Allocations for special needs kids lowest in Kensington and Chelsea
By Ben Lynch, Local Democracy Reporter
More than £120 million has been allocated by the Government to fund 2,000 new places for children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) in London for 2025/26 – but Kensington and Chelsea council has been earmarked the least, at £605,401.
The sum allocated is way below the biggest outlay – Newham receiving £8.1m. Hammersmith and Fulham is also towards the lower end of the scale, with £1.2m set aside.
The figure for some of the other local authorities include £3.7m for Bexley, £5.28m for Bromley, £5.5m for Croydon, £3.9m for Greenwich, £2.5m for Lambeth, £5.7m for Lewisham, £3.6m for Merton, £5m for Southwark, Wandsworth £2.2m and Westminster £1.9m.
The funding, which is distributed based on the population size of the local authority and their pupil to capacity ratio.
According to the Government’s explanatory note: “The funding can be used to adapt classrooms to be more accessible for children with SEND, to create specialist facilities within mainstream schools that can deliver more intensive support adapted to suit the pupils’ needs, and to create special school places for pupils with the most complex needs.”
Fewer than one in 10 mainstream schools have SEN units or resourced provision, while the number of children with Education, Health and Care Plans (EHCPs) has rocketed since 2010. The most recent figures indicate there is a shortfall of around 8,000 places in state special schools, a gap the Government is looking to plug.
Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson said: “We want every family to have access to a good local school for their child, breaking the link between children’s background and their opportunities in life. This investment is a big step towards delivering not only enough school places, but the right school places, supporting all children and particularly those with SEND, and plugging the significant gaps in provision we inherited.
“This investment will give children with SEND the support they need to thrive, marking the start of a turning point for families who have been fighting to improve their children’s outcomes.”
A spokesperson for Kensington and Chelsea council said: “We welcome the availability of the funds, which allow us to create new specialist placements for SEND and improve the suitability and accessibility of existing buildings.”
The council added that since 2021/22, it has been allocated £13,780,411 in High Needs Capital Grant Funding, which has been used to create around 300 new specialist places.
Pictured top: Kensington Town Hall (Picture: LDRS/Hannah Neary)