Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether he has made an assessment of the potential merits of the mandatory introduction of a special educational needs school in each local authority to cater for young people who struggle in mainstream education.

The Children and Families Act 2014 requires local authorities to work with parents, young people, and providers to keep the provision for children and young people with special education needs and disabilities under review, including its sufficiency.

There is a presumption in law that children and young people should be educated in mainstream settings unless the local authority concludes they require more specialist provision following a statutory Education, Health and Care assessment (EHC). In January 2018, 34.8% of children and young people with EHC plans were placed in maintained special schools.

Local authorities are also able to commission new schools (both special and mainstream) via the free school presumption route, drawing on the basic need and special provision capital funding sources. The department has allocated £265 million of capital funding (over and above basic need funding) to help build new places at mainstream and special schools, and to improve existing places to benefit current and future pupils. We have given local authorities a more proactive role in commissioning new special free schools, and since March we have announced 15 projects which are being taken forward.