To ask the Minister of Education to detail the expected time frame for the implementation of the first steps of the Special Educational Needs Reform Agenda.

A number of actions from within the Special Educational Needs (SEN) Reform Agenda are already underway or due to begin imminently. These include:

Publication of the Education Authority’s (EA) Operational Plan 2 (OP2) on 16 January 2025 which prioritises strategic area planning for special education.

Pre-school education settings from November 2024 have received additional resource for children undergoing statutory assessment, estimated at a cost of £1.2m for this financial year.

Streamlining of the assessment and SEN placements process to commence.

The EA, in 2025, will implement its Graduated Response Framework (GRF) and new Local IMPACT Teams (LITs) model for Pupil Support Services (PSS).

The Education and Training Inspectorate (ETI) has now been commissioned to evaluate specialist education provision including the early years foundation stage provisions.

Dependent on the success of my department’s transformation bid, work will also commence this year on a range of actions focusing on early intervention, speech, language and communication, enhanced nurture programme, inclusive play environments and special schools as centres of expertise.