Laleham Gap school in Kent lacks the clattering corridors and ringing bells found in most UK schools. Headteacher Les Milton says this is because his pupils, who have autism and communication needs, are acutely sensitive to noise, touch and light.
“The building has sound-absorbing materials and wide corridors, no bells and specific lighting. Most schools are not autism-friendly in this way,” said Milton, who has seen a rapid rise in demand for places at Laleham Gap since it opened in 2016.
“The school was built to meet the needs of 168 pupils. Today we have 237 pupils, so we’ve had to massively increase capacity to meet demand.”
Surging demand for places at state-funded schools such as Laleham Gap is reflected across England following a huge jump in the number of children diagnosed with autism, communication and mental health problems.
Official data shows the number of so-called education, health and care plans, which grant costly specialist support for children with the most acute needs, has risen by 83 per cent since 2015.
The rapid rise in demand has outstripped funding, despite a real-terms rise in the government’s high-needs budget of more than 50 per cent over the past decade — growing from £6.8bn in 2015 to more than £10bn in 2024.
This has placed huge financial strain on councils and left the government facing a growing crisis over how to manage special educational needs and disabilities (Send) provision.
Data from the County Councils Network, whose members cover about half the population of England, finds that 26 of England’s 38 county and rural councils risk bankruptcy before 2027 if Send deficits are not addressed by central government.
A temporary change to accounting rules was introduced in 2018 to keep these costs off council balance sheets but is due to expire in March 2026. Kate Foale, CCN special educational needs spokesperson, said the government needed to provide “immediate clarity” on plans to eliminate or manage deficits.
“We also need root and branch reform of the system to address the key issues driving demand and cost, including flipping the system to make mainstream schools more inclusive for Send pupils,” she added.
Almost all the council chief executives surveyed by CCN said that “comprehensive and fundamental reform” was essential, with Send deficits at county and rural councils projected to rise from £2.7bn to £3.8bn in the year to March 2027 without significant changes to the system.
The Department for Education said it was focused on “fixing the foundations” of local government, providing long-term stability through multiyear funding settlements and ending the need for councils to spend time and money bidding for pots of government cash.
However, with the number of children with EHC plans in England rising to more than 434,000 over the past eight years, surging Send deficits leave many councils with near-impossible choices to meet their obligations.
Sam Freedman, a former government education policy adviser, said the rapid rise in EHC plans reflected a decade of cuts to other Send support in mainstream schools, such as specialist teachers and occupational therapists. This had led to a “vicious cycle” in educational funding as parents turned to EHC plans to get support.
“The lack of early-years intervention and a lack of other kinds of provision means that the only way for parents to obtain help and funding is by obtaining a statement, which means more money is sucked into plans, so there is less money for everything else,” he added.
Demand has far outstripped the capacity of state-funded special schools, forcing councils to pay for much more expensive privately run alternatives. In Kent, these private special schools cost almost £50,000 on average, compared with £23,000 for state-funded provision.
Nationally, Department for Education data shows councils in England expect to pay £2.1bn for placements at independent schools this year, a threefold increase since 2015.
The growing burden on councils has made it increasingly difficult for parents to obtain plans for their children and led to a surge in the number of parents disputing council decisions at tribunals. A record 14,000 parental appeals against Send judgments were registered in 2022-23, with parents winning 98 per cent of the cases taken to tribunal.
The Department for Education said children with Send had been “let down” by the system and it was determined to tackle the issues with better inclusivity and expertise within mainstream schools.
“There is no ‘magic wand’ to fix these deep-rooted issues, but we have already started with Ofsted reform, our curriculum review, and more training for early-years staff,” it added.
Freedman said any solution must involve giving parents other options than seeking a Send plan for their child, although he admitted this would be challenging at a time of fiscal belt-tightening.
Reform is already under way in Kent after the council agreed to a “safety valve” programme last year that secured a £140mn bailout from the Department for Education on the condition it reduced its Send deficit.
The council has drawn up plans to take many Send children back into mainstream education, but the proposals have drawn intense criticism from special needs headteachers and risk creating a backlash from parents of non-Send children unless properly resourced.
Roger Gough, leader of Kent County Council, said it was already starting to slow the growth in spending by supporting more children in mainstream schools, by providing training for staff and sharing best practice from other schools.
“We absolutely have to think differently, and in many ways what you need to do to make the ‘safety valve’ work is what you need to do to make the system as a whole work,” he added.
Kent County Council is also looking to make admission criteria for specific special schools less narrow, mixing different types of special needs students, so more students’ needs can be met locally.
However, Laleham Gap’s Milton said that while he understood the need for reform, he warned that the current plans risked worse outcomes for children, citing the challenges of mixing children with mental health and behavioural problems with those with sensory issues.
“Send funding in mainstream schools has been continually cut so they cannot meet the needs of these children. If they want inclusion, they need to invest heavily in the environment and support services,” he added.
The plans have been criticised by the heads of 22 other Kent Send schools, including Stone Bay in Broadstairs, which supports students with autism and severe learning difficulties.
Headteacher Jane Hatwell said this would drive many parents back to a tribunal to once again fight for their child to get the right provision.
“The school is a Victorian building on a steep sloping road to the sea. I am flabbergasted that the local authority is considering changing our designation to accommodate pupils who have a range of medical equipment . . . poor mobility or sensory impairments,” she added.
“Like many special schools we are bursting at the seams and this is already having a detrimental impact on our current pupils.”
