Responding to a National Audit Office report which says England’s special educational needs system is financially unsustainable and in urgent need of reform, Cllr Arooj Shah, Chair of the Local Government Association’s Children and Young People Board, said:

“This report is yet another indictment of a failing SEND system that is not meeting the care and support needs of children with special needs.

“In next week’s Budget we are hoping that the Government will set out how it will reform and adequately fund the SEND system, so children get the support they desperately need. 

“In particular we are hoping this will include writing off all high needs deficits to ensure councils are not faced with having to cut other services to balance budgets through no fault of their own, or their residents. With councils currently able to keep these off their balance sheets, we have serious concerns that many will face a financial cliff-edge, when this flexibility ends in March 2026.”

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