Crunch time' on rising costs of Send provision in England, says thinktank

"The most important education issue facing the government is the growing dysfunction in the special educational needs system. The problems here are not new but they have been growing, and the government is right to stress the importance of reform for the sake of everyone involved children, families, schools and councils. But we have now reached crunch time. In the near term, ministers face a stark set of choices:"

"These pressures risk crowding out resources for mainstream schools and constraining the system's ability to deliver a broad, balanced and high-quality education for all, the report states. The IFS report highlights the difficulties facing the government's plans to reform provision for children with special educational needs and disabilities (Send), as extra spending has so far failed to keep up with the support required by families, schools and local authorities."

Government spending on educating children with special needs is projected to double between 2015 and 2028, creating fiscal pressure on mainstream school funding. These pressures risk crowding out resources and constraining the system's ability to deliver a broad, balanced, and high-quality education for all pupils. Extra spending has not kept pace with the support required by families, schools, and local authorities, worsening system dysfunction. Councils have increasingly diverted money from mainstream schools to prop up Send services, rerouting around £150m last year. Ministers face choices: slow Send spending growth, accept squeezed mainstream funding, or inject additional resources through higher taxes or cuts elsewhere.

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