(England) $5B to reform SPED slammed as 'absolutely ridiculous,' 'drop in the bucket'

June 11, 2026, Telegraph:  Number of children with special needs plans rises 11pc in year

The number of children with special educational needs plans has increased by 11.6 per cent in a year.

Figures for the 2025-26 academic year show there are more than 1.8 million children with special educational needs (Send) in schools in England, up by 5.2 per cent from the year before in a continuation of the increasing trend since 2016.

Of those pupils, 538,547 have an educational, health and care plan (EHCP), a legal document setting out the support children are entitled to. That is an increase from 482,640 last year, according to Department for Education (DfE) data published on Thursday.

Spending on support for children with Send has ballooned in recent years amid rising demand, leading to spiralling costs for councils and large deficits.

Sir Keir Starmer has said the system “does not work” for children and parents, and promised £4bn [$5B] in funding as part of the Schools White Paper which pledged “inclusive mainstream alongside high-quality specialist provision” through schools.

However, critics hit out at Sir Keir and Bridget Phillipson, the Education Secretary, calling the funding “absolutely ridiculous” and a “drop in the bucket”.

The DfE said it expected the number of pupils with an EHCP would continue to increase, but at a slower rate, until 2029-30, and that as reforms became established the figures would return to about this year’s level by 2035.