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Government starts roll out of new £1.8bn SEND service
6/8/2026 Children with SEND will get faster access to specialist support without needing a diagnosis, as the Government launches its new Experts at Hand service. |
Councils question financial sustainability and timescales of SEND reforms
6/5/2026 Councils have raised a raft of concerns around the Government’s plans to overhaul the special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) system. |
SEND reforms at risk as pupils cluster in minority of schools
5/20/2026 Government ambitions to make mainstream schools more inclusive risk falling short unless the uneven distribution of pupils with SEND is tackled, study finds. |
Most school leaders say SEND reforms will increase workload, survey finds
5/19/2026 Nine in 10 school leaders believe the Government's proposed special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) reforms will add to workload, poll finds. |
Ombudsman finds council twice at fault for failing children with SEND
5/14/2026 A council has been found at fault twice for failing to deliver support to children with special educational needs attending schools outside its area. |
Call for investment in MSI teachers following ‘critical shortage’ across councils
5/12/2026 Over 50% of councils do not have any specialist multi-sensory impairment (MSI) teachers employed to support deafblind children. |
Eight-year-old launches legal challenge against SEND consultation
5/12/2026 An eight-year-old severely autistic girl is seeking a judicial review of the Government's consultation on its proposed special educational needs reforms. |
New Councillors, Same Pressures: IFS warns councils face unchanged funding challenges
5/11/2026 New councillors elected last week inherits a local government finance picture that is deeply constrained – and unlikely to improve quickly, IFS warns. |
Improvement notice lifted on Oxfordshire's SEND services
4/20/2026 An improvement notice for SEND services in Oxfordshire issued following an inspection by Ofsted and the Care Quality Commission in 2023 has been lifted. |
Parents of SEND children without EHCPs report worst school experiences
3/26/2026 Parents of children with SEND who do not have an EHCP consistently report the poorest experiences of the school system, according to a major new survey. |
Top schools accused of shutting out pupils with SEND
3/24/2026 Top state schools admit far fewer disadvantaged special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) pupils than local averages, according to the Sutton Trust. |
Government announces five pooled budgets pilots
3/18/2026 The Government has announced details of pilots to test pooled budgets in five areas, ahead of setting out a vision for public service reform later this year. |
Croydon pledge after SEND overspend
3/17/2026 Croydon LBC has pledged to tackle a raft of problems highlighted in a review into its £16.7m overspend on special educational needs and disabilities (SEND). |
PAC: Questions on SEND school transport costs unanswered
3/6/2026 MPs have warned reforms to the special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) system leave unanswered questions about home-to-school transport funding. |
'Inconsistent' and 'variable': mixed review for SEND services
3/3/2026 SEND services in Sunderland have been described as ‘inconsistent’ and ‘variable’ by regulators. |
Four in 10 of England’s councils to require bail outs
3/2/2026 Nearly 40% of English councils are likely or very likely to require exceptional financial support (EFS) within five years, according to the LGIU. |
Government unveils £4bn SEND package
2/23/2026 The Government has announced a £4bn investment to expand specialist support for children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND). |
CCN: SEND transport costs could hit £3.4bn
2/18/2026 Councils have warned that the Government’s Schools White Paper must address spiralling special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) transport costs. |
Council fined after leaving a child without education for a year
2/12/2026 North Tyneside Council has agreed to pay £5,900 to a family after an investigation found it failed to provide suitable education for a child with SEND. |
Call for sustainable funding to support SEND spending
2/12/2026 Council spending on special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) has surged by more than £5bn in real terms over six years. |
Government to pay off 90% of SEND deficits
2/9/2026 The Government will provide funding for 90% of English councils' deficits relating to special educational needs and disabilities (SEND), it has announced. |
Council's SEND services improving but still inconsistent
2/9/2026 Improvements have been made to SEND services delivered by Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole Council but services remain inconsistent, new report says. |
LGA repeats SEND insolvency warning
2/6/2026 The LGA has reiterated its warning that councils face potential insolvency due to soaring special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) costs. |
Campaigners call for strengthened SEND protections ahead of reforms
2/4/2026 A joint statement has been sent to the Secretary of State, warning that legal protections for children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) must be preserved. |
Nearly half of parents are nervous about SEND system changes, poll reveals
1/29/2026 Almost 50% of parents are worried about approaching changes to the special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) system, research has found. |
Minister addresses council leaders on SEND reforms
1/26/2026 Minister leading reform of services for children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) has been told councils need more powers and funding. |
SEND spending expected to more than double, IFS says
1/21/2026 Special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) spending could more than double from 2015 to 2028, research has found. |
Government unveils £200m SEND teacher training programme
