Source · Select Committees · Public Accounts Committee
Recommendation 16
16
We asked the Department why some schools had felt unable to offer places to children...
Conclusion
We asked the Department why some schools had felt unable to offer places to children with EHC plans. It told us that the situation changed over the course of the pandemic – for example, attendance of children with EHC plans grew from about 5% in March 2020 to 27% by June, and during the period of disrupted schooling which started in January 2021 the figure was around 37%. But the Department also conceded that there had been regional and school-to-school variation in attendance. It told us that schools’ levels of confidence in making judgements on which children were safe to attend school varied, and that in the future it might look at how to improve the advice and support available to help schools make these decisions.30
Government Response
Acknowledged
HM Government
Acknowledged
3.1 The government agrees with the Committee’s recommendation. Target implementation date: Autumn 2021 3.2 As part of the department’s 2020-21 recovery plan, it is working closely with the Department for Health and Social Care (DHSC), NHS England and Public Health England to establish what impact the pandemic has had on access to therapies so that it has the right actions in place to help children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND). 3.3 In November 2020, DHSC announced £500 million for mental health and the NHS workforce. As part of that, £31 million will be used to address challenges faced by individuals with a learning disability and autistic people, including £3 million for community respite services for autistic children and young people, and children and young people with a learning disability. 3.4 The department is also investing an additional £79 million in mental health in schools support teams to cover around 35% of pupils in England by 2023. 3.5 The department continues to work closely with DHSC to make children’s mental health and wellbeing a central part of its response.