Department for Education (DfE) figures have found that there were 8,000 more secondary school pupils in special schools than places available for them. The figure represents a rise of 25% in 12 months, according to the BBC.
Around two in three of these schools were at or over capacity in 2023-24. This is despite the number of places at special schools rising by 5,000. The government recently announced £740 million of funding which would create 10,000 new school places for pupils with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) in mainstream schools.
It would help plug “the significant gaps in provision,” Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson said. Around 1.7 million school-aged children have SEND in England. Those with additional needs can gain legal entitlement to more specific support, usually in a special school, via an education, health, and care plan or EHCP.
The amount of pupils with an EHCP in need of a place in a specialist provision is expected to climb by 44,000 over the next three years, according to local authorities. That means it wouldg go from 229,000 in 2024-25 to 273,000 in 2028-29.
The DfE found that there were 92,000 secondary places at special state schools in England but that there were 100,000 secondary pupils on their registers in May 2024. In its report earlier this year, the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) said that the SEND system was “in disarray,” adding that it was “mired in red tape, lacking funding, and failing to produce value for money.”
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