Funding announced for more SEND places in mainstream schools: CCN responds

Today the Department for Education has announced £740m to create more places for pupils with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) within mainstream schools.

The capital funds, which will be allocated in the Spring, were first announced in the October Budget. The government said that the funds will be used to create specialist facilities within mainstream schools to help meet the needs of SEND pupils.

This money will be distributed ahead of a government commitment to wider reform of the system.

The County Councils Network (CCN) produced a report in the summer with Isos Partnership and the Local Government Association that called for wider reform to the SEND system, with incentivising mainstream schools to better meet the needs of SEND pupils a key plank of this.

Below, CCN responds to today’s announcement.

Cllr Kate Foale, Special Educational Needs and Disabilities Spokesperson for the County Councils Network, said:

“The County Councils Network has argued the system does not work for young people, local authorities and schools alike, and only by enabling mainstream schools to better support SEND pupils can we reform a system in desperate need of change. We are pleased the government recognises this and today’s announcement is a step in the right direction. However, it should be seen as a downpayment ahead of root and branch reform.

“Whilst today’s extra funding is important, councils across England have accrued unmanageable deficits of £4bn within their SEND services, which is being kept off their books via the statutory override. Successfully reforming the system will require a national solution on how the Treasury intends to manage these deficits when the override comes to an end as planned in March 2026, and we have urged the government for immediate clarity.

Whilst some councils who were hopeful of concluding ‘Safety Valve’ agreements will be disappointed the programme is ending, the Department for Education is clear that the reform to the system is coming. It is vital that reform is implemented within 12 months of the Spending Review, with councils playing a key role.”