England’s special educational needs system is a postcode lottery in urgent need of funding and reform, say MPs
Thousands of children are being failed because of the “inequitable” special educational needs system, MPs have said.
In a damning report the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) says too many families are struggling to access support their children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) “desperately need”.
Over the past nine years, the number of young people receiving SEND support in state schools has increased by 140,000 from 1m to 1.14m. Budgets have not kept pace, leading to a “crisis” in the system.
Children with even more complex support needs are legally entitled to education, health and care (EHC) plans, and the number of these obligations has more than doubled, increasing by 140% to 576,000.
Local authority spending on SEND has consistently outstripped government funding, leading to substantial deficits in council budgets.
Representatives of the chief financial officers of 40 councils in England, the SCT, estimate that rising demand and costs have resulted in SEND deficits of £4bn among English councils, projected to grow to £5.9bn this year.
This increase is not unusual, with similar rises seen in other high-income countries, but the committee notes that the Department for Education could do more to better understand the reasons behind the rise.
In response to today’s report, Cllr Roger Gough, children’s social care spokesperson for the County Councils Network, said: “While government has committed to reform, it is vital that it is done quickly and correctly. Both councils and families can ill-afford to wait.
“We need the government to set out a comprehensive reforms package and begin to implement them within the next 12 months, including immediate clarity on how government intends to address councils’ deficits.”
Eats into wider schools funding
A recent report by the Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS) on education spending in England found that despite an expected fall in pupil numbers in coming years, forecasted increases in spending on SEND are projected to undo any resulting savings.
The PAC report found that increased spends were already eating into school budgets, with more than half of the increase in school funding between 2019 and 2024 explained by growth in high needs SEND funding.
As a result, an 11% real terms increase in funding over the period only equated to a 5% increase in mainstream school funding per pupil.
Luke Sibieta, research fellow at the Institute for Fiscal Studies, told Sky News: “We’ve seen rapid rise in the number of pupils with the most severe special needs over the last 6-7 years.
“Numbers have gone up by around 70% and funding has gone up by 60%, so it hasn’t met the rapid increase in numbers.
“That puts mainstream school budgets under real pressure. With half the budget going towards educational needs, the amount left over for extra resources elsewhere in the system will be quite small.
“It’s a picture of rapidly rising demand that just soaks up any funding increase really quickly.”
Postcode lottery in services
Beyond the funding crisis, the Public Accounts Committee’s report highlights serious issues with the current standard of SEND services available in different parts of the country.
They describe a postcode lottery of services, with the quality of support varying significantly between council areas.
In 2023, only half of education, health and care plans for high support needs children and young people were issued within the legal 20-week limit.
Families in neighbouring local authorities could experience very different EHC plan waiting times, with 71.5% of EHC plans written on time in Lambeth compared to 19.2% in neighbouring Southwark.
Parents are also increasingly appealing EHC plan decisions, with the number of appeals more than doubling from 6,000 in 2018 to 15,600 in 2023.
Nearly all (98%) of these were found either partially or wholly in favour of the parents, which the Department for Education recognises as poor value for money and contributing to families’ low confidence in the system.
“Lost generation” of children
The inquiry report concludes that a “lost generation” of children could leave school without having received the help they need without urgent reform of the system, and lays out seven key recommendations.
These include working with local authorities as a matter of urgency to develop a fair budget solution to the immediate financial challenges facing many as a result of SEND related overspends.
They also call on the government to set out the provision which children with SEND should expect, and how schools will be held to account, as well as earlier identification of SEND and improved teacher training, within the next six months.
Commenting on the report, Daniel Kebede, general secretary of the National Education Union, said: “Teachers have described navigating the current system as ‘spinning plates on a roller coaster’. Recommending that a plan of action is in place to resolve the lack of provision, support and resources is clearly good to see.
“The High Needs funding system is fundamentally broken. With EHC plan numbers continuing to rise the current shortfall in SEND funding will only continue to grow.”
The Data and Forensics team is a multi-skilled unit dedicated to providing transparent journalism from Sky News. We gather, analyse and visualise data to tell data-driven stories. We combine traditional reporting skills with advanced analysis of satellite images, social media and other open source information. Through multimedia storytelling we aim to better explain the world while also showing how our journalism is done.
UK
Putin will break any peace deal where Ukraine is not ‘defended’ by ‘coalition of the willing’, Starmer warns
Vladimir Putin will break any peace agreement with Ukraine that is not “defended” by an international coalition of forces, the British prime minister has said.
Sir Keir Starmer was talking on Thursday as he visited a UK base to meet a group of senior military officers from more than 30 nations tasked with turning a political desire to support Kyiv into an actionable plan to help protect the country from land, sea and air in the event of a ceasefire.
