16
Acknowledged
Department's SEND improvement plan faces significant delays, extending national implementation beyond 2025.
Recommendation
We have been regularly pressing the Department to improve its support for pupils with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) since we reported on this subject in May 2020.31 The Department finally published the results of its SEND review in a Green Paper in March 2022, setting out proposals for consultation.32 The Green Paper said that the Department would publish a national delivery plan later in 2022. In the event, the SEND and Alternative Provision Improvement Plan was not published until March 2023. The Department plans to establish a change programme which will work over the next two to three years with selected local authorities in nine regions, meaning that putting actions into effect nationally will extend to 2025 and beyond.33
Government Response Summary
The government commits £2.6 billion to the SEND and AP improvement plan and £2.9 billion in pupil premium funding, stating it is taking the plan forward, but does not address the committee's concerns about the delays in plan publication or the extended national implementation timeframe.
Government Response
Acknowledged
Government Response
Acknowledged
HM Government
Acknowledged
The government has also committed to investing £2.6 billion via the Special Educational Needs and Disability (SEND) and Alternative Provision (AP) improvement plan, and £2.9 billion annually in pupil premium funding, the latter of which can be used to address non-academic barriers such as attendance difficulties. taking forward the Special educational needs and disability (SEND) and alternative provision improvement plan (published March 2023).
Source
Committee
Public Accounts Committee
Inquiry
Education Recovery in Schools
Report
Fifty-Fifth Report - Education recovery in schools in England
07 Jun 2023
HC 998
Addressee Bodies
HM Treasury
Timeline
Recommendation age
3.1 yrs
Report published
07 Jun 2023