Support for children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities

Constituents have contacted me about support for children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND).

 

I would like to start by thanking all those families and carers who are doing extraordinary work during the most testing of circumstances. It is vital that we do all we can to support children and the families of children with SEND.  As an MP, ensuring that Norwich children have the best start in life is one of my priorities.

 

Guidance for schools and other education settings has been published on how to support children and young people with SEND as schools and colleges reopen. I am very pleased that the Prime Minister has stated it is a national priority for schools to reopen fully in September, including for children with SEND. Their return should be informed by risk assessments, to help educational settings and local authorities ensure that the right support is in place for them to come back and take into account the needs of families. The full guidance can be found here - https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/coronavirus-covid-19-send-risk-assessment-guidance/coronavirus-covid-19-send-risk-assessment-guidance

 

A £37 million fund has also been announced to support children with special educational needs and disabilities, to provide grants for vital equipment to make their lives easier. £10 million of the total has been committed specifically in response to the unique difficulties presented by the coronavirus outbreak.

 

It is welcome also that a £1 billion catch up learning fund will be in place for the 2020/21 academic year. This additional funding includes a £650 million catch-up premium for state-funded primary, secondary and special schools, and a £350 million national tutoring programme for the most disadvantaged pupils.

In relation to support for carers and families of SEND, a huge level of support has been made available to those affected by coronavirus. This includes the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme and the Self Employed Income Support Scheme, both of which are unprecedented Government support schemes. A £7 million fund has also been launched specifically to provide support to vulnerable children, young people and their families affected by the virus and the measures put in place to stop its spread. The fund will be used to support charities who know best how to help vulnerable children and those with SEND.

Further, over £3.7 billion of additional funding has been made available to local authorities in meeting COVID-19 related pressures, including helping the families of those with SEND.

 

Locally, I regularly meet with the Cabinet member and Executive Director for Childrens’ services at Norfolk County Council to update me on the delivery of the county council’s SEND strategy which can be found here: https://www.norfolk.gov.uk/what-we-do-and-how-we-work/policy-performance-and-partnerships/policies-and-strategies/send-policies/send-transformation-programme