Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to her Department's annual report and accounts for 2022/23, published in July 2023, what steps she is taking to mitigate the risk 5 on financial instability resulting from high needs cost pressures.

In March, the department published the Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) and Alternative Provision (AP) Improvement Plan, which set out plans for a national SEND and AP system that fulfils children’s potential, builds parents’ trust and provides financial sustainability. Underpinning this, the government has made substantial investment to secure the sustainability of the high needs system, with the high needs budget rising to £10.54 billion in 2024/25, an increase of over 60% since 2019/20.

The plan sets out further detail on actions being taken to support and stabilise the system, including the Safety Valve and Delivering Better Value programmes which are currently working with a total of 90 local authorities to help them to manage their high needs systems effectively and sustainably. Furthermore, the department has published guidance and research drawing on the work of local authorities who are managing the budgets more effectively, and we encourage all authorities to use these in creating their own management plans.