Children with special educational needs will benefit from
strengthened delivery capacity at the Department for Education,
as Sir is appointed as Delivery
Adviser to the Secretary of State.
Sir Kevan, already the department's Lead Non-Executive Board
Member, will take on the additional part-time role to provide
expert advice and challenge on key delivery priorities.
Working two days per week, he will focus on two areas: supporting
the department's Delivery Unit on SEND reform, and reviewing how
DfE engages with local authorities to ensure reform programmes
are clear and achievable.
The appointment comes as the department has published its Schools
White Paper, setting out plans to build a more inclusive
education system and ensure more children can have their needs
met in their local school.
The government is backing SEND reform with significant
investment: over £5 billion to resolve 90% of councils' SEND
deficits this year, a new £1.6 billion Inclusive Mainstream Fund
to deliver targeted support in every school, £1.8 billion for an
‘Experts at Hand' service bringing specialists into every local
area, over £200 million for SEND outreach through Best Start
Family Hubs, £3.7 billion to create 60,000 new specialist places,
and £200 million to deliver the most ambitious SEND training
programme ever seen in schools.
, Secretary of State for
Education, said:
“Every child, whatever their needs, should have the opportunity
to achieve and thrive at their local school. Kevan has a proven
track record of driving improvement across education, and his
expertise will be invaluable as we deliver the Schools White
Paper and our mission to shift children with SEND from sidelined
to included.”
Sir said:
“Having worked across the education system, I know that ambitious
plans only matter if they translate into real change in
classrooms and communities. Children with SEND and their families
have waited too long for the support they need, and I'm
determined to help ensure these reforms deliver for them. I look
forward to working with colleagues across the department and with
local authorities to make that happen.”
Delivery adviser to the
Secretary of State for Education - terms of
reference
