Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the adequacy of funding and capacity in mainstream schools for children and young people with SEND; and what steps her Department is taking to ensure that mainstream schools have the resources required to deliver high-quality SEND provision.

Mainstream school funding is increasing by 2.6% per pupil in the 2026/27 financial year compared to 2025/26. On top of this increase, mainstream schools will be receiving an additional £522 million to support them with overall costs, including the costs of staff pay awards.

Furthermore, to reverse the trend of late intervention and escalation in special educational needs and disabilities, the department is providing an additional £4 billion over this year and the next two years. This includes:

• The Inclusive Mainstream Fund, providing £1.6 billion for schools, colleges and early years settings to prepare and deliver improved inclusive practice, with over £500 million per year allocated to helping settings strengthen their inclusive offer.
• Providing £1.8 billion over the three years for local authorities to work in partnership with integrated care boards to develop and deliver a new ‘Experts at Hand’ offer, granting mainstream settings increased access to expert advice and support from educational and health professionals.
• Investing £200 million of new funding in a new training package to ensure that every teacher, educator, teaching assistant, and leaders across early years, schools and post-16 is trained and confident in supporting pupils with special educational needs.