Special schools in Nottinghamshire overcrowded as 'huge amount of work needed to rescue system'
Special schools in Nottinghamshire were overcrowded last academic year, new figures show.
Last month, the Department for Education (DfE) announced that 10,000 new school places will be funded for children with special educational needs (SEND).
It comes after the Government set aside £740m in December to increase places for SEND pupils.
New DfE figures show there were 1,346 SEND pupils on the educational roll in Nottinghamshire in the 2023-24 school year, but that there were only 1,323 places in special schools – meaning schools were overcrowded.
Meanwhile, there was a gap of 6,574 places in special schools across England, with 160,036 SEND pupils on roll last year, but only 153,462 places available.
The DfE said the proportion of pupils with an education, health and care plan – which sets out the provision of SEND support needed – that will need a place in specialist provision in England is ‘forecast to increase’ in the years to come.
Pepe Di’Iasio, general secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, said: "Both mainstream and special schools lack the capacity and resources required to best support the growing number of Send pupils and it’s clear this needs to change.
"There is a huge amount of work that needs to be done to rescue the SEND system and ensure all pupils get timely and effective support.
"The scale and complexity of this work must not be underestimated."
Bridget Phillipson MP (Lab), Education Secretary, said the funding allocated to new school places for SEND pupils ‘is a big step towards delivering not only enough school places, but the right school places’.
She added this investment will mark ‘the start of a turning point for families who have been fighting to improve their children’s outcomes’.
Paul Whiteman, general secretary of the National Association of Head Teachers, said this funding ‘must just be the beginning of sustained investment and reform if the Government is to truly get to grips with the SEND crisis’
He added more must be done to improve the state of both mainstream and special schools across England, saying: “It really should be the minimum ambition.”