Government announces £740 million for SEND

The government has just announced that 10,000 new school places will be funded for children with SEND, delivering on their ‘Plan for Change’.

£740 million is being invested by the government to deliver adaptations, expand specialist units in mainstream as well as create new places in special schools enabling more children to succeed at a school close to their homes and families.

Between 2010 to 2024, the number of children with EHCPs or their previous equivalent  ‘statements’ being educated in independent special schools increased from 7,000 to 26,000 – while the latest data just released shows an escalating gap of 8,000 places in state special schools.

The funding can be used to ensure an inclusive environment in which all pupils can be supported, for example by creating breakout spaces where children can go to self-regulate or investing in assistive technology.

This comes alongside a significant £1 billion investment to fund 44,500 places in mainstream schools needed by 2028, helping to meet current and future demand across the country along with new guidance allowing local authorities to use their capital funding for children with SEND to create places in local, mainstream schools.