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Written question asked by Lee Dillon (Liberal Democrat) on Monday, 7 September 2026, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Wednesday, 9 September 2026. It was answered by Georgia Gould (Labour) on Wednesday, 16 September 2026 on behalf of the Department for Education.

Special Educational Needs

Question

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what safeguards her department will put in place to ensure specialist SEND capacity is not reduced before mainstream inclusion capacity has been established.

Answer

The government wants to make sure that children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) can receive the support they need to achieve and thrive in their local school, but we know that there will always be a vital role for special schools and specialist post-16 provision for children with the most complex needs.

Local authorities have a statutory duty to provide sufficient school places, including for pupils with SEND.

The department is supporting local authorities by investing at least £3.7 billion in high needs capital funding between 2025/26 and 2029/30, to support local authorities to provide places for children and young people with SEND or those requiring alternative provision.  We expect that local authorities will prioritise investing this funding in specialist bases in mainstream schools to achieve a more inclusive system overall, but there will still be some areas where new special school places are needed.

Secondary information

Type
Written question
Reference
27698
Session
2026-27
Subjects
Equality Standards Special educational needs
Link
View this Written question on www.parliament.uk