported through continued multi-agency working. Legislation to introduce the new packages, and the independent expert panel that will oversee them, will be brought forward at the earliest opportunity, with guidance to follow so settings can plan and prepare ahead of proposed implementation from September 2029.

With reference to page 63 of the policy paper entitled SEND Reform: Putting Children and Young People First, published on 23 February 2026, CP1509, when she plans to introduce new specialist provision packages.

The government’s consultation on special educational needs and disabilities reform, ‘Putting Children and Young People First’, sets out the proposal to introduce Specialist Provision Packages, which would provide comprehensive, evidence-based support for children and young people with the most complex needs. This is subject to consultation.The packages will be developed and reviewed by experts, tested with parents and supported through continued multi-agency working. Legislation to introduce the new packages, and the independent expert panel that will oversee them, will be brought forward at the earliest opportunity, with guidance to follow so settings can plan and prepare ahead of proposed implementation from September 2029.

With reference to page 22 of her Department's consultation entitled SEND reform: Putting Children and Young People First, CP1509, when she plans to implement a fast-track route to support for children under five.

The department will work closely with colleagues at the Department for Health and Social Care and with parents and carers, to develop a fast-track route to support children under five years old with the most complex special educational needs to access the support they and their families need to achieve and thrive in early education. This will include exploring options to trial such a process ahead of legislation.

With reference to page 22 of her Department's consultation document entitled SEND Reform: Putting Children and Young People First, CP1509, how will (a) schools, (b) colleges and (c) early years settings access the Inclusive Mainstream Fund in Huntingdonshire.

The Inclusive Mainstream Fund provides £1.6 billion in funding, over three years, to schools, colleges and early years settings to deliver an improved inclusion offer.The department will soon publish methodology documents to explain how the funding will be distributed for the three phases. The funding will be made available to early years, schools and 16-19 institutions through new grants from 2026/27.

With reference to page 22 of her Department's consultation paper entitled SEND Reform: Putting Children and Young People First, CP1509. how will the voices of (a) children, (b) young people and (c) parents be strengthened within local partnership arrangements.

The department will strengthen the voices of children, young people, and parent carers making it easier for them to access clear advice and practical support from government, both locally and nationally.This includes involving them in local area plans and in holding services to account so that they better meet the need of children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND).The department will strengthen the framework within which parent carer forums operate with consistent standards and training. We will also increase funding to local parent carer forums to enhance their peer support, and have further influence in local SEND systems, working with local partnership boards, Integrated Care Board and Best Start Family Hubs.

With reference to page 22 of her Department's consultation document entitled SEND Reform: Putting Children and Young People First, CP1509, when will schools in Huntingdonshire have to publish a legal Inclusion Strategy.

In the recent consultation ‘SEND reform: putting children and young people first’, the government proposed holding schools to account on how they will take meaningful steps to invest in inclusion through a published Inclusion Strategy.On 25 March 2026, the department published the inclusive mainstream fund (IMF) methodology alongside best practice for schools. These documents provided detail on the requirement on schools to produce an Inclusion Strategy, along with information on how the IMF will be allocated to support schools’ inclusive practice. More information on how to produce an effective and ambitious Inclusion Strategy will be published soon.

With reference to page 22 of her Department's consultation document entitled SEND Reform: Putting Children and Young People First, CP1509, how will mediation be used to resolve disputes more quickly.

Research shows that mediation can reduce the likelihood of disputes escalating to appeals, enabling families and local authorities to work collaboratively to resolve disagreements more quickly and collaboratively.We are engaging with a wide variety of stakeholders, including families, local authorities, representative groups and providers, to identify what more can be done to raise awareness of mediation, address the barriers to effective mediation and share best practice. As a first step, we intend to improve mediation through clearer national guidance for families and professionals, and by supporting improved local authority compliance with existing duties.Where early resolution is not possible, the special educational needs and disabilities tribunal will continue to act as an important legal backstop for key decisions about education, health and care plans.

What assessment has she made of the potential impact of proposed local government reorganisation in Cambridgeshire on her proposed plans to reform SEND provision in that area.

The department is reviewing all local government reorganisation (LGR) proposals to consider the potential impact on education and children’s services, including plans to reform special educational needs and disabilities provision. Huntingdonshire is in tranche three of the LGR process and the statutory consultation on proposals will close on 26 March. I encourage all local areas to respond to the consultation.