William Eichler 16 September 2024

Council SEND spending up 70%

Council SEND spending up 70%  image
Image: Iryna Inshyna / Shutterstock.com.

Local authority spending on children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) has risen from £6.9bn to £12bn – a 70% jump – since 2018/19, a new analysis has revealed.

The number of primary school children with education, health and care plans (EHCPs) entitling them to formal support has also doubled to one in 100, according to the analysis of Department for Education data by the Telegraph.

Cllr Kate Foale, the County Councils Network's (CCN) SEND spokesperson, told the newspaper the system was ‘broken’, and does not ‘work for families, pupils, nor councils’.

Check out: What do safety valve agreements mean for children with SEND? and What the government should do for children’s services

SIGN UP
For your free daily news bulletin
Linkedin Banner