Written questions by Spencer.

How many private schools Ministers in her Department have visited since 5 July 2024; and which schools they have visited.

I refer the hon. Member for Central Suffolk and North Ipswich to the answer of 06 May 2025 to Question 46839.

When she plans to provide a substantive response to the Freedom of Information Act request of 14 February 2025 with reference number 2025-0005461.

The department responded to this freedom of information request on 7 May 2025.

What assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of the Early Language and Support for Every Child pathfinders programme on attainment for pupils in Central Suffolk and North Ipswich; and what the cost is per child of the programme.

Early Language Support for Every Child (ELSEC) is a pilot ‘test and learn’ programme being delivered across nine pathfinder sites, one in each English region, covering 12 local authorities. Central Suffolk and North Ipswich are not part of the pilot programme.According to the programme’s reporting data, therapy support teams have helped 13,000 children so far, and just over 1000 setting staff have been upskilled in delivering interventions. The interim programme evaluation is allowing the department to explore insights into the effectiveness of ELSEC delivery at a local level. A final evaluation will take place following the end of the summer term 2025.

What assessment her Department has made of the impact of the Nuffield Early Language Intervention programme on attainment for pupils in Central Suffolk and North Ipswich; and what the cost per child is of the programme.

Early language skills are vital to enable children to thrive in the early years and later in life, including for all aspects of later attainment in school. That is why in July 2024, this government announced that funded support for the Nuffield Early Learning Intervention (NELI) programme would continue for the 2024/25 academic year. To date the department has invested over £20 million in the NELI programme, which supports reception aged children needing extra support with their speech and language development. In randomised control trial evaluations of the programme at scale, when supported by departmental funding, NELI was proven to help children make, on average, an additional four months progress, or seven months for those eligible for free school meals. The implementation cost of the NELI programme has been rated as ‘very low’ by the Education Endowment Foundation (EEF), when compared to other programmes that EEF have evaluated. It is estimated since 2020 that 650,000 children have had their language screened nationally from the investment in the NELI programme nationally. Based on the £20 million investment, the cost to the department works out, on average, to be as little as £31 per child. EEF’s findings in relation to the NELI programme is available at: https://educationendowmentfoundation.org.uk/projects-and-evaluation/promising-programmes/nuffield-early-language-intervention.

What assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of the Partnership and Inclusion of Neurodiversity in Schools programme on attainment for pupils in Central Suffolk and North Ipswich; and what the cost is per child of the programme.

Partnerships for Inclusion of Neurodiversity in Schools (PINS) is a cross-government programme, backed by £13 million of investment, delivered through collaboration between the Department for Education, the Department of Health and Social Care and NHS England. PINS brings together integrated care boards (ICBs) local authorities and schools, working in partnership with parents and carers to support schools to better meet the needs of neurodivergent children and their families. The programme which began under the previous government deploys specialists from both health and education workforces to strengthen training for teachers and upskill around 1,600 mainstream primary schools, which equates to approximately 10% of the total number of mainstream primary schools in England. Building teacher and staff capacity to identify and meet the needs of neurodivergent children provides the opportunity to enhance support and improve outcomes for all children in this whole-school approach. As the programme takes this whole-school approach and the benefits support all children, the department would therefore not be able to indicate a specific cost per child. The department has commissioned an independent evaluation of the PINS programme. This has been designed to look at the implementation of the programme in primary schools and explore the impact on primary schools’ ability to better support neurodiverse pupils. The evaluation includes exploring attainment, and it covers all ICB areas currently participating in the programme.

What schools in Central Suffolk and North Ipswich constituency are using the Nuffield Early Language Intervention programme; and what their uptake is.

In England, there are over 11,100 schools, two thirds of English state primaries, that have received funding to deliver the Nuffield Early Language Intervention (NELI) programme. In the Central Suffolk and North Ipswich constituency there are 42 state primary schools with a reception class. 25 of these schools are registered to deliver the NELI programme. Details of all registered schools for this programme are published here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/neli-nuffield-early-language-intervention-programme.

What primary schools in Central Suffolk and North Ipswich constituency offer early intervention support; and what type of support is offered.

Schools, including further education colleges, sixth form colleges and 16 to 19 academies, are required to identify and address the special educational needs (SEN) of the pupils they support and, in the case of mainstream settings, to use their best endeavours to make sure that a child or young person who has SEN gets the support they need. All schools should apply the ‘graduated approach’ that is outlined in the special educational needs and disabilities code of practice, which means identifying a child’s needs, planning appropriate support, implementing that support and reviewing it regularly to ensure it continues to meet the identified needs. Through this, schools should develop personalised approaches to supporting the unique needs of individual pupils.The department is working as quickly as possible to ensure every child has the best chance in life, by prioritising early intervention and inclusive provision in mainstream settings. We know that early intervention prevents unmet needs from escalating, and that it supports children and young people to achieve their goals alongside their peers. Getting it right in the early years is essential to supporting children’s development, health and life chances. We are currently funding three specific early intervention programmes: the Partnerships for Inclusion of Neurodiversity in Schools programme, the Early Language and Support for Every Child pathfinders and the Nuffield Early Language Intervention programme.

What steps her Department (a) has taken and (b)plans to take to implement the recommendations of the paper entitled Right Support, Right Place and Right Time, CP 624, published by her Department in March 2022.

This government is committed to taking a community-wide approach and to improving inclusivity and expertise in mainstream schools, as well as ensuring special schools cater to children and young people with the most complex needs. The Change Programme, wh...

Whether her Department plans to simplify the education, health and care plan (a) application and (b) assessment system; and what support her Department provides to (i) Suffolk County Council and (ii) other loca

The department knows that parents have struggled to get the right support for their children, particularly through long and difficult education, health and care (EHC) plan processes and is planning to work across the sector to provide support for children...

What funding she plans to provide to Suffolk County Council to increase provision of educational psychologist services.

Educational psychologists play a critical role providing support to children and young people, including those with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND). However, the department knows that current workforce shortages are a barrier to deliveri...

What early intervention measures her Department is taking in order to (a) identify, (b) evaluate and (c) support children who do not have SEND but require additional support throughout their education due to (i

This year government is investing £255 million in the Supporting Families Programme, which since 2012 has championed early intervention and helped over 800,000 families achieve successful outcomes.In addition, through the £45 million families first for ch...

What plans her Department has to (a) encourage and (b) support parents to (i) read, (ii) speak and (iii) play with young children in the home.

The department recognises the vital role of parents and the home learning environment in children's early development and their contribution to the government’s mission to improve opportunity and give all children the best start in life. The department co...

If she will review the High Needs National Formula for pupils with additional support needs to reduce regional disparities.

The department is taking time to consider the various funding formulae that both it and local authorities use to allocate funding for children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities. It is important that there is a fair education...

What support her Department provides to help parents of children with SEND with (a) education, health and care plans and (b) support systems.

The department recognises that some parents have struggled to get the right support for their children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND), particularly through long and difficult Education, Health and Care (EHC) plan processes.The depa...