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Written question asked by Lord Storey (Liberal Democrat) on Tuesday, 22 October 2019, in the House of Lords. It was due for an answer on Tuesday, 5 November 2019. It was answered by Lord Agnew of Oulton (Conservative) on Wednesday, 30 October 2019 on behalf of the Department for Education.

Special Educational Needs: Visual Impairment

Question

To ask Her Majesty's Government what support is provided for children and young people with visual impairment in (1) early years settings, and (2) schools.

Answer

We want early years providers and schools to have a workforce equipped to support children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) and we are working on this with various organisations, including the National Sensory Impairment Partnership. We have recently announced a £780 million increase to local authorities’ high needs funding, increasing the budget by 12% and bringing the total spent on supporting those with the most complex needs to over £7 billion for 2020-21. This funding can be used to fund children aged 0 to 25 with complex additional needs, such as visual impairment.

The Children and Families Act (2014) requires local authorities to work with parents, young people and providers to keep the provision for children and young people with SEND under review, including its sufficiency. We do not prescribe in detail how local authorities should allocate their high needs funding. In consultation with schools and other services, local authorities should carefully consider how best to meet the needs of children and young people in their area, including those with visual impairment.

Secondary information

Type
Written question
Reference
HL320
Session
2019-19
Subjects
Pre-school education Visual impairment Schools Special educational needs
Link
View this Written question on www.parliament.uk