Contributions
680 recent contributions in Hansard
HANSARD SEND and Alternative ProvisionWe have not waited for the improvement plan to take action. Not only have we increased the overall budget for the high needs block by 50% in the last four years; we have increased…06 Mar 2023HANSARD SEND and Alternative ProvisionIf the hon. Gentleman’s constituent has an EHCP plan and resources have been set out, they should be delivered. In the case of autism, we need to ensure that people are properly…06 Mar 2023HANSARD SEND and Alternative ProvisionA combination of plans within the strategy will support that. We have seen an increase in need and better awareness of different conditions, so the national standards will bring…06 Mar 2023HANSARD SEND and Alternative ProvisionIn the new area SEND inspection framework, timeliness will be assessed, which it was not previously. The educational psychologists that we are bringing on stream will help to…06 Mar 2023HANSARDSpecial Educational Needs and Disabilities and Alternative Provision Improvement PlanToday, I am proud to announce publication of the “Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) and Alternative Provision (AP) Improvement Plan”. This is a joint publication…02 Mar 2023HANSARDChildren’s ServicesI thank the hon. Gentleman for his question. That is exactly what our reforms are hoping to do. We have set out things such as a new national framework and are looking at things…27 Feb 2023HANSARDTopical QuestionsWe have sent the Higher Education (Freedom of Speech) Bill back to the Lords with the tort unamended. We will continue to look at everything we can do to make sure that the Bill…27 Feb 2023HANSARDTopical QuestionsI welcome the Murphy family—hello! Co-production is incredibly important; that is how we have designed our response to the SEN paper. We will continue to consult at every…27 Feb 2023HANSARDTopical QuestionsI agree with the hon. Gentleman that recruitment and retention is key. We set out plans in our reforms a couple of weeks ago, including looking at what we are doing on agency…27 Feb 2023HANSARDTopical QuestionsMy hon. Friend is passionate about securing an excellent education for all his residents. The funding will help many children in mainstream education, but with dyslexia early…27 Feb 2023HANSARDTopical QuestionsI am so sorry to hear about the position of Keya. There are things we are doing, including increasing access to specialist school spaces and improving the offer in schools, and I…27 Feb 2023HANSARDAffordable ChildcareI thank the hon. Lady for her question. I understand that it is a challenging time with the cost of living and with childcare. I would say it is the Conservative Government who…27 Feb 2023HANSARDAffordable ChildcareImproving parents’ access to affordable childcare is a Government priority. We are working with the Department for Work and Pensions and His Majesty’s Revenue and Customs to…27 Feb 2023HANSARDSEND SupportI join my hon. Friend in congratulating Springfield School on its outstanding achievement—he has often bent my ear about the head, Lisa Hodgkison, and the tremendous work she is…27 Feb 2023HANSARDSEND SupportI will be responding to the SEND and AP Green Paper within the next week. We have increased funding massively in this area—it is up by 50% in the past three years. I struggle to…27 Feb 2023HANSARDSEND SupportThis is an area that the Secretary of State, given her former role in the Department of Health and Social Care, and I, as a former Minister for disabled people, take seriously.…27 Feb 2023HANSARDChildren’s ServicesI thank my hon. Friend, who has raised this issue consistently on behalf of her constituents. It is important that we see an improvement in children’s services in Devon, and I…27 Feb 2023HANSARDChildren’s ServicesWe spend close to £11 billion on children’s services, helping some of our most vulnerable children through challenging times. In addition, we recently set out an ambitious package…27 Feb 2023HANSARDHome-schooled Children RegisterI thank my hon. Friend for his question. This is a really important area. As I have said, we are working in the interim to do a lot of things regarding data to make sure that we…27 Feb 2023HANSARDHome-schooled Children RegisterThe hon. Lady is right, and this is an issue that the Government take very seriously. The Minister for Schools and the Children’s Commissioner for England recently chaired a…27 Feb 2023