Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what data her Department holds on the number of schools and places available in specialist provision for pupils with SEMH, broken down by local authority.

The department collects and publishes the number of schools which have approved provision for types of special educational needs (SEN), including social, emotional and mental health (SEMH) need, through the school census. The data is published in the ’Special education needs in England publication 2025/26’, with the most recent published in June 2026, here: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/special-educational-needs-in-england/2025-26.

Data on places in SEN provision is collected in the School Capacity survey (SCAP). In the most recent release, May 2025, local authorities provided the capacity of special schools, plus SEN units and resourced provision in mainstream schools, as defined in the guidance of the publication. This includes post-16 capacity in secondary specialist provision, where appropriate, and does not include independent or alternative provision. Capacity reported in SCAP may not reflect the current pupils on roll in schools due to the different and changing needs for which the schools cater. As SCAP does not collect data by type of SEN, data in places specifically for pupils with SEMH is not held.