Today’s news review looks at the latest figures for children with special educational needs.
Today, Friday 28 July, The I reported on the annual Special Educational Needs and Disability (SEND) statistics, published by the department yesterday. The statistics note that there are 1,244,255 pupils in England with special educational needs, a rise since last year.
The government is taking measures to ensure all children with SEND have access to a good school and high quality provision. This includes inviting bids for 19 new free schools for children with special educational needs or a disability, which will create 1,600 new special free school places. This was covered separately by the I.
This is in addition to the Secretary of State Justine Greening’s announcement earlier this month of an additional £1.3 billion funding for schools, which includes provision for special schools. The government has also introduced a range of reforms, including the introduction of new education, health and care (EHC) plans that ensure tailored support for children with SEND.
Minister for Children and Families Robert Goodwill said:
Every child, regardless of their circumstances, should have access to the best education and opportunities as their peers so I am determined that we deliver the ambition of our reforms for children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND). These were the biggest in a generation and made fundamental changes to the system to put families at the heart of the process.
To read more about the 19 new special free schools, see here.