Written questions by Obese-Jecty.

With reference to page 22 of her Department's consultation document entitled SEND Reform: Putting Children and Young People First, CP1509, how will mediation be used to resolve disputes more quickly.

Research shows that mediation can reduce the likelihood of disputes escalating to appeals, enabling families and local authorities to work collaboratively to resolve disagreements more quickly and collaboratively.We are engaging with a wide variety of stakeholders, including families, local authorities, representative groups and providers, to identify what more can be done to raise awareness of mediation, address the barriers to effective mediation and share best practice. As a first step, we intend to improve mediation through clearer national guidance for families and professionals, and by supporting improved local authority compliance with existing duties.Where early resolution is not possible, the special educational needs and disabilities tribunal will continue to act as an important legal backstop for key decisions about education, health and care plans.

With reference to page 22 of her Department's consultation document entitled SEND Reform: Putting Children and Young People First, CP1509, when will schools in Huntingdonshire have to publish a legal Inclusion Strategy.

In the recent consultation ‘SEND reform: putting children and young people first’, the government proposed holding schools to account on how they will take meaningful steps to invest in inclusion through a published Inclusion Strategy.On 25 March 2026, the department published the inclusive mainstream fund (IMF) methodology alongside best practice for schools. These documents provided detail on the requirement on schools to produce an Inclusion Strategy, along with information on how the IMF will be allocated to support schools’ inclusive practice. More information on how to produce an effective and ambitious Inclusion Strategy will be published soon.

What assessment has she made of the potential impact of proposed local government reorganisation in Cambridgeshire on her proposed plans to reform SEND provision in that area.

The department is reviewing all local government reorganisation (LGR) proposals to consider the potential impact on education and children’s services, including plans to reform special educational needs and disabilities provision. Huntingdonshire is in tranche three of the LGR process and the statutory consultation on proposals will close on 26 March. I encourage all local areas to respond to the consultation.

With reference to the press release titled “10-year plan to revitalise schools and colleges for every child”, published on 11 February 2026, by when does the government expect every secondary school to have an inclusion base.

On Wednesday 11 February, the department set out our ambition that, in time, every secondary school will have an inclusion base.Where new places are needed, this can be supported by the £3.7 billion in high needs capital that we are investing between 2025/26 and 2029/30. This funding is allocated to local authorities, who know their schools and will determine how best to spend funding to meet local need. £740 million of this funding has already been allocated, and allocations for 2026/27 will be published in the spring.

How much of the Connect the Classroom funding will be spent on schools in the Huntingdon constituency.

The Renewal and Retrofit Programme, backed by £710 million to 2029/30, will be launched from April 2026 to improve the condition of school and college buildings and increase resilience to climate change so that buildings can last for decades and are net zero ready. This funding will also help protect more schools from flooding. The Programme will start with schools in the East Midlands, Yorkshire and the Humber and the South East, and will be expanded from 2027 to other regions in England. The department will set out further details in due course on how schools and colleges can join the Programme from 2027.We are providing £325 million in additional targeted investment for digital connectivity until 2029/30, including expanding the Connect the Classroom programme. To date, almost £600,000 of Connect the Classroom funding has been provided to schools in the Huntingdon constituency. Through 2026/27, Connect the Classroom will continue to support schools on the regional improvement for standards and excellence programme, with additional selection criteria to be announced in the summer.

How much of the Renewal and Retrofit Programme's funding will be spent on schools in the Huntingdon constituency.

The Renewal and Retrofit Programme, backed by £710 million to 2029/30, will be launched from April 2026 to improve the condition of school and college buildings and increase resilience to climate change so that buildings can last for decades and are net zero ready. This funding will also help protect more schools from flooding. The Programme will start with schools in the East Midlands, Yorkshire and the Humber and the South East, and will be expanded from 2027 to other regions in England. The department will set out further details in due course on how schools and colleges can join the Programme from 2027.We are providing £325 million in additional targeted investment for digital connectivity until 2029/30, including expanding the Connect the Classroom programme. To date, almost £600,000 of Connect the Classroom funding has been provided to schools in the Huntingdon constituency. Through 2026/27, Connect the Classroom will continue to support schools on the regional improvement for standards and excellence programme, with additional selection criteria to be announced in the summer.

