English Councils are facing bankruptcy over Special Educational Needs

The number of children in England with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) has skyrocketed over the past decade and this is pushing English local authorities to the brink of financial ruin. Join me as I dig into this hugely important, and complex topic.

The numbers:

From: https://www.tes.com/magazine/analysis/general/how-many-school-pupils-have-send-ehcps

Certain needs are driving the increase more than other

There’s a strong class component

SEND Provision by Ethnicity 2023-24

I made this chart from official data: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/data-tables/fast-track/e475ea4f-51a4-40cd-71e2-08dc758d6095

Most pupils with SEND are male

Councils are on brink of financial collapse of SEND provision (click images for articles)

The Labour Government is apparently planning major action to resolve the problem