Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what estimate she has made of the average distance travelled by pupils attending specialist schools outside their local authority area.

The department does not hold the specific information requested.

However, the 2025 school census shows that pupils with education, health and care (EHC) plans are more likely to travel further to school than other pupils travelling to mainstream schools. 17% of pupils attending mainstream secondary schools compared with 28% of pupils with EHC plans across all school types, live 3 or more miles from their school.

The reforms set out in the ‘SEND reform: putting children and young people first’ consultation aim to create a more inclusive school system that enables more children and young people to have their needs met in local mainstream settings. As a result, we expect fewer children and young people to need to travel long distances to access appropriate education.