1/16/2026 The Government has announced a £200m programme to expand training for teachers and education staff to better support pupils with SEND. |
Threat to SEND rights could leave thousands of children without support
1/13/2026 The legal rights of children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) are under threat, according to an open letter. |
Need for SEND support in London hits record levels
1/7/2026 The number of children in London requiring special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) support has reached record levels, new analysis reveals. |
Council says 'more to be done' after SEND improvements
1/5/2026 Hertfordshire County Council has said there is still ‘more to be done’ after an inspection report noted improvements in SEND services. |
Redbridge agrees SEND improvement plan following inspectors’ criticism
12/15/2025 The London Borough of Redbridge has agreed a plan to improve its support for children with special education needs and disabilities (SEND) following a critical report by inspectors earlier this year. |
Councils to be handed free school money to deliver SEND places
12/12/2025 Councils will be given funding earmarked for the creation of free schools to deliver specialist places for children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND). |
Regulators call for NHSE to offer greater SEND support to local area partnerships
12/11/2025 NHS England and the Department for Education should provide local area partnerships with access to resources and training so they can support schools to take a needs-led approach to supporting children with SEND, according to a new report. |
Further evidence emerges around councils’ early years underspend
12/8/2025 Further evidence has emerged that councils are either holding back or diverting money that is earmarked for the early years sector. |
Government urged to fully fund recruitment of family hub SEND practitioners
12/4/2025 Government needs to ensure its call for councils to recruit dedicated special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) practitioners in family support hubs is fully funded, warns the Local Government Association (LGA). |
SEND campaign to prioritise local voices
12/2/2025 A public engagement campaign on Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) has been launched to include local families in decisions about reforms. |
Budget: Government to fund SEND
11/26/2025 Government will fully fund Special Educational Needs and Disabilities from 2028-29, cutting one of the biggest financial pressures on councils. |
Rising demand threatens early years support, LGA warns
11/24/2025 A new report reveals that councils and early-years practitioners are seeing a sharp rise in both the number and complexity of needs among under-fives. |
Without reform, no Budget can fix local government
11/24/2025 Joanne Pitt, CIPFA Senior Policy Manager, argues the Autumn Budget must pair funding decisions with long-term reform to secure local government’s future. |
Editor’s Comment: What local government wants from the Autumn Budget
11/17/2025 As councils face soaring pressures, the Autumn Budget Insights series outlines what local government leaders are calling on the Chancellor to deliver. |
SEND debt set to hit £18bn
11/14/2025 England’s councils have warned that the special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) system is ‘on course for total collapse’ without urgent reform. |
Stark inequalities in SEND pupil distribution revealed
11/13/2025 Councils are warning of mounting pressures as study reveals inequalities in the distribution of pupils with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND). |
Worcestershire warned over special educational needs spending
11/11/2025 Worcestershire CC has been handed a financial warning by auditors concerned its spending on children with special educational needs is ‘out of control'. |
Council and ICB 'taking decisive action' to tackle SEND failings
11/10/2025 Slough Local Area Partnership, which comprises Slough BC and NHS Frimley ICB, have said it is taking decisive action to improve quality of SEND services. |
NAO: SEND reforms must tackle £2.3bn school transport squeeze
10/30/2025 The NAO has warned that reforms to the special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) system must address growing pressures on home-to-school transport. |
Government delays SEND overhaul
10/22/2025 The long-awaited schools white paper, intended to overhaul special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) provision in England, will now be delayed. |
SEND Crisis: EHCP demand soars 250%, warns IPPR
10/22/2025 The UK’s system for supporting children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) is ‘no longer fit for purpose’, according to a new IPPR report. |
Autumn Budget Insights: SEND reform needed to break vicious cycle
10/20/2025 Darcey Snape of the IFS warns that without urgent SEND reform, councils face growing deficits and families risk being let down. |
Over 50% of teachers doubt SEND reforms
10/8/2025 Over 70% of teachers think the children’s special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) system is ineffective, research has revealed. |
Spending on SEND support set to hit £21bn
10/2/2025 Spending on education, health and care plans (EHCPs) and child disability living allowance (CDLA) in England is set to reach £21bn by 2029. |
Surrey’s neurodiversity programme expands to 70 schools
9/29/2025 Surrey CC’s Partnership for Inclusion of Neurodiversity in Schools (PINs) has officially launched its second year, expanding to support 70 schools. |
Ombudsman slams delays in Leeds SEND support plans
9/25/2025 Leeds CC has been criticised after an Ombudsman investigation uncovered significant delays in providing EHC Plans for children with special educational needs. |
MPs call for 'root and branch' transformation of 'broken' SEND system
9/18/2025 A cross-party report has called for ‘root and branch transformation' of the ‘broken' special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) system. |
Billions spent on SEND – but is it paying off?
