The education secretary has warned of “significant gaps” in specialist provision for pupils with SEND, as new government data suggests the number of pupils in secondary special schools outstrips their capacity by 8,000.
Special school capacity data was collected for the first time in 2023, and statistics are described by the government as “in development”.
The data shows there were 61,000 primary and around 92,000 secondary special school places reported by councils in May 2024.
The corresponding numbers on roll from the May 2024 school census for these special school places were around 60,000 in primary and 100,000 in secondary.
“This means that there are approximately 8,000 more secondary pupils on roll in special schools than reported capacity,” the DfE said.
“This is due to the number of schools at or over capacity (around two thirds), but also may be a result of the way capacity has been measured which does not take account of type of need.
“The surplus of primary special places according to the data may be a result of how the total capacity of all-through schools has been apportioned between the primary and secondary phases.”
Last year’s data found the number of pupils outstripped secondary capacity by around 6,000, while primary numbers were 2,000 short of the total capacity.
‘A need for urgent reform’
The DfE said its 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”.
The government has today re-announced £740 million in capital funding from last year’s budget to create 10,000 specialist places in mainstream schools.
Bridget Phillipson said the investment was 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.”
Councils also reported capacity in SEN units and resourced provision in mainstream schools.
The data shows there were around 9,800 places in SEN units in mainstream schools reported – 6,600 primary places and 3,300 secondary places.
There were also 20,000 places in resourced provision in mainstream schools reported – 11,600 primary places and 8,300 secondary places.
The DfE said the number of schools reported to have SEN unit or resourced provision capacity and the places within that provision “have increased since the last survey, which represents increased coverage as well as added places”.
But there are “no corresponding pupil numbers on roll in SEN units and resourced provision available from the published school census”.
£1bn more for ‘basic need’ school places
The government has also announced it will spend an extra £1 billion creating 44,500 new mainstream school places between now and 2028.
The Department for Education has confirmed “basic need” funding for the 2026-27 and 2027-28 financial years. The cash is handed to councils to help them create mainstream places either in existing or new schools.
Funding of £643,157 will be handed out in 2026-27 and £407,945 in 2027-28.
The government hands out basic needs funding every year, with amounts ranging from £195,388 in 2024-25 to almost £1.6 billion in 2016-17, when pupil numbers were rapidly increasing.
