Children with complex needs are being sent to private schools up to 200 miles away from home because there is not enough capacity in the state system, a investigation has found.
Councils struggling to cope with an unprecedented number of children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) are increasingly reliant upon private providers.
Headteachers say funding from government has not kept pace with soaring demand, meaning both mainstream and special schools are struggling to cope.
As a result, local authorities say they are having to spend millions of pounds on independent providers which are sometimes located far away from the child’s home.
When mainstream schools are unable to meet pupils’ additional needs, an application can be made for that child to be granted an Education and Health Care Plan (EHCP).
These detailed legal documents spell out the support needed and oblige the child’s local authority to provide it.
The number of children and young people with an EHCP in England stood at a record high of 600,000 in June – up 70% from January 2019.
During the last five years, the sharpest increase has been recorded in the north-west of England.
After requesting data from 25 councils in the region, the has learned:
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More than 5,000 pupils with EHCPs are being educated in schools outside their home borough
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During the year to April 2024, 19 councils in the North West spent a combined total of £230m on independent school places for children with EHCPs
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Using previous years’ data, the has calculated there has been a 45% increase between 2021-22 and 2023-24
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During the 12 months to April 2024, there was a 16% rise
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Twelve of the region’s local authorities spent a combined £17m on transporting children to and from out-of-area schools
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Some out-of-borough placements are more than two hours’ drive away from the child’s family home
A Department for Education spokesman said SEND children and young people had been “for too long let down”, adding the government was “ready to speak to any council that is experiencing financial difficulties”.