With reference to the press release titled “10-year plan to revitalise schools and colleges for every child”, published on 11 February 2026, what is the estimated total cost of establishing an inclusion base in every secondary school.

On Wednesday 11 February, the department set out our ambition that, in time, every secondary school will have an inclusion base.Where new places are needed, this can be supported by the £3.7 billion in high needs capital that we are investing between 2025/26 and 2029/30. This funding is allocated to local authorities, who know their schools and will determine how best to spend funding to meet local need. £740 million of this funding has already been allocated, and allocations for 2026/27 will be published in the spring.

What is the current level provided for the (a) service pupil premium and the (b) primary pupil premium in Cambridgeshire.

Pupil premium and service pupil premium allocations, including at local authority level, can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/pupil-premium-allocations-and-conditions-of-grant-2025-to-2026.The allocations amount in the 2025/26 financial year for Cambridgeshire thus far are as follows: Quarter 1 June 2025Quarter 2 September 2025Quarter 3 December 2025Service pupil premium£323,750£323,050£323,050Deprivation pupil premium - primary pupils£16,755,143£16,755,143£16,680,908Quarter 4 pupil premium allocations will be published in late March 2026.

What assessment she made of the potential impact of Local Government Reorganisation upon the secondary school places in Huntingdonshire.

The department is reviewing all local government reorganisation proposals to consider the potential impact on children’s services, including school places. Huntingdonshire is in tranche three of the local government reorganisation process and the statutory consultation on proposals is expected to launch in Spring 2026. I encourage all local areas to respond to the consultation. There will then be a transition period during which the department will work with local areas to support children’s services in the new authorities, including plans to ensure there are sufficient school places.

What Government funding had been allocated to the development of Godmanchester Secondary Academy prior to its cancellation.

Godmanchester Secondary Academy was approved into pre-opening in 2017 as part of Free Schools Wave 12. Delivery was provisionally anticipated for September 2022, but the project never achieved approval to move into the construction stage. The trust formally withdrew the project in April 2020 with the opening forecast not changing during the interim.Due to the early stage that it reached, only the following funding was allocated to this project:Capital costs for project manager fees and staff costs:£3,731.31Project development grant:£30,000.00TOTAL£33,731.31

What the delivery timeline was of Godmanchester Secondary Academy prior to its cancellation.

Godmanchester Secondary Academy was approved into pre-opening in 2017 as part of Free Schools Wave 12. Delivery was provisionally anticipated for September 2022, but the project never achieved approval to move into the construction stage. The trust formally withdrew the project in April 2020 with the opening forecast not changing during the interim.Due to the early stage that it reached, only the following funding was allocated to this project:Capital costs for project manager fees and staff costs:£3,731.31Project development grant:£30,000.00TOTAL£33,731.31

In what year Godmanchester Secondary Academy was approved to be built.

Godmanchester Secondary Academy was approved into pre-opening in 2017 as part of Free Schools Wave 12. Delivery was provisionally anticipated for September 2022, but the project never achieved approval to move into the construction stage. The trust formally withdrew the project in April 2020 with the opening forecast not changing during the interim.Due to the early stage that it reached, only the following funding was allocated to this project:Capital costs for project manager fees and staff costs:£3,731.31Project development grant:£30,000.00TOTAL£33,731.31

What assessment she has made of the potential impact of funding SEND provision from within her Department’s existing RDEL core budget of £69 billion in 2028-29 on provision of existing Educational resources.

The government has set out its position on page 105 of the budget document, confirming that special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) pressure will be absorbed within the overall government departmental expenditure limits (DEL) budget from the financial year 2028/29 onwards such that we would not expect local authorities to need to fund future special educational needs costs from general funds.

What is the total cost to the public purse of the decision to extend the statutory override for the cost of SEND to 2027-28.

The statutory override is an accounting measure, designed to keep Dedicated Schools Grant deficits separate from local authorities’ wider financial position. The extension of the override to the end of the 2027/28 financial year does not affect local authorities’ statutory duties to provide support for children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND), nor does it change how much they spend to fulfil those duties. As these duties remain unchanged and, as with the previous government’s decision to extend the statutory override to the end of 2025/26, the extension itself does not result in any additional cost to the public purse.The government recognises many local authorities are likely to continue to accrue deficits due to their spending on high needs, as we have seen in recent years, as they ensure that there are sufficient resources to secure provision for children and young people with SEND in mainstream or in specialist education. We will set out our plans to support local authorities with historic and accruing deficits through the upcoming Local Government Finance Settlement.

