Mr Chuka Umunna – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Mr Chuka Umunna on 2014-03-18.
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what recent assessment he has made of the quality of educational provision for children and young people on the autism spectrum in (a) the UK, (b) England, (c) London, (d) the London Borough of Lambeth and (e) Streatham constituency.
Edward Timpson
The Department for Education recognises that provision for all children and young people with special educational needs (SEN) across England, including those on the autism spectrum, needs to be improved and that is why we are taking forward the reforms in the Children and Families Act, which recently received Royal Assent. Part 3 of the Act will bring about significant reforms to the SEN system from which children and young people with autism will benefit along with their peers, in particular from earlier, and more comprehensive, assessment and intervention and stronger arrangements for the transition from children’s to adult services, which many on the spectrum can find extremely difficult.
In 2008 the Autism Education Trust published a report ‘Educational provision for children and young people living in England’. That report found that “practice in many mainstream and special schools had improved tremendously over recent years” but that there was still much to be done “in reaching staff in schools who are not yet familiar with the particular needs of pupils on the autism spectrum and who struggle to teach them effectively.”
The Government has continued to fund the Trust, putting the emphasis on improving awareness and skills amongst early years, schools and further education staff. From January 2012 to February 2014, 22,451 staff have received level 1 basic awareness training, 3,214 have received level 2 hands-on tools and techniques training and 775 have received level 3 training for those who want to develop their knowledge of autism further and those who will themselves take on a training role, such as school Special Educational Needs Co-ordinators.
Education, including SEN, is a devolved matter and Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland have responsibility for autism educational provision in their administrations.
