The government’s minister for children, families and wellbeing is set to come under fire from MPs over the Department for Education’s “lack of urgency” in implementing reforms to services for children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND).
The education select committee, chaired by former schools minister Robin Walker, will grill Claire Coutinho on the government’s SEND and Alternative Provision Improvement Plan at an evidence session tomorrow (23 May).
Coutinho will face questions on the DfE’s decision to “keep collecting evidence on the plan through a series of pilots put forward in its report, rather than focus on what could be improved now, despite widespread concerns that change is needed urgently”.
MPs may also ask about changes to the funding system, measures to improve accountability within the SEND system and concerns over the lack of detail on the new national standards for SEND and AP services set to be published by 2025 as part of government plans.