9/11/2025 Financial experts have warned there is almost no way to assess whether the billions spent on England’s SEND system represent value for money. |
SEND transport costs reach record £2.26bn
9/1/2025 SEND transport costs hit a record high of £2.26bn in 2023-24, according to a new analysis of official data for England. |
Underfunding, Not Demand, Is Breaking SEND
8/29/2025 Jack Lowman, Sense, says properly funding the special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) system is vital for disabled children to get the best start. |
Overdiagnosis straining SEND system, think tank says
8/28/2025 England’s special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) system is unsustainable because of an overdiagnosis of mental health issues, think tank says |
Reform UK council leader’s SEND comments ‘shameful’, says minister
8/14/2025 Reform council leader’s claim that children are being ‘overdiagnosed’ with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) has been condemned as ‘shameful’. |
Call to cap profits of ‘vulture’ SEND schooling providers
8/1/2025 The Lib Dems have called on the Government to cap ‘exorbitant’ profits of private providers of special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) schooling. |
Ombudsman raises concerns over councils’ handling of complaints involving children
7/25/2025 Concerns have been raised by the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman over the way councils handle complaints of cases involving children. |
Councils urged to boost scarce holiday childcare spaces
7/17/2025 Only 9% of councils have sufficient holiday childcare places for at least 75% of children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) in their area, a survey has revealed. |
EHCPs ‘under threat’, campaigners warn
7/7/2025 Campaigners are urging the Government not to cut education, health and care plans (EHCPs) for children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND). |
LGA: SEND transport costs likely to hit £2bn
7/2/2025 Council spending on home to school transport for children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) is predicted to hit nearly £2bn this year. |
LGA calls for new coalition to fix health and care system
7/1/2025 Local authority leaders have called for a new ‘national-local coalition’ that puts prevention at the centre of a modern health and care system. |
Councillor warns of ‘tidal wave’ of SEND demand
6/24/2025 West Sussex County Council has warned it is facing a ‘tidal wave of demand’ for services for children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND). |
Government announces ‘fairer funding’ reforms
6/20/2025 Local government funding will be overhauled to support left behind places, while competitive bidding for funding will be scrapped, Government announced. |
Failure to consider impact of NICs hike on councils ‘major misstep’
6/18/2025 Government’s failure to consider the impact that the National Insurance Contributions (NIC) increase would have on councils was a ‘major misstep’, MPs say. |
Council confirms funding for school repairs and SEND services
6/16/2025 Kirklees Council has approved a £5.4m investment into local schools, funding repair projects and facilities for pupils with complex needs. |
Black hole spending review
6/11/2025 Jonathan Werran, chief executive of Localis, reflects on what the Spending Review means for local government. |
Spending Review: Silence on SEND reform
6/11/2025 Councils will have to wait until the autumn for details of reforms to services for children with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND). |
The £37,000 SEND Problem
6/10/2025 Natalie Kenneison, COO at Imosphere, argues that the real SEND funding crisis isn’t just about budgets - it’s about the systems behind the decisions. |
SEND system in urgent need of reform, says LGA
6/9/2025 A new report by the Local Government Association (LGA) has called for urgent reform of SEND services. |
London Councils: SEND funding ‘sums don’t add up’
6/5/2025 Sixteen of London’s 33 local authorities are at risk of bankruptcy due to SEND funding pressures, London Councils warns. |
Council told to apologise for mishandling of school transport
6/5/2025 Derby City Council has been told to apologise to three families for mishandling their school transport applications. |
Councils faced with ‘astronomical’ children’s homes costs
5/29/2025 The number of children’s home placements costing over £500,000 annually has dramatically increased over the last five years, council chiefs warn. |
SEND improvement plan to address ‘systemic failures’
5/29/2025 Bracknell Forest Council has set out plans to improve SEND provision including funding for extra staff. |
AI trial could reduce care waiting times for vulnerable children
5/27/2025 Somerset Council has announced an AI trial that could accelerate the production of special educational needs reports for children. |
