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Written question asked by John Hayes (Conservative) on Wednesday, 16 October 2019, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Monday, 21 October 2019. It was answered by Michelle Donelan (Conservative) on Wednesday, 23 October 2019 on behalf of the Department for Education.

Pupils: Disability

Question

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if he will include data on children with disabilities in the school census.

Answer

It is Special Educational Needs (SEN) that is the main focus of our data collection and dissemination in relation to children and young people. This is because our policy is to focus efforts on the impact of conditions (some of which are disabilities) on the educational experience of the individual and how barriers to individuals’ learning and participation in education can be removed.

SEN is defined as a learning difficulty or a disability which calls for special educational provision to be made for the child or young person. So, in the schools data we publish on SEN, those pupils whose disability requires special help in school are included in the SEN figures. We do not therefore consider it appropriate to collect information separately on disability as well.

Secondary information

Type
Written question
Reference
873
Session
2019-19
Subjects
Disability Databases Pupils Schools
Link
View this Written question on www.parliament.uk