To ask the Secretary of State for Education whether it is his policy that all young people who at present have a statement of special educational needs should be automatically transferred to an education, health and care plan when such plans are introduced.

In the 2011 Green Paper, ‘Support and Aspiration’, we proposed that children and young people who would currently have a statement of SEN or a post-16 learning difficulty assessment (LDA) should in future have an education, health and care plan (EHC plan). The Children and Families Bill will ensure that eligibility for an EHC plan remains the same as it is now for a statement or LDAs. EHC plans will be built on a much stronger, streamlined assessment process which includes parents, children and young people, and focuses more clearly on their outcomes and aspirations.

The Government is considering how to ensure that children, young people and families can benefit from EHC plans as soon as possible while still making the transition process manageable for schools, colleges, local authorities and their partners. We intend to consult on our preferred approach to transitional arrangements in the autumn.