(UK) NI: "Demand for SEN places increased by more than 50% in the last five years"

July 8, 2026, News Letter: Some schools ‘stonewalling approaches’ to create places for SEN children

Some mainstream schools have “stonewalled approaches” to create more places for children with special educational needs (SEN) in areas of high need, the Education Authority (EA) has said.

The EA, which manages school services in the region, has warned that the current approach for finding school places for SEN children in Northern Ireland is “running out of road”.

Some mainstream schools have “stonewalled approaches” to create more places for children with special educational needs (SEN) in areas of high need, the Education Authority (EA) has said.

By next week the number of additional places needed for SEN children will be fewer than 15.

The start of recent school years has seen a struggle to accommodate SEN children and has been criticised as a “last-minute scramble for school places”.

The demand for SEN places has increased by more than 50% in the last five years.

The EA said a series of initiatives meant that it has been able to confirm more than 4,400 school places for children with special educational needs (SEN) for September 2026.

This relates to children starting or moving schools.

An EA statement said: “Work is ongoing to confirm further places ahead of the new school year.

“It is anticipated that, by next week, the number of required additional places still to be confirmed will be less than 15.”

At the same time last year the shortfall of places was around 50.

The EA has said “change is needed to properly meet need at an earlier stage in the annual cycle”.

It also said it is on course to confirm remaining places by the start of the school term in September.

EA’s chief operations officer Dale Hanna said: “Meeting the needs of children and young people with SEN is an absolute priority for us and work will continue throughout the summer to confirm places.

“However, I have to warn that the current approach is running out of road.

“This is due to two factors, the fact much of the current special school estate is close to, or has reached, capacity; and the ongoing relatively low level of specialist SEN provision in mainstream schools.

“Given the ongoing pressures, there will be cases where placements for some children, while still being the best available option, will be less than ideal.

“This will include cases where children are in specialist provision rather than in special schools, and others where travel to schools outside their neighbourhoods will be required.

“To be very clear, that is not a choice, rather it is a necessity caused by the circumstances we face.”

He added: “As of September 2026, some 30% of mainstream schools will have specialist SEN provision classes, an increase of four percentage points on the 2025-26 school year.

“Engagement with over 400 mainstream schools has been a central focus this year.

“It has led to 101 schools establishing new or pathway classes for September 2026, 49 of which have not previously had any provisions.

“In short, the challenge of meeting the needs of children in our communities is being disproportionately shouldered by a minority of schools.

“We have had constructive engagement with other schools and this will lead to more places for September 2027 and beyond.

“Unfortunately, in some cases, however, schools in areas of highest need have effectively stonewalled our approaches.

“This is not a sustainable state of affairs.

“The level of overall mainstream school specialist provision has to expand significantly and at pace to meet growing demand.”