Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of whether Suffolk will have sufficient specialist school places to meet the needs of pupils who are unable to have their needs met through the Government's proposed more inclusive mainstream education system.

The statutory duty to provide sufficient school places, including for pupils with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND), sits with local authorities.

The department is supporting local authorities to provide suitable school places for children and young people with SEND by investing at least £3.7 billion in high needs capital funding between 2025/26 and 2029/30.

In the 2025/26 and 2026/27 financial years, Suffolk has been allocated just over £9.4 million and just over £9.4 million respectively through High Needs Provision Capital Allocations.

This funding is expected to fund a transformative expansion of inclusion bases, as well as adaptations to improve the accessibility and inclusivity of mainstream settings. It can also be used to create special school places for pupils with the most complex needs.

We are also developing Specialist Provision Packages which will set out nationally consistent, evidence-based provision offers covering the full range of provision required by children at the specialist tier. Local authorities will be under a duty to forecast demand for the packages and commission sufficient placements to meet local need.