Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of supporting local authorities to fund (a) education, health and care plans and (b) specialist school placements for children with additional needs.

This government’s ambition is that all children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) receive the right support to succeed in their education and as they move into adult life.

To achieve that ambition, we expect mainstream schools to welcome pupils from across the whole community, including pupils who may need additional support. We are working with Ofsted to ensure that schools are held accountable for their approach to inclusion, so that all children are given the high-quality support they need to achieve and thrive. This government has created an Expert Advisory Group for Inclusion, led by Tom Rees, that consists of experts across the SEND sector to advise on how to drive inclusive education practice and improve mainstream education outcomes and experiences for children and young people with SEND, whether or not they have an education, health and care (EHC) plan.

The department is providing an increase of £1 billion for high needs budgets in England in the 2025/26 financial year, following the Autumn Budget 2024. This brings total high needs funding for children and young people with complex SEND to over £12 billion. This funding makes a significant contribution to the costs of mainstream school pupils with EHC plans and funds the placement of pupils in special schools.