(England) Local councils' special ed debt to reach $11B by 2027
- The end of childhood
- Jul 1, 2025
- 2 min read
June 30, 2025, UK Times: Reform of special education is vital if it is not to suffer collapse
The time has come for an honest conversation on England’s special educational needs and disabilities system led by ministers. . .
. . .Do Labour MPs not realise that England’s special educational needs and disabilities (Send) system for children is collapsing under its own bloated weight? Are they willing to engage in difficult conversations with constituents for the greater good? The signs are not encouraging.
England’s Send regime was born of noble intent. It is only right that children with disabilities or in need of special learning are adequately supported by a well-resourced state education system. But the number of children qualifying for help is rising — seemingly inexorably. In the last ten years the number of children with education, health and care plans (EHCPs), statutory documents that oblige local authorities to provide pupils with additional support, has more than doubled to over 600,000. Councils now spend more than £12 million [$16M] every school day on transporting Send pupils to lessons, a bill that exceeds national budgets for fostering, family support and children’s centres. Autism spectrum disorder, speech and language difficulties, and social, emotional and mental health conditions, are driving this increase.
This is plainly unsustainable. It is important to note that some of the increase in demand is driven by improved diagnosis and rising awareness among parents of various conditions. Ministers must be careful to ensure those whose lives are transformed by intervention continue to receive support. But nothing has been done to address the chronic mismatch between ever-expanding demand and straitened resources. Councils, which are legally bound to fulfil the terms of EHCPs, have amassed a cumulative deficit of £3.3 billion [$4.5B], expected to rise to £8 billion [$11B] by 2027. The fiscal sleight of hand that allows local authorities to ignore these deficits expires next year. Without this get-out, fully two thirds of councils could be forced to declare bankruptcy. . . .
Labour must grasp the nettle. Bridget Phillipson, the education secretary, is expected to publish a white paper in September. She has pledged £740 million [$1B] for more Send places in mainstream schools, and promises a greater focus on early intervention. Both the National Audit Office and the Institute for Fiscal Studies question the adequacy of this sum. The time has come for an honest conversation on Send led by ministers. Labour MPs must understand that the choice is not between reform and business as usual, but between necessary change and systemic failure.
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