Source · Select Committees · Education Committee
Recommendation 69
69
Not Addressed
Uprate £6,000 SEND funding threshold annually and establish sustainable, equitable funding model
Conclusion
The current £6,000 notional threshold is outdated and inadequate. It must be automatically uprated each year in line with inflation to prevent further erosion of support for pupils with SEND. This is a necessary correction to address years of chronic underfunding. This funding should also be ringfenced to ensure it is used exclusively for supporting pupils with SEND and to improve the transparency and accountability of the resources schools and multi-academy trusts are committing to deliver inclusivity. However, these measures alone will not be enough to create the change desperately needed in this failing system. The Department must set a clear trajectory towards a more sustainable and equitable funding model that is informed by, and able to deliver, the Department’s definition of inclusive mainstream education. (Recommendation, Paragraph 250)
Government Response Summary
The government's response highlights overall funding increases and support for local authorities but does not address the specific recommendations to uprate the £6,000 notional threshold with inflation, ringfence the funding, or set a clear trajectory for a new funding model.
Government Response
Not Addressed
HM Government
Not Addressed
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 recognise that local authorities will need support during the transition to a reformed SEND system. We will work with local authorities to manage their SEND system, including deficits, alongside an extension to the Statutory Override until the end of 2027–28. The government will set out further details on our plans to support local authorities with historic and accruing deficits through the upcoming Local Government Finance Settlement. 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.