Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department has taken to increase the number of school places for children with special educational needs in (a) mainstream and (b) maintained special schools.

The department knows that many children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) struggle to find a suitable school placement that is close to their home and meets their needs.

We want more children and young people to receive the support they need to thrive in their local mainstream school, reducing the need for pupils to travel a long way to access a specialist placement. Many mainstream settings are already committed to delivering specialist provision locally, including through resourced provision and special educational needs units. We also recognise the vital role that special schools play in catering to children and young people with the most complex needs.

The department has published allocations for £740 million high needs capital in 2025/26 to support children and young people with SEND or who require alternative provision. Local authorities can use this funding to adapt classrooms to be more accessible for children with SEND, create specialist facilities within mainstream schools that can deliver more intensive support adapted to suit pupils’ needs, alongside continuing to provide places to support pupils in special schools with the most complex needs.