Derbyshire schools set for more SEND spaces - as Government announces £740 million SEND funding

The Department of Education has announced today (Thursday, March 27) that £740 million was allocated to fund 10,000 new places for pupils with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND).

The funding is set to help deliver adaptations, expand specialist units in mainstream as well as create places in create new places in special schools – enabling more children to succeed at a school close to their homes and families.

£70.9 million has been allocated for East Midlands, including Derbyshire, in a bid to create around 1,000 places for children with SEND.

Fewer than 1 in 10 mainstream schools across the country have SEN units or resourced provision - specialist facilities which provide more intensive support for pupils with SEND.

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

Across East Midlands there were 12,100 pupils on roll for special school places in May last year – the number forecast to increase to 18,900 in 2024/25 and 21,500 by 2028/29.

This comes after Derbyshire SEND provision was slammed for its ‘systemic failings’ in an Ofsted report published in November last year, leaving parents disappointed.

Speaking about the funding, Education Secretary, Bridget Phillipson 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 background 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.”