Council leaders have welcomed the announcement of extra money for special needs education — but warn that a 'one-off cash injection' is not enough.
The Local Government Association (LGA) has called for 'significant, on-going and sustainable funding' for children with special needs.
The Government announced £50m funding it says will create 740 extra school places and 'state-of-the-art facilities' for children with special educational needs and disabilities.
It has also earmarked £680m to create 40,000 more school places in primary and secondary schools, which it says will build on the 825,000 new school places created since 2010.
Children and families minister Nadhim Zahawi said: 'Today’s announcement aims to remove some of the barriers to a good education for children with additional needs and make sure Britain is a country that truly works for everyone.'
Richard Watts of the LGA said he was pleased with the extra funding but added: ‘this should not be a one-off cash injection and needs to be significant, on-going and sustainable funding, otherwise councils may not be able to meet their statutory duties and many children could miss out on a mainstream education.
'This is why we are calling for an urgent review of funding to meet the unprecedented rise in demand for support from children with special needs.'
