All of our children deserve the chance to succeed in life and should have the backing in order to do so.
It is welcome that West Sussex County Council is to receive a funding boost of more than £13.8 million from the Government to help ensure children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) and alternative provision (AP) receive an education that meets their needs in a high-quality environment.
A record annual £850 million is being invested in councils by Government to create new places for young people with SEND and AP in mainstream and special schools.
This will go to provide specialist support for children with autism, learning difficulties, mobility difficulties, and other conditions to meet their extra needs.
This is part of £2.6 billion of Government investment between 2022 and 2025: more than tripling the previous levels of investment.
This will go to ensure Government delivering more than 60,000 new places for children with SEND or who require AP since 2010.
The School System & Student Finance Minister recently updated West Sussex MPs on plans for the new Beckmead Wealden Academy which has been approved for the county.
The Beckmead Trust will be able to work with West Sussex County Council and the Department for Education to offer specialist education for 130 pupils aged 4 to 18 with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) and Social, Emotional, Mental Health (SEMH) needs.
I am privileged to be a Vice Chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Dyslexia & Other Specific Learning Difficulties, as well as a Vice President of the British Dyslexia Association.
I have questioned the Department for Education about action it is taking to screen pupils for SEND in primary schools.
We can go further in this area and I am supporting legislation seeking to address this.
I am a co-sponsor of the Neurodivergent Conditions (Screening & Teacher Training) Bill which will be introduced in the House of Commons next week.
By identifying neurodivergent individuals we can ensure they get the support they need. This Bill, known in a previous guise as the Dyslexia Screening & Teacher Training Bill, will aim to ensure that all neurodivergent individuals receive the necessary identification and support they deserve.
Government is acting to back young people with SEND in apprenticeships and it is right that such programmes are accessible for all.
Earlier this year, the Department for Education launched a year-long mentoring support pilot for apprentices with learning difficulties or disabilities. This initiative offers training and advice for prospective mentors and providers to ensure they are equipped to provide apprentices with the support they need.
The training offer has gone live, with mentors currently being matched with their apprentices.
Henry Smith MP
