Written questions by Sewards.

What recent assessment she has made of the adequacy of access to swimming and water safety education for primary school pupils.

Awaiting answer.

What recent discussions her Department has had with Ofqual on ensuring that grade boundaries fairly reflect variations in the difficulty of A Level examination papers.

Awaiting answer.

What recent discussions she has had with the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care on early intervention for neurodivergent children with emerging mental health needs.

Awaiting answer.

What processes her Department has put in place to monitor the use of funding intended to improve SEND inclusion in mainstream school settings.

In February, we announced the £1.6 billion Inclusive Mainstream Fund which will provide mainstream education settings over £500 million funding per year over the next three years to support them to become inclusive by design.We will place conditions on th...

What steps her Department is taking to provide local authorities with funding for the training and capacity required by SEND Information, Advice and Support Service.

Under the Children and Families Act 2014, all local authorities are legally required to provide a special educational needs and disabilities information, advice and support service (SENDIASS). SENDIASS services provide impartial, confidential, and legally...

Whether her Department plans for decisions on Individual Support Plans to be within the scope of (a) the First-tier Tribunal (SEND) or (b) another independent adjudication route.

Individual Support Plans (ISPs) will provide a record of need and provision for all children and young people with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND). They will allow settings to work alongside parents, providing a single, consistent record...

What arrangements will be in place to provide expert advice on children’s mental health alongside Experts at Hand for SEND.

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. This offer is designed to strengthen the capability of m...

What processes her Department will put in place to ensure children, young people and families remain involved in SEND decision-making where responsibility is assumed by the Department from a local authority.

Under the Children and Families Act 2014, local authorities are statutorily responsible for decisions relating to special educational needs (SEN), both in managing the ‘Local Offer; of services and provision for SEN and in decisions relating to individual...

What steps her Department is taking to ensure that Education Otherwise Than At School (EOTAS) is available as part of the continuation of SEND support where a child cannot be educated in school.

The department’s consultation, “SEND reform: putting children and young people first”, proposes the introduction of Specialist Provision Packages for all children and young people with complex needs, including those children and young people whose needs a...

What steps her Department is taking to ensure that Specialist Provision Packages are co-produced with (a) children and young people and (b) families.

Specialist Provision Packages will be nationally defined, evidence-based packages of support for children and young people whose requirements cannot be met in mainstream settings, even with enhanced special educational needs (SEN) support. Packages will s...

What steps her Department is taking to maximise the portability of Special Educational Needs and Disabilities provision for children of Armed Forces families when they move between (a) local authority areas within England and (b) UK nations.

It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Pursuant to the Answer of 29 August 2025 to Question 73095, whether her Department has complemented a New Burden Assessment regarding the potential financial impact of extending the Armed Forces Covenant Duty on its Departmental responsibilities.

New burdens assessments are required when a department’s actions meet the government definition of a new burden, ensuring that the financial impact on local authorities is estimated for at least the first three years and fully funded by the relevant department.The Ministry of Defence will lead on developing a new burdens assessment in relation to the new Legal Duty extending the Armed Forces Covenant.

Whether she has made an assessment of the adequacy of (a) current funding models in the context of high mobility and separation on Service pupils and (b) targeted support for those with special and additional education needs, and disabilities.

Over £26 million of targeted funding was allocated in 2025/26 to help schools in England support their Service pupils, through the Service Pupil Premium. The rate increased to £350 per eligible pupil in 2025, reflecting the department’s commitment to recognising the unique challenges faced by Armed Forces families. This funding enables schools to provide targeted pastoral and academic support to mitigate the effects of mobility and parental separation on pupil progress and wellbeing. The department reviews the Service Pupil Premium annually.Service children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) might experience delays in identifying needs and inconsistent services and support between local authorities when their parents are redeployed and they move to a new area. The SEND reforms we are proposing respond directly to long-standing concerns about the outcomes for children with SEND and the inconsistency and inefficiencies in support. For example, National Inclusion Standards will set out support that should be available in every mainstream setting so that children can receive more consistent support. Education, health and care plans and new Individual Support Plans will be digital, to support smoother transitions when children move between schools or local authorities.

