(England) "Half of all new schools spending since 2015 spent on SEND support:"
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Feb 11, 2026, Daily Mail: Town hall spending on support for special needs pupils soars by nearly two-thirds over six years with fastest rise in wealthier areas, report finds - prompting calls for urgent overhaul
Town hall spending on support for special needs pupils has soared by 60 per cent to nearly £14billion [$19B] in recent years, a report has found.
The paper by the Policy Exchange think tank found around one in five pupils is now deemed to have Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND), with spending surging by more than £5billion [$5.8B] in real terms to £13.6billion [$18.5B] between 2018/19 and last year (2024/25).
Half of all new schools spending since 2015 has been spent on SEND support.
The study, backed by two former education secretaries, warns spending could hit more than £18billion [$25B ] by 2028 without an overhaul of the system.
It found that despite clear evidence linking SEND needs to deprivation, spending has risen fastest (65 per cent) in the most affluent 50 per cent of local authorities.
By comparison, it rose by 51 per cent in the 50 per cent most deprived council areas.
Around 1 in 20 children in England now have needs deemed severe enough to need education, health and care plans (EHCPs), according to the report.
These are legal documents setting out the support a young person with SEND is entitled to, with the number issued surging from 353,995 in 2019 to 638,745 as of January 2025.
By March 2025, England's councils had accrued £4billion [$5.5B] in SEND-related debts, a figure researchers projected could rise to £17.8 billion [$24B] by 2029.
Former Labour Education Secretary Ruth Kelly, who backed the report, said: 'Dramatic spending increases on SEND have placed an unsustainable burden on local authorities.
'The courageous decision to bring SEND spending and deficits onto the Government balance sheet from 2028 necessitates a clear plan to make the new funding system sustainable.'
Ex-Labour Education Secretary Baroness Morris of Yardley added: 'The increased expenditure in recent years is greatest in areas of least deprivation which adds to the evidence for the need for radical change.'
Eleven councils saw SEND spending increases of more than 100 per cent in six years.
The largest real terms percentage changes have occurred in councils including the Isles of Scilly (235 per cent), Herefordshire (161 per cent) and Worcestershire (130 per cent).
Spending on SEND transport, including home-to-school travel, has more than doubled at 42 councils, likely driven by a rising number of EHCPs - with Calderdale Council seeing a 385 per cent rise.
In a quarter of local authorities administration spending on SEND schemes grew 300 per cent.
The report states: 'The Government must not delay in bringing forward its long-trailed reforms to the SEND system.'
A survey of town halls revealed last week that most councils face insolvency over mounting SEND deficits.
Around four in five councils (79 per cent) said they will not be able to set a balanced budget in 2028, when the government plans to bring SEND spending and deficits onto the Government balance sheet.
Zachary Marsh, Research Fellow in Education at Policy Exchange and author of the report, said: 'EHCPs are driving spending in wealthy council areas, with 9 out of 10 local authorities with the highest number of applications last year amongst the wealthiest 50 per cent of councils.
'The Government must grip the system and target resources earlier and on those who need it most – rather than those sharp-elbowed enough to work the system.'
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