England: $2B in annual SPED transport costs; 11% increase SPED plans in one year

June 30, 2025, Daily Mail: Transporting SEN children to school is costing £1.5bn ($2B) a YEAR as numbers with EHCP entitlements soar

The cost of transporting children with special needs to schools in England spiked to £1.5billion ($2B) last year, according to official estimates.

The sharp increase comes amid mounting fears over pressures on the system from youngsters requiring additional support.

Data released last week showed the number of children with education, health and care (EHC) plans - which allow them to access funding for special needs - surged by 10 per cent in the year to January.

SEND is a slightly broader category than SEN, including those classed as having disabilities. 

Any child is entitled to free travel if the nearest suitable school is more than two miles away for under-eights - or three miles for older children.

Department for Education (DfE) figures showed last week that there were 638,700 children and young people with an EHCP as of January this year.

That was 10.8 per cent higher than in January 2024, when there were 576,474 children and young people with an EHC plan.

An EHC plan is a legal document that sets out what support a child or young person requires for their special educational needs. The number of EHCPs has increased each year since their introduction in 2014.

Local councils are responsible for ensuring that all needs set out in an EHC plan are met.

Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson admitted earlier this month that the Government needed to 'think differently' about the system of EHC plans as it is 'just not working'. 

'This is not about taking away support for families or children,' she told MPs.

Ms Phillipson added: 'It is about making sure that there is much earlier identification of need and that support is put in place much more rapidly, including ahead of any formal diagnosis.'

The data published last week showed 5.3 per cent of pupils in English schools now have an EHC plan, up from 4.8 per cent last year.