Councils Awarded £3 Billion to Expand Thousands of Spaces for SEND Students marks a major shift in how England plans special needs education. This new SEND funding targets places, staff and support closer to home for children and their families.
£3 Billion SEND funding to expand spaces in mainstream education
The government has promised at least £3 Billion so local Councils can expand thousands of spaces for SEND students in mainstream schools. The goal is simple: more children with special educational needs learn with their peers in local settings instead of long daily journeys.
Over the next three years, this SEND funding is expected to deliver around 50,000 new specialist places. The investment follows years of rising demand, with close to 1.7 million pupils receiving some form of special educational support in England and figures still climbing.
Part of the money comes from cancelling 28 planned mainstream free schools and reviewing 16 more sites. Ministers argue this shift moves public money toward needs that families and schools face every day, rather than new buildings in areas with falling pupil numbers.
How councils will use the SEND funding to expand spaces
Local authorities will receive the SEND funding directly and decide how to develop thousands of spaces for SEND students. They are expected to prioritise projects that reduce travel distances and keep children in their communities.
Typical uses of the £3 Billion include:
- Adapting existing classrooms into specialist resource bases for SEND students
- Creating breakout rooms for pupils who need quiet, structured support across the day
- Building sensory spaces for autistic students or those with ADHD who feel overwhelmed in busy classrooms
- Improving accessibility, such as lifts, ramps and toilets suitable for wheelchair users
- Developing shared spaces for therapists and multi‑disciplinary teams on school sites
In some areas, there are also 77 proposed special free schools that councils can still build or convert into equivalent specialist capacity within mainstream schools. The key shift is toward flexible SEND spaces rather than one single model of provision.
If you want a deeper look at how formal plans work for individual pupils, explore this guide on Education, Health and Care plans and how they secure legal support for SEND students.
What the £3 Billion SEND investment means for families and students
For families, the Councils Awarded £3 Billion to Expand Thousands of Spaces for SEND Students announcement promises education closer to home and less daily stress. Transport has become one of the fastest growing SEND costs, with local authorities spending around £1.5 billion on travel for under‑16s in 2023‑24.
When more specialist places sit inside local mainstream schools, children are less likely to face long journeys and repeated school moves. Parents report this stability matters as much as any building work, because it supports friendships, routines and mental health.
The case of Brendan, a 14‑year‑old student at a Birmingham academy, illustrates this. He spends most of his week in mainstream lessons, then accesses a dedicated resource hub for tailored provision. His mother says this combination of access to the full curriculum and strong pastoral support has kept him in education after a difficult primary experience.
Support must go beyond buildings for SEND students
Parents and professionals welcome the focus on more spaces for SEND students, yet many highlight risks if the funding stops at bricks and mortar. High‑quality support requires trained staff, stable teams and time to understand each child.
Speech and language charities stress that new rooms without therapists and specialist teachers will not shift outcomes. Around 30 percent of children with SEND face communication needs, so daily access to speech and language expertise is crucial for long‑term progress.
Organisations focused on autism also warn about a continuing “postcode lottery” in provision. Autism is now the most common primary need for pupils with an Education, Health and Care Plan, which means every new resource base must include staff who understand autistic profiles, sensory needs and anxiety. Investment has to match the full diversity of needs in each area.
Family experiences echo these concerns. Many parents describe trying to secure an EHCP as exhausting and unequal, with better resourced families more likely to succeed. If you are supporting a child through this stage, this guide on special education transitions offers practical steps to plan next stages smoothly.
Local councils, transport costs and planning SEND spaces near home
The decision to direct SEND funding through local councils reflects a growing consensus that provision must match local patterns of need. Councillors and directors of children’s services argue they understand which schools, neighbourhoods and age groups face the most pressure.
Large special schools placed in remote sites often lead to high transport bills. Money that might support teaching and therapies ends up covering buses and taxis instead. Councils want to reduce this spending by creating smaller specialist spaces in local mainstream schools, closer to where families live.
In practice, this means multi‑year planning. Councils review demographic trends, current EHCP data, and local early years assessments, then decide whether to expand resource bases, add specialist units or open new special schools. The £3 Billion gives them capital to act on plans that previously stayed on paper.
