Council spending on special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) has surged by more than £5bn in real terms over six years.
According to research from the Policy Exchange think tank, spending on SEND provision across local authorities has risen by 58.5% from 2018/19 to 2024/25.
The report, titled ‘From Rates to Ruin: The Ongoing Crisis in Local Authority SEND Spending’, found that SEND spending during this period had increased at the quickest rate in the most affluent 50% of England’s councils, which saw a 65% rise, whereas spending across the most deprived 50% of local authorities had risen by 51%.
Policy Exchange research fellow and author of the report, Zachary Marsh, revealed that 11 councils’ SEND spending had grown by over 100% in six years, with 9 of these local authorities currently experiencing SEND deficits that are forecasted to amount to a collective £1.2bn in 2025/26.
Additionally, 50% of all new schools spending has been targeted towards SEND costs since 2015, with almost one in five children in England being confirmed to have a SEND need.
The category which saw the largest surge in spending was SEND administration and transport, with the former rising by 135% in real terms since 2019, and the latter increasing by 81% over the same period.
This jump in spending has resulted in councils making cuts to specialist support services, the report has confirmed. These services include educational psychologists and therapeutic support.
Earlier this week, the Government announced it would fund 90% of councils’ deficits relating to high needs.
However, Marsh reinforced that the Government must take ‘urgent’ and ‘decisive action’, rather than delaying its upcoming SEND reforms.
Rt Hon Ruth Kelly, former Secretary of State for Education and Skills, said the trends in SEND spending are ‘concerning’ and emphasised the need for a sustainable funding system.
‘Councils, schools – and above all, families – deserve clarity about what support they can expect and access and assurances that this can be sustained because the funding is there to support it. Restoring sanity and certainty to the system is the only way to secure the long-term future of SEND provision in England and ensure fairness for those who rely on it’, she said.
Cllr Amanda Hopgood, Chair of the Local Government Association’s Children, Young People and Families Committee, said: ‘Fully writing off historic and future high needs deficits remains critical.
‘The challenges within the SEND system are not just financial. The Schools White Paper must deliver brave and bold reform where more children can get the support they need in a mainstream school, without needing a statutory plan.’