What assessment she has made of the adequacy of the portability of (a) special and (b) additional needs, and (c) disability provision for children in Armed Forces families.

As part of the consultation on the government’s special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) reforms, I recently attended a roundtable hosted by the Armed Forces Community All-Party Parliamentary Group. I met representatives from armed forces families and the charities that support them to hear first-hand about the problems they face. Children and young people from armed forces families might have to change nursery, school or college when their parents are redeployed. They can experience delays in identifying their needs, and inconsistent services and support between local authorities.To address the problems caused by delays, the department’s special educational needs and disabilities reforms will improve early identification of children’s needs so that provision can be put in place more quickly. We will invest in new training for all staff and increase the number of specialists. Education health and care plans and new Individual Support Plans will be digital, which will support services children by facilitating smoother transitions when they move between schools or local authorities.In future, services children should receive more consistent services when they move. National Inclusion Standards will set out, for the first time, support that should be available in every mainstream setting. A nationally consistent set of Specialist Provision Packages will provide comprehensive, evidence-based packages of support for children and young people with the most complex needs.Education is a devolved matter and the reforms will apply to England only.

Pursuant to the Answer of 23 December 2025 to Question 98631, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of the mathematical sciences on delivering the Industrial Strategy and the Growth Mission; and whether the reviewed Strategic Priorities Grant budget for 2026-27 will include additional funding for those sciences.

The government recognises mathematical sciences as a valuable subject in higher education.As outlined by my hon. Friend, the Member for Vale of Glamorgan, the 25/26 Guidance Letter from my right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Education, to the Office for Students (OfS) sets out that the department will work with the OfS to review and reform the high-cost subject funding element of the Strategic Priorities Grant (SPG). This ensures that the funding best aligns with the government’s Growth Mission and is targeted effectively towards high-cost provision that supports the Industrial Strategy and future skills needs. We are collaborating closely with the OfS to assess the impact of any changes to SPG funding.

Pursuant to the Answer of 18 December 2025 to Question 98630, if she will recognise mathematical sciences as a strategically important high-cost subject as part of the Strategic Priorities Grant funding for 2026-27.

The government recognises mathematical sciences as a valuable subject in higher education.As outlined by my hon. Friend, the Member for Vale of Glamorgan, the 25/26 Guidance Letter from my right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Education, to the Office for Students (OfS) sets out that the department will work with the OfS to review and reform the high-cost subject funding element of the Strategic Priorities Grant (SPG). This ensures that the funding best aligns with the government’s Growth Mission and is targeted effectively towards high-cost provision that supports the Industrial Strategy and future skills needs. We are collaborating closely with the OfS to assess the impact of any changes to SPG funding.

What steps her Department is taking to ensure early intervention for pupils with special educational needs.

I refer my hon. Friend, the Member for Leeds South West and Morley, to the answer of 12 November 2025 to Question 86204.

Whether her Department plans to (a) continue to fund the Music and Dance Scheme and (b) ensure that all Centres for Advanced Training continue to operate.

The department will inform Music and Dance Scheme providers about funding for the 2025/26 academic year following the conclusion of the spending review in the spring.

If she will take steps to ensure that childcare providers are not able to charge for childcare costs on days where they are unable to deliver the service.

It is the department’s ambition that all families have access to high quality, affordable and flexible early education and care, improving the life chances for every child and the work choices for every parent.Eligible children are entitled to 570 or 1140 hours of free early education and childcare per year. If parents are concerned that they are not receiving their child’s full entitlement, they should raise this with their local authority.The private paid hours delivered by childcare providers across the country are subject to private arrangements between providers and parents. Details of these services, including whether payment is required for days when the provider is unable to deliver services, are set out in each individual agreement. Where issues arise in relation to such agreements, parents and providers may want to consider guidance from the Competitions and Markets Authority on consumer law: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/cma-consumer-enforcement-guidance.As part of the department’s regular review of the early years statutory guidance for local authorities, we have engaged with local authorities, providers and groups representing parents on the issue of charging. We will consider how to better support local authorities to protect parents from overcharging.

What steps she is taking to (a) improve SEND provision and (b) recruit more educational psychologists.

The department recognises that the current special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) system is not working and that, for far too long, too many children and families have been failed by it. This government is determined to address the problems and...