Source · Select Committees · Education Committee
Recommendation 45
45
Rejected
Introduce dedicated ring-fenced funding stream for post-16 SEN support in further education.
Conclusion
The Department for Education should introduce a dedicated and ring- fenced funding stream for SEN support beyond the age of 16. This would enable further education providers to recruit and retain specialist staff, provide tailored learning resources, and make the reasonable adjustments necessary to meet the diverse needs of learners with SEND. Such investment is essential to ensuring that mainstream FE provision is genuinely inclusive and that young people with SEND have equitable opportunities to succeed. (Recommendation, Paragraph 190)
Government Response Summary
The government rejects the recommendation for a dedicated and ring-fenced funding stream for post-16 SEN support, instead highlighting existing overall increases in unringfenced schools and high needs funding, and the unringfenced nature of high needs capital funding for local authorities.
Government Response
Rejected
HM Government
Rejected
The overall schools and high needs funding included in the Department’s spending review settlement – an increase of £4.2 billion by 2028–29 compared to 2025–26 – continues the support available for children and young people with SEND. It will help in transforming mainstream education so that more of them are included, and in improving their outcomes whether in mainstream or specialist provision. We also recognise the important role of capital funding in improving access to provision and in improving the inclusivity of mainstream schools. The £740 million high needs capital for 2025–26 is a core part of our investment into the SEND system. This is an unringfenced formulaic allocation that enables LAs to build provision in line with local priorities. We will set out more detail for our approach across the spending review period in due course.