§ 28. Mr. KidneyTo ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what support her Department gives to local education authorities seeking to raise standards in meeting special educational needs. [56373]
§ Mr. Ivan LewisOfficials in the Department's Special Educational Needs Division support local education authorities in raising standards in meeting special educational needs through offering guidance, drawing on expertise provided by educational advisers, building consultants, members of the Office for Standards in Education, officials in other Government Departments and voluntary organisations. Education standard spending assessment support for local education authorities for 2002–03 totalled £23.68 billion, an increase of nearly £1.2 billion compared with 2001–02. By 2003–04 average recurrent funding per pupil will have increased by over £760 in real terms since 1997–98. In addition £91 million was available from the Department's Standards Fund for special educational needs for 2002–03. This represents more than a fivefold increase compared with the £17 million available in 1997–98.
§ Mr. SimmondsTo ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many children per 1,000 are issued with a statement of special needs in(a) Boston and Skegness, (b) Lincolnshire and (c) England. [56146]
§ Mr. Ivan LewisThe information requested is shown in the table:
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Pupils with statements of special educational needs1 January 2001 Total pupils Pupils with statements of SEN2 Number of pupils per 1,000 with a statement of SEN Boston and Skegness parliamentary constituency3 13,005 296 22.8 Lincolnshire local education authority3 100,666 3,218 32.0 England 7,733,640 249,300 32.2 1 Includes maintained primary and secondary schools and maintained and non-maintained special schools.
2 Estimates have been made at national level for January 2001 because the data for SEN are known to be incomplete. Figures given for Boston and skegness parliamentary constituency and Lincolnshire LEA are as reported by schools in the Boston and Skegness parliamentary constituency and Lincolnshire LEA areas.
3 Pupils attending schools within Boston and Skegness parliamentary constituency and Lincolnshire local education authority.
§ Mr. AllanTo ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what provision for special educational needs statementing will be in place for children in accommodation centres(a) on arrival at the accommodation centre and (b) before entering mainstream schools. [57623]
§ Mr. Ivan LewisWe expect the needs of most children with special educational needs to be met by the provision in the accommodation centres in the same way as in schools. Where asked by an accommodation centre to carry out a statutory assessment of a child's needs, the local education authority will consider the request in the same way as for other children and, where appropriate, will draw up a statement of special educational needs.