Why inclusive spaces in mainstream schools matter
Inclusive SEND spaces in mainstream schools support both academic progress and social development. Children with SEND keep access to full subject choices, peers and enrichment activities, while still receiving targeted help.
At Ninestiles Academy in Birmingham, for example, students with EHCPs spend most of their week in mainstream lessons then move to a resource base for small‑group work. This model offers structure, predictability and relationships with trained staff. Demand for such places remains high, which is why councils need additional funding to expand similar designs.
Balanced models like this also help prevent exclusion. Students receive adjustments before difficulties escalate, which reduces behaviour incidents and attendance problems. You see a similar logic in projects such as hospital‑linked schools and foster placements; this article on education for children in hospital and foster care shows how flexible structures keep learning on track.
Staffing, training and the link to national SEND reforms
The Education Secretary has framed the Councils Awarded £3 Billion to Expand Thousands of Spaces for SEND Students package as part of wider SEND reforms set out in the upcoming schools White Paper. Buildings form the base, but long‑term change will depend on staffing and training.
Headteacher unions support the capital investment while warning that schools already struggle with recruitment. Teacher shortages in England affect both mainstream and special schools, and specialist roles are often hardest to fill. Detailed analysis of these pressures appears in this overview of UK school staffing shortages and their impact on learning.
To make the £3 Billion work, schools need:
- Specialist teachers in autism, communication needs and complex learning difficulties
- Teaching assistants with structured training, not only goodwill
- Regular access to therapists, educational psychologists and mental health professionals
- Ongoing professional development in inclusive practice for all staff
The most successful SEND spaces operate as “hubs of expertise” where mainstream teachers and specialists plan together. This shared practice ensures the child experiences one coherent approach, not separate worlds.
Political debate and accountability around the £3 Billion SEND funding
The decision to cancel some free schools to fund SEND expansion has triggered political debate. Opposition figures describe the move as limiting parental choice and scrapping “shovel‑ready” projects. Others argue that years of underinvestment in SEND made such a rebalancing unavoidable.
Accountability will sit at several levels. Central government will track how many SEND places councils deliver and how quickly. Local authorities will need to involve parents, schools and health partners when deciding where new resource bases and specialist provisions go.
Families will judge the reforms by outcomes. Are disputes over EHCPs decreasing from the record 25,000 appeals seen in 2024‑25? Are exclusions and off‑rolling down for students with additional needs? Are more young people with SEND moving into further education, training or employment?
International debates on inclusion show similar tensions between central policy and local delivery. For a different angle, you can read how one US city manages school access for newcomers in this piece on immigration and school access in Chicago, where local decisions strongly shape vulnerable pupils’ chances.
How families and schools should respond to the new SEND spaces
The headline “Councils Awarded £3 Billion to Expand Thousands of Spaces for SEND Students” raises immediate questions for parents, carers and teachers. How do you make sure these new spaces reflect your child’s needs? What does good practice look like in an inclusive mainstream setting?
One helpful approach is to focus on early intervention. When support starts before a child reaches crisis point, placement choices open up. Early speech therapy, structured routines and close home‑school communication lower the risk of exclusion later. Articles on early childhood, such as this resource on child care and early learning, highlight how early years settings pick up needs sooner and build strong foundations.
Another priority is family involvement. Schools that listen to parents, share targets clearly and involve them in reviews usually see stronger outcomes for SEND pupils. For practical strategies on building partnership, explore this guide to strengthening family involvement in education.
Practical steps for parents, educators and councils
To help you act on the changes linked to the £3 Billion SEND funding, consider these concrete steps:
- Parents: Ask your council how the new SEND funding will affect your area, which schools will expand spaces, and how you can join consultations or parent forums.
- Teachers and leaders: Map current SEND needs in your school, identify training priorities and plan how to integrate new spaces into your timetable and curriculum.
- Councils: Use detailed data on EHCPs, exclusions and travel patterns to place resource bases near clusters of need, not simply where building work is easiest.
- All partners: Agree shared measures of success, such as attendance, parental satisