Speeches by Asato.

“Is the Office of the Schools Adjudicator equipped to take on a more strategic role in school admissions or is this not your expectation of how the additional powers in the Bill will take effect?”

“Clare, you made the point that you think, as a home schooler, that the local authority should not be allowed to enter the private home. Do you think that there are parents who might be home schooling as a cover for abuse? How would we balance the important protections that the state needs to provide for those children,…”

“I also want to ask about parents who are not providing the education that their child needs, particularly in terms of safeguarding and prevention of abuse. Do you think that the measures in the Bill will help to identify and prevent the abuse of children?”

“How will local authorities satisfy themselves that the education that children not in school are receiving is adequate?”

“This question is also to you, Bev. You have covered some of this already, but how can we ensure that there is consistency across local authority areas in discharging the requirements on registers of children not in school, and has the LGA carried out any mapping of how local authorities are staffed and resourced in dif…”

“In what circumstances does co-operation over admissions fail between schools and local authorities, what are the reasons for that, and do you think the Bill’s provisions on school admissions will make the system work better?”

“Rebecca, can you explain the impact that giving local authorities more control over admissions could have on the socioeconomic disparities between schools?”

“Kate, the Child Poverty Action Group has called for the eligibility criteria for free school meals to be widened, as you have just argued. Beyond auto-enrolment, how would you like eligibility for free school meals to be extended? Would it be to those on universal credit, or would it be universal? Is there any evidence…”

“Finally, Bev, on admissions and place-planning, the Government’s policy notes for the Bill state that it “expects schools and local authorities to help (and not hinder) each other on these issues and to behave in an inclusive way”. How long do you think it will take to create a culture of collaboration on school places…”

“In what circumstances does co-operation over admissions fail between schools and local authorities, what are the reasons for that, and do you think the Bill’s provisions on school admissions will make the system work better?”

“This question is also to you, Bev. You have covered some of this already, but how can we ensure that there is consistency across local authority areas in discharging the requirements on registers of children not in school, and has the LGA carried out any mapping of how local authorities are staffed and resourced in dif…”

“My next question is about some Ofsted reforms so it might be worth merging the two, and obviously they are looking at new inclusion criteria. Quite a number of people, and evidence that we have seen, suggest that a narrowing of the curriculum, at the same time as very strict behaviour policies, has led to a natural exc…”

“We have covered some of this already, but what improvements and safeguards can be implemented to ensure that accountability pressures on schools and local authorities do not lead to exclusionary practices, but instead promote inclusive approaches that support the needs of children with SEND?”

“A number of you mentioned SENCOs. How do you think that there could be enhanced support for SENCOs to help them fulfil their roles?”

“Many parents and carers that I talk to worry that the people around their children at school do not necessarily have the knowledge or skills or training to be able to effectively support them. How can the existing training system be enhanced to better equip teachers to support students with SEND and improve their educa…”

“How can the current allocations and distribution of schools block funding and high needs funding be improved to ensure it effectively meets the diverse and evolving needs of children and young people with SEND? What measures could be implemented to promote greater transparency, flexibility and equity in funding?”

“Not that long.”

“Amanda, could you talk us through some effective and actionable ways to simplify the SEND system, ensuring that it is more straightforward for parents, carers and young people to navigate?”

“Katie, we know that Kids has developed a SEND community navigator model to support parents and carers of children with SEND to navigate SEN support systems. Could you expand on how this model works and its potential to be replicated or scaled up? Could you also tell us how health services interrelate with this model, p…”

“My next question is about some Ofsted reforms so it might be worth merging the two, and obviously they are looking at new inclusion criteria. Quite a number of people, and evidence that we have seen, suggest that a narrowing of the curriculum, at the same time as very strict behaviour policies, has led to a natural exc…”