Special Educational Needs: Reform
The question
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the potential risk of children and young people with SEND not having access to a suitable school place under proposed reforms to the SEND system.
Answered by Georgia Gould
Too many children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities do not currently have access to a suitable school place close to home. That is why our reforms aim to expand specialist capacity within mainstream settings and increase the availability of appropriate local provision, enabling more children to have their needs met locally and to learn alongside their peers, rather than travelling long distances to specialist placements.
Our reforms are backed by at least £3.7 billion in high needs capital funding between 2025/2026 and 2029/2030 to help local authorities expand inclusion bases, improve accessibility across the education estate, and provide additional special school places for pupils with the most complex needs.
As we take forward these reforms, we will continue to engage with the sector and carefully consider consultation responses to ensure local areas can deliver sufficient, suitable provision for all pupils.
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