But, with Donald Trump pushing hard for Russia and Ukraine to stop fighting now, there are concerns among analysts that the “coalition of the willing” – led by the UK and France – will be overtaken by events, with peace declared before it has time to get its act together.
In a sign of the challenge, the southern Ukrainian city of Odesa was struck on Thursday night by what its governor described as a “massive” Russian drone attack even as the US president talked up the prospects for peace.
US negotiators are set to meet separately with Ukrainian and Russian officials in Saudi Arabia on Monday to try to make progress on a ceasefire.
Mr Trump also claimed he was on the brink of signing an economic deal with Ukraine – something that has been trailed for weeks as a key step in strengthening US-Ukraine relations and locking in Washington’s support for Kyiv’s future, but has yet to materialise.
Ukraine war latest: Follow live updates
Clearly alive to the urgency to act, Sir Keir greeted the group of visiting military planners at the UK’s Permanent Joint Headquarters at Northwood, on the edge of London.
They gathered around a large map of Ukraine spread out across a table.
“Now is the time to be doing this,” the prime minister told the officers from a range of European and other allied countries, including Turkey, the Netherlands and Canada. Ukrainian officers were also present as well as NATO officials.
“We don’t know what the outcome of any [peace] talks is going to be, but we do know that if there is a deal, it’s important to have done the preparation beforehand.”
Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Pic: Reuters
The size and shape of what Western officials have described as a “reassurance force” for Ukraine are unclear – so too what kind of military headquarters would command it.
Initial briefings on the concept suggested it could involve thousands of troops deployed to cities and to protect critical infrastructure such as nuclear power stations, but kept back from frontline areas, while Royal Air Force warplanes and other countries’ jets would protect Ukraine’s skies, and various navies, including the Royal Navy, would help secure the sea.
Yet, without US support, the European offer, even with backing from other aligned nations such as Canada, would not act as much of a deterrence to Russia.
And that is if the coalition is ready to deploy in time for any ceasefire.
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The ‘coalition of the willing’ that could secure peace in Ukraine
The British prime minister said peace would only endure if “it is a defended deal”.
He offered a sense of what the military planners have been tasked with delivering after the political leaders of all the countries involved agreed to work together to help Ukraine.
“What’s happening here is turning that political intention into reality – the concept into plans, whether that’s in relation to what might happen at sea or air or defending borders,” Sir Keir said.
“But it is vitally important we do that work because we know one thing for certain, which is a deal without anything behind it is something that Putin will breach.
“We know that because it’s happened before. And I’m absolutely clear in my mind it will happen again.”
Former first minister Nicola Sturgeon is no longer under investigation by Police Scotland amid a probe into the SNP’s funding and finances.
Meanwhile, former SNP chief executive Peter Murrell, who is separated from Ms Sturgeon, has appeared in court charged with embezzlement.
Speaking outside her home on Thursday, Ms Sturgeon said she was “completely in the clear”, adding: “That is the outcome I would always have expected.
“As I have said to all of you many times, I have done nothing wrong. So, I was confident of reaching this point and getting to this outcome, but obviously it is a relief now to have that confirmed.”
Ms Sturgeon speaking to the media outside her home on Thursday afternoon. Pic: PA
Ms Sturgeon said for almost two years she had “this cloud of investigation” hanging over her.
She added: “I think it won’t surprise anybody to hear me say that it’s not been an easy experience, so to reach this point today is obviously something I am relieved about.
“I’ve been trying to get on with my life and I now intend to do that.”
Pic: PA
Responding to Sky News’ Scotland correspondent Connor Gillies, Ms Sturgeon said she was limited in what she could say about an active police investigation.
But she added: “All I can say is that I have done nothing wrong and I don’t think there was ever a scrap of evidence that I had done anything wrong.”
Ms Sturgeon described herself as a “stronger person today” than she was when it all “kicked off”.
She added: “That said, I wish none of it had happened.”
Ms Sturgeon said she had “exciting things coming up” including the publication of her book, which is titled Frankly and is set for release on 14 August.
Murrell made no plea to the single charge when he appeared at Edinburgh Sheriff Court earlier in the day.
The 60-year-old was granted bail with his next court appearance yet to be confirmed.
Murrell, who had been SNP chief executive since 1999, resigned in March 2023 amid a row over party numbers.
The following month he was arrested under Police Scotland’s long-running Operation Branchform and was subsequently charged a year later with embezzling SNP funds.
The probe, which has been ongoing since July 2021, is linked to the spending of around £600,000 raised by SNP supporters to be earmarked for Scottish independence campaigning.
Ms Sturgeon and ex-party treasurer MSP Colin Beattie were also arrested and released without charge as part of the investigation.
Mr Beattie has now been cleared alongside Ms Sturgeon.
