The Government has announced funding for 10,000 new school places for children with special education needs and disabilities (SEND).

As part of its Plan for Change, £740m is being invested to deliver adaptations, expand specialist units in mainstream schools, and create new places in special schools, enabling more children to learn at a school close to their homes and families.

Fewer than one in 10 mainstream schools currently have SEND units or resourced provision.

And between 2010-2024, the number of children with Education, Health and Care Plans (EHCPs), or their previous equivalent, being educated in independent special schools increased from 7,000 to 26,000 – while new data shows an escalating gap of 8,000 places in state special schools.

The new funding can be used to ensure an inclusive environment in which all pupils can be supported, for example by creating breakout spaces where children can go to self regulate, or investing in assistive technology.

This comes alongside a £1bn investment to fund 44,500 places in mainstream schools needed by 2028, helping meet current and future demand across the country.

Bridget Phillipson, Education Secretary, said: “As part of our Plan for Change, we want every family to have access to a good local school for their child, breaking the link between children’s backgrounds and their opportunities in life.

“This investment is a big step towards delivering, not only enough school places, but the right school places, supporting all children, and particularly those with SEND, and plugging the significant gaps in provision we inherited.

“This investment will give children with SEND the support they need to thrive, marking the start of a turning point for families who have been fighting to improve their children’s outcomes.”

Barking and Dagenham London Borough Council had a shortage of specialist classrooms in local mainstream schools for pupils with SEND, forcing them to attend schools far from home for the right support.

But, after a 10-year expansion strategy, almost half of all schools in the area have resourced provision which has improved outcomes for young people and kept them educated locally with their peers and in their communities.

Addressing a shortfall

Recent analysis suggests that at least 15,000 more children and young people could have their needs met in such specialist provision in mainstream schools in an improved SEND system.

Marie Ziane, headteacher at Becontree Primary School in Dagenham, said: “All of our work stems from a shared belief and understanding that all children have learning, wellbeing, and safeguarding needs.

“Capital funding, alongside support from the local authority, has been an essential part of realising our school’s vision for truly-inclusive practice.

“The modification and creative use of existing spaces has had a significant impact on the learning, engagement, and integration of children with autism who attend our Additional Resource Provision, as well as having a huge impact on the learning and understanding of all members of our school community.”

The announcement comes as new data shows the urgent need to reform the SEND system, to save families from a gap in support potentially stretching to tens of thousands of places.

Sarah Clarke and Jo Harrison, directors and co-chairs of the National Network of Parent Carer Forums C.I.C, said: “The NNPCF welcomes the Government’s commitment of £740m in capital funding for the 2025-26 financial year to support the creation of school places for children and young people with SEND.

“For too long, families have faced limited options and long waits for appropriate support.

Inclusive environments

“Creating more-inclusive environments – where children and young people with special educational needs can thrive alongside their peers – is a positive step forward.

“We look forward to continued collaboration with the Department for Education to ensure that parent carers’ voices remain central to the development and implementation of these plans.

“We also hope that local authorities will work closely with their local Parent Carer Forums to ensure the lived experience and voices of parent carers are at the heart of local delivery.”

The reform to the SEND system will look to ensure that children’s needs are identified and met earlier; and that early years and staff in mainstream settings across the country are equipped and supported to be inclusive of all children.

School-based early education – which the Government is championing through its commitment to creating thousands of new school-based nurseries – tends to have a higher proportion of children with special educational needs than other settings.

And, in line with new guidance published this week, over the coming years local authorities can use their capital funding for children with SEND to create places in local, mainstream schools – putting an end to the desperate battle to find a place that meets families’ needs.

Iveson Primary School in Leeds, Yorkshire, has integrated a resourced provision which helps pupils with SEND to build skills in a supportive and flexible environment – developing their confidence and fostering inclusion with the wider school, so all children can flourish.

Hayley Marshall, headteacher, said: “Opening The Aviary, a resourced provision, at Iveson Primary has had a significant positive impact for the whole school community, enabling us to provide specialist facilities with a high-quality, adapted curriculum for pupils with SEND, alongside our mainstream provision.

Fostering integration

“This fosters integration and inclusion and supports children to thrive and feel confident in school alongside their peers.

“Adapted to suit individual pupils’ needs and interests, provision in The Aviary includes life skills and social skills and enables children to access mainstream classes while also receiving specialist support.

“Parents welcome the flexibility of the provision and the positive impact this has had on their children’s social, emotional, and academic progress.”

The announcement comes after the department also revealed details of a £2.1bn investment for the 2025-26 financial year to improve the condition of the school and sixth-form college estate in England – almost £300m more than 2024-25.

The funding will ensure schools can continue to invest in essential maintenance projects such as replacing roofs, windows, and heating systems.

Amanda Allard, director at the Council for Disabled Children, National Children’s Bureau, said: “We welcome the announcement on how this investment can be used and the focus on local authorities supporting schools to ensure that disabled children and young people, and those with special educational needs, can have their needs met in inclusive local schools.

“We know from our work with local areas, and through the What Works in SEND programme, that there is some very-effective practice across the country and we encourage local areas to share and learn from this as they develop inclusive provision which enables children and young people to learn, develop friendships, and be part of their community.”