Oral QuestionDepartment for Education

What steps she is taking to ensure adequate levels of high needs block funding.

Tabled: 4 March 2025Answered: 10 March 2025

Asked by

Margaret Mullane

LabourDagenham and Rainham

Answering Minister

the Secretary of State for Education

Answer from Hansard

The Minister for School Standards (Catherine McKinnell)

The Government inherited a “lose, lose, lose” SEND situation. The Tories even described it as such in their own words, with the Deputy Chief Whip saying that they should hang their heads in shame over what they left behind. Since entering government, Labour has restructured the Department to put SEND at its heart. We have invested £1 billion into services, and £740 million to create additional specialist places. But we are under no illusions that reform to the system is desperately needed, and we have brought in expert advisers to help us achieve that.