MSP Colin Beattie. Pic: PA
In a statement posted online, Mr Beattie said he was “absolutely delighted” to be cleared of all suspicion.
The MSP for Midlothian North and Musselburgh said: “While there was no question in my mind that I had done nothing wrong, the fact is that it created a question among those who do not know me.”
Mr Beattie thanked all those who offered support to both him and his wife.
He added: “Now, I intend to share a glass of something with my wife tonight, and tomorrow I can focus on the future as I put myself forward for consideration as the SNP candidate for the Midlothian North county constituency.”
A Police Scotland spokesperson said the probe into Ms Sturgeon and Mr Beattie had concluded and both were no longer under investigation following direction from the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service (COPFS).
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However, COPFS has warned that the case against Murrell is active under the Contempt of Court Act 1981.
A spokesperson said: “Anyone publishing items about active cases is advised to exercise caution as material must not be commentary or analysis of evidence, witnesses or accused.
“Contempt of Court carries penalties of up to two years in prison and/or an unlimited fine.”
COPFS said prosecutors and independent counsel are dealing with Murrell’s case without involving Lord Advocate Dorothy Bain KC or Solicitor General Ruth Charteris KC.
The spokesperson added: “All Scotland’s prosecutors operate independently of political influence.
“Where allegations are made against people or institutions in which the public have placed trust, it is the responsibility of the authorities to conduct a thorough investigation to determine if there is evidence that criminal conduct has occurred.
“We understand public curiosity about this investigation. However, the Crown does not publicly share details of confidential inquiries where there are no proceedings in court.
“This protects the rights of the individuals concerned who are entitled to a presumption of innocence.”
In January, Ms Sturgeon announced she had split from Murrell.
The pair, who first met via the SNP in 1988 and became a couple in 2003, married in 2010.
The Glasgow Southside MSP announced the separation in a post on Instagram, revealing they had been “separated for some time now” but “still care deeply for each other, and always will”.
And just last week, Ms Sturgeon announced she will not seek re-election to Holyrood next year.
She said: “I have known in my heart for a while that the time is right for me to embrace different opportunities in a new chapter of my life.”
Former Formula 1 team owner and broadcaster Eddie Jordan has died at the age of 76.
Jordan revealed in December he had been diagnosed with an “aggressive” form of cancer earlier in 2024.
He ran his own F1 team between 1991 and 2005 before moving to a broadcast role, working for the BBC and Channel 4.
He “passed away peacefully” while surrounded by his loved ones in Cape Town, South Africa, according to a family statement.
Jordan pictured in 2012.
Pic: PA
Jordan (left) and his wife Marie (right) at Royal Ascot in 2010.
Pic: PA
Jordan and John Prescott.
Pic: PA
“EJ brought an abundance of charisma, energy and Irish charm everywhere he went. We all have a huge hole missing without his presence,” a family statement read.
“He will be missed by so many people, but he leaves us with tonnes of great memories to keep us smiling through our sorrow.”
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Jordan, who was born in Dublin, Ireland, operated his own racing team in lower-level series before moving up to F1 in 1991, giving future seven-time champion Michael Schumacher his first race that year.
Other drivers over the years included Damon Hill, who won the 1996 championship with Williams, future Ferrari driver Rubens Barrichello, and Heinz-Harald Frentzen, who was third in the championship for Jordan in 1999.
Christian Horner, principal of Red Bull Racing, said in a statement on Instagram: “Very sorry to hear Eddie Jordan has sadly passed.
“Eddie was a hugely colourful character who I first met in 1991 as a young driver at his then new factory after his first year in Formula One. His advice, ‘get a good sponsor… welcome to the Piranha Club!’
“I was fortunate to overlap with him when I came into Formula One.
“He was in the twilight of his F1 career race wise (indeed he even tried to sell me his team!) but went into other media activities where he was always full of energy and fun to work with.
“Formula One has lost a legend and we will miss his wit and his Irish charm. On behalf of Oracle Red Bull Racing we send our sincere condolences to Marie and the children at this sad time; our thoughts are with them.
“God speed Eddie!”
Lewis Hamilton walks with Jordan at the 2013 Singapore Grand Prix. Pic: AP
Nigel Mansell with Jordan.
Pic: Action Images/Reuters
Former F1 driver Martin Brundle OBE paid tribute to Jordan on X saying: “So many drivers owe you so much, you gave us our chances and believed in us.”
Jordan with Pele.
Pic: PA
Jordan as boss of the Jordan Grand Prix team in 1998.
Pic: PA
Jordan with Jordan Pit Girls.
Pic: Action Images/Reuters
Jordan Grand Prix won four races before Jordan sold the team in 2005.
Following more sales and name changes since then, the team competes as Aston Martin.
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