England's special educational needs services 'face collapse'

Special educational needs services in England face “total collapse”, with councils on course to run up debts of £18bn by the end of the decade, according to a report published yesterday.

- Patrick Butler Social policy editor

It found spiralling demand for special educational needs and disability (Send) support could push about 59 upper tier authorities into effective bankruptcy by March 2028.

The government is preparing long-delayed changes to the system aimed at putting a lid on rising spending while meeting the specialist needs of more children within the mainstream schools system.

The report from the County Councils Network (CCN), which represents local authorities in England’s counties, called on ministers to write off accumulated Send debts and bring in legislative changes to appeal tribunals to reduce access to specialist support. Such changes would be fiercely opposed by parents of children who have special needs.

“The system is heading towards total collapse in little over four years. This could mean families facing even longer waits for support, councils facing a level of demand that the system was never designed for, and local authorities staring down unimaginable deficits of almost £18bn,” said Matthew Hicks, the CCN chair.