Tag: disability

Bishop of Sheffield asks about access to SEND services for vulnerable children

The Bishop of Sheffield asked a question on ensuring vulnerable children with SEND on 11th December 2024, such as those in the Gypsy, Roma, and Traveller community, and those living in extreme poverty, are able to fully access SEND services:

The Lord Bishop of Sheffield: My Lords, despite significant progress in the identification of pupils with SEND in recent years, some groups remain significantly underrepresented in accessing a formal diagnosis and acquiring an EHCP. Looked-after children as well as those experiencing the most severe poverty and those who belong to Romany, Gypsy, Traveller and Roma communities face particularly serious barriers. What steps will the Government take to ensure that the most vulnerable children with SEND are better served?

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Bishop of Sheffield speaks on need for full funding for SEND education

The Bishop of Sheffield spoke in a debate on support for children with special educational needs and disabilities on 9th December 2024, emphasising the need for proper funding for SEND students and for a multifaceted approach to SEND education:

The Lord Bishop of Sheffield: My Lords, I thank the noble Baroness for securing this debate. One of the most rewarding pieces of work in which I was involved when I was on the staff of Lichfield Cathedral about 15 years ago was a partnership with a local school for pupils with SEND to create a bespoke multisensory tour involving water, incense, bells, holding crosses and even, judiciously, fire. At first, the cathedral guides were dubious, having been used to providing school visitors simply with a verbal commentary on the history and architecture of the building, but before long they were the ones advocating that the multisensory interactive components be incorporated into all our school visits. The result was a definite uplift in our overall educational offer—and I shall come back to that at the end, if I may.

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Church Commissioners Questions: Church-owned Hospices, Historic Places of Worship, Listed Places of Worship Grant Scheme, People Housebound due to Disability: Church Support, Historic Church Preservation: Northumberland, Al-Ahli Hospital in Gaza

On 28th November 2024, the Second Church Estates Commissioner, Marsha De Cordova MP, gave the following answers to questions from MPs in the House of Commons:

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Bishop of Leicester asks about preventing delays of EHCPs for looked-after children

On 24th October 2024, the Bishop of Leicester asked a question preventing delays and unnecessary duplications when looked-after children move from one area to another and the new local authority is obligated to review their Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP):

The Lord Bishop of Leicester: My Lords, as I understand it, the situation for looked-after children—who, as we know, have a much higher proportion of EHCPs and SEND—is that, when they move from one area to another, the new local authority has to conduct a review of the EHCP. This causes further unnecessary delays. Can the Minister confirm that, as part of the review of current provision, this unnecessary duplication will be addressed?

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Bishop of St Albans asks about disability, international health cooperation, and vaccine access

The Bishop of St Albans received the following written answers on 7th October 2024:

The Lord Bishop of St Albans asked His Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Sherlock on 5 August (HL273), when they will review their commitments in the Disability Action Plan, published on 5 February; and where they will publish their response.

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Bishop of St Albans asks about licencing for non-surgical cosmetic procedures and implementation of the UK disability action plan

The Bishop of St Albans received the following written answer on 2nd September 2024:

The Lord Bishop of St Albans asked His Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Markham on 5 April (HL3640), when they intend to publish feedback to the licensing of non-surgical cosmetic procedures consultation, which ran from 2 September to 28 October 2023.

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Bishop of Southwell and Nottingham asks about effects of COVID-19 pandemic on educational attainment

The Bishop of Southwell and Nottingham asked a question on the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the educational needs of SEN children on 22nd May 2024, during a discussion on the effects of the pandemic on educational attainment for UK schoolchildren:

The Lord Bishop of Southwell and Nottingham: My Lords, head teachers in my diocese in Nottinghamshire are reporting that the adverse impacts of the pandemic include a dramatic increase in attendance concerns, parental anxiety and pupils’ mental health difficulties. At the same time, they are reporting severe pressures on schools funding, leading to staff reductions, which cannot be in the best interests of children, especially where SEN provision is reduced. What assessment have His Majesty’s Government made of the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on the educational needs of SEN children, and what more can be done to mitigate this?

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Bishop of Newcastle asks about proportion of accessible housing in the north-east of England

The Bishop of Newcastle received the following written answer on 15th May 2024:

The Lord Bishop of Newcastle asked His Majesty’s Government:

  • further to statistics from the 2021 Census which showed that the North East has the highest proportion of disabled people in England, what steps they are taking to ensure there is an adequate provision of accessible housing in the region.
  • what proportion of homes built in the North East of England in the past year are wheelchair accessible.
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Bishop of Southwark asks about disability and employment

The Bishop of Southwark received the following written answer on 10th May 2024:

The Lord Bishop of Southwark asked His Majesty’s Government what plans they have to undertake an impact assessment of the closure of the Work and Health Programme this autumn and the impact of this on enabling disabled people to enter the job market.

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Bishop of St Albans asks about funding for SEND school places

The Bishop of St Albans asked a question on the availability of additional funding for SEND places in schools during a discussion on the removal of the admissions cap on state-funded faith schools on 7th May 2024:

The Lord Bishop of St Albans: My Lords, Church of England schools will continue our long tradition of seeking to serve the common good and welcoming a huge diversity of people; we are glad to do that. The Minister has spoken about the huge problem of there not being enough special educational needs places. If I have understood this correctly, it means that this will be a new possibility. We in the Church of England would be keen to play our part to help with this, but one issue is the funding available for it, which makes it very difficult to offer. Alongside this announcement, what consideration have His Majesty’s Government given to providing additional funding for those SEND places, which we hope can release more energy into that deprived area?

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