Urgent need for teacher training amidst schools crisis
4/29/2025 The Government should provide £260m to fund a new 'national entitlement' to teacher training to help raise school standards, think tank says. |
Government to set out SEND deficit plans
4/4/2025 The Government is to set out how it will tackle the £6bn special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) deficit crisis later this year. |
Council to pay family nearly £8k after education failure
4/3/2025 Oxfordshire County Council has agreed to pay £7,900 in compensation after council failures led to a child missing out on four terms of education. |
Schools for pupils with SEND short by 8k places
3/28/2025 Department for Education figures have revealed that the shortage of places in special schools for secondary pupils in England worsened by 25% in 2023/24. |
SEND deficits ‘ticking’ clock, CCN warns
3/20/2025 Council leaders have warned ‘unmanageable’ special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) deficits risk bankrupting half of England’s largest councils. |
Rochdale apologises for 1,500 SEND plan backlog
3/13/2025 Rochdale BC has apologised after admitting it has a backlog of 1,500 support plans to review for children with special educational needs and disabilities. |
Children in prison failed by ‘multiple services’
2/27/2025 Children in prison have been failed by ‘multiple services’ and youth custody worsens their disadvantages, according to the Children’s Commissioner. |
End of statutory override could leave half of councils insolvent
2/19/2025 More than half of unitary and upper tier councils could be unable to balance their books when the statutory override for special needs spending expires, a survey has found. |
Report reveals SEND ‘blind spots’
2/11/2025 Research into the provision of special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) support in England has highlighted ‘inequalities’ and ‘blind spots.’ |
Council delays left mother to pay £7,000 for children's care
2/6/2025 A mother had to pay £7,000 for her children’s therapy while she waited for Somerset Council to release the funds, an ombudsman has revealed. |
Council pays family £2,600 over missed education
2/4/2025 Wokingham Borough Council has been ordered to pay a mother £2,600 after it failed to meet her son’s special educational needs. |
Bournemouth could borrow £57.5m to cover SEND deficit
1/30/2025 Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole Council has proposed borrowing £57.5m to tackle a funding gap for special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) provision. |
‘More work to do’, councillor responds to SEND petition
1/29/2025 Nottinghamshire County Council’s cabinet member for education and SEND, Cllr Ben Bradle, has acknowledged there is ‘more to do’ on SEND provision. |
Number of school children receiving SEN support surges 40%
1/21/2025 The number of British school children receiving support for special educational needs (SEN) has surged by 40% since 2016-2017, a new study has revealed. |
PAC: ‘Unviable’ SEND system pushing councils towards bankruptcy
1/15/2025 Almost half of all councils in England are in danger of effective bankruptcy within 15 months due in part to the ‘failing’ SEND system, MPs warn. |
Special educational needs statutory override is 'abomination'
1/10/2025 Accountancy alone will not be enough to end the ‘abomination' of statutory overrides for special educational needs (SEN) budgets, a minister has said. |
Bumper profits for SEN private providers
1/3/2025 Revenue at privately-run special schools has reportedly soared as councils continue to battle to manage rising costs in the area. |
Starmer 'acutely aware' of SEND risk
12/23/2024 Starmer is ‘acutely aware' that demand and market failure across special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) services are pushing councils to the brink. |
Councils' SEND deficits ‘could reach absurd levels’
12/9/2024 Local authority deficits for special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) provision ‘could easily reach absurd levels’ without widespread reform, a think-tank has warned. |
No more safety valve agreements, DfE says
12/4/2024 The Government will not enter any more safety valve agreements with councils that are in deficit on their high needs education budgets. |
Council calls for SEND tribunals to consider safety valve arrangements
11/27/2024 Norfolk CC has called for tribunals handling special educational needs and disabilities appeals to consider if councils are receiving extra financial support. |
Cambs in bid to rescue £49m funding deal
11/26/2024 Cambridgeshire County Council has drawn up a new special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) strategy after failing to meet the terms of a funding agreement with the Government. |
