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All Party Parliamentary Group on SEND

 
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NAHT is providing secretariat to the APPG on SEND. Follow the APPG on twitter @appg_send.

To join the APPG for SEND mailing list please click here.

If you or your organisation would like to speak at an upcoming meeting of the APPG for SEND, please express your interest here.

Officers of the APPG

Chair: Olivia Blake MP 

Vice-chairs: James Daly MP, Sally-Ann Hart MP, Emma Hardy MP and Sharon Hodgson MP

Officers: Jeremy Corbyn MP, Marsha de Cordova MP, Tim Farron MP, Rachel Hopkins MP, Barbara Keeley MP, Kate Osborne MP, Julian Sturdy MP and James Sunderland MP

Latest news

Chair of the APPG for SEND, Olivia Blake MP, has criticised the government’s latest delay in the publication of the review of support for special educational needs, initially announced in September 2019.

Olivia Blake MP says: “This further delay is unacceptable and inexcusable - especially after the disproportionate impact that the pandemic has had on children and adults with special educational needs and disabilities, who in many cases have been left without any support over the past year. People with learning difficulties have continually been an afterthought in Government response to the pandemic – woefully neglected with terrible consequences. “

You can read the full statement here.

Chair of the APPG for SEND, Olivia Blake MP, writes to Minister for Covid Vaccine Deployment, Nadhim Zahawi MP, to ask that staff working with children with SEND are prioritised for vaccination

Olivia Blake MP has written to the Minister for COVID Vaccine Deployment to ask that the government prioritise educational and support staff who work with children and young people with SEND in the covid-19 vaccine rollout. 

You can read the full text of the letter here.

Chair of the APPG for SEND, Olivia Blake MP, writes to Prime Minister Boris Johnson seeking disclosure of scientific information behind the decision on school closures on 4 January 2021.

Olivia Blake MP has written to the Prime Minister to seek the disclosure of scientific evidence providing an adequate evidential basis for decisions that have been taken regarding special schools and alternative provision being omitted from the school closure plans for England.    

You can read the full text of the letter here.

Chair of the APPG for SEND, Olivia Blake MP, writes to the secretary of state for education regarding the delay to the publication of the government’s review of SEND 

Olivia Blake MP has written to the secretary of state, expressing concern that the much-needed review of SEND has been delayed because of the covid-19 pandemic. She urges him to commit resources and publish the review as soon as possible: “SEND cannot be an afterthought”. 

You can read the full text of the letter here.

Chair of the APPG for SEND, Olivia Blake MP, writes to the prime minister (21 August 2020) regarding the consideration given to children and young people with SEND during the GCSE and A level results decision-making process

You can read the full text of the letter here.

You can read the response from the Department for Education here.

APPG for SEND inquiry for Autumn 2020 – the impact of covid-19 on educational transitions for children and young people with SEND

The APPG for SEND has launched an inquiry for Autumn 2020 to look at the impact of covid-19 and disruption of education on children and young people with SEND, with a particular focus on the educational transitions they face.

The APPG welcomes submissions from all interested parties, but particularly from parents, carers and young people themselves.

To view the terms of reference for the inquiry, please click here. 

Reports of the APPG for SEND

Spring 2021: Forgotten. Left behind. Overlooked. The experiences of young people with SEND and their educational transitions during the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020

Forthcoming meetings 

We will publish the dates and registration links for upcoming meetings here. 

Upcoming meetings

Tuesday 27 June 2023 –​ Annual General Meeting

There is a requirement for APPG AGMs to be held in person and on the Parliamentary Estate, therefore it will be a private meeting, not open to the public. 

Members of the group will hear from the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Children, Families and Wellbeing, Claire Countinho MP. 

The group will plan meetings for the coming year which will be online and open to the public. 

Past meetings

Monday 13 June 2022 – Annual General Meeting

Wednesday 23 March 2022, 4pm

Focus: Social, emotional, and mental health in SEND support

Wednesday 9 February 2022, 4pm

Wednesday 24 March 2021 (annual general meeting)

The APPG for SEND held four meetings in the autumn term of 2020 as part of its inquiry into the impact of covid-19 on educational transitions.

Each meeting focused and heard evidence on a particular topic of the educational experience of children and young people with SEND. Click on the links below to watch the meetings.

Wednesday 2 December 2020 (focus on sensory and/or physical needs)

Wednesday 11 November 2020 (focus on social, emotional and mental health difficulties)

Wednesday 14 October 2020 (focus on cognition and learning)  

Wednesday 23 September 2020 (Focus on Communication and interaction)

Wednesday 15 July 2020

Tuesday 3 March 2020

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