What assessment she has made of the potential impact of funding the cost of SEND provision from RDEL allocations on local authorities.

The government has set out its position on page 105 of the budget document, confirming that special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) pressure will be absorbed within the overall government Departmental Expenditure Limits (DEL) budget from the financial year 2028/29 onwards such that we would not expect local authorities to need to fund future special educational needs costs from general funds. The Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) have illustrated the impact in the funding required for this, estimated at £6 billion, if these costs were met by diverting mainstream schools funding. However, that is only an indicative example and does not reflect government policy. We have confirmed that SEND pressure will be absorbed within the overall government DEL budget from 2028/29 onwards, not that it will be absorbed within the core schools budget. Furthermore, the £6 billion figure quoted by the OBR is based on current spending trajectories and does not take account of future government decisions on reforms to the SEND system, details of which will be set out in the Schools White Paper in the new year. Budgets from 2028/29 onwards, including the core schools budget, will be confirmed at the 2027 Spending Review.

What assessment she has made of the potential implications for her policies on funding SEND provision of the mainstream school spending per pupil on page 122 of the Office for Budget Responsibility’s Economic Financial Outlook.

The government has set out its position on page 105 of the budget document, confirming that special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) pressure will be absorbed within the overall government Departmental Expenditure Limits (DEL) budget from the financial year 2028/29 onwards such that we would not expect local authorities to need to fund future special educational needs costs from general funds. The Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) have illustrated the impact in the funding required for this, estimated at £6 billion, if these costs were met by diverting mainstream schools funding. However, that is only an indicative example and does not reflect government policy. We have confirmed that SEND pressure will be absorbed within the overall government DEL budget from 2028/29 onwards, not that it will be absorbed within the core schools budget. Furthermore, the £6 billion figure quoted by the OBR is based on current spending trajectories and does not take account of future government decisions on reforms to the SEND system, details of which will be set out in the Schools White Paper in the new year. Budgets from 2028/29 onwards, including the core schools budget, will be confirmed at the 2027 Spending Review.

What assessment has she made of the potential impact of the estimated £6 billion cost of SEND provision identified by the Office for Budget Responsibility’s Economic Financial Outlook (page 17).

The OBR has updated its forecast following publication of the proposed reforms showing a more effective and sustainable system. In 2028/29, we will be spending £7 billion more on the special educational needs and disabilities system, including funding new reform programmes so we intervene earlier and improve life chances.

When she plans to announce her funding plan for financing SEND provision.

The OBR has updated its forecast following publication of the proposed reforms showing a more effective and sustainable system. In 2028/29, we will be spending £7 billion more on the special educational needs and disabilities system, including funding new reform programmes so we intervene earlier and improve life chances.

How much does she estimate the total cost of assuming the full cost of SEND within Central Government will be.

The OBR has updated its forecast following publication of the proposed reforms showing a more effective and sustainable system. In 2028/29, we will be spending £7 billion more on the special educational needs and disabilities system, including funding new reform programmes so we intervene earlier and improve life chances.

What assessment has she made of the potential implications for her policies of the outcome of the joint Ofsted and CQC Area SEND Inspection published on 13 May 2025.

Cambridgeshire local area partnership was inspected by Ofsted and the Care Quality Commission (CQC) from 27 to 31 January 2025. The inspection outcome was that the local areas partnership’s arrangements lead to inconsistent experiences and outcomes for children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND). Five areas for improvement were identified and the department is working with the local partnership to monitor improvement in these five areas.Where a council does not meet its duties, the department can take action that prioritises children’s needs and supports local areas to bring about rapid improvement. We offer a range of universal, targeted and intensive support through department-managed programmes, such as our sector led improvement Partners.The current Ofsted/CQC area SEND inspection framework was launched in January 2023. All local areas are due to receive a full inspection under this framework by the end of 2027, driving better outcomes and standards in the system.As part of our Plan for Change, the department is determined to fix the SEND system and restore the trust of parents. We will bring forward a full Schools White Paper early in the new year.