First, the NCSE has set up a new system through which parents can get a letter of eligibility which they then use to get a special needs place in a school. Children who have special needs and their parents need not only to be sure of a place, they also need time so they can get their children ready for going to school. I ask the Minister of State to pass this on to the NCSE and to the Minister of State with responsibility for special education needs.

While all of the children in mainstream schools are now being told whether they have a school place and the school they are going to, children with additional or special education needs have no idea because the NCSE still has not provided that information. In addition, special school capacity was also expanded across a number of special schools nationwide and 16 new special schools have been established in recent years.

Built by scoring every sentence in the debate on how distinctive its language is, then quoting the highest-scoring ones back word for word and in the order spoken. Nothing is paraphrased or invented — if a sentence appears here, it was said in the chamber. Drawn from 16,535 words across 49 contributions by 12 speakers.