Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many new SEND places have been created in (a) Stockton-on-Tees and (b) the North East since 2019.

The statutory duty to provide sufficient school places, including for pupils with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND), sits with local authorities. The department supports local authorities to provide suitable school places for children and young people with SEND through annual high needs capital funding, including through the £740 million confirmed for 2025/26. Of this funding, Stockton-on-Tees has received £2.2 million for 2025/26.

As of 1 May 2024, Stockton-on-Tees had 667 specialist places and the North East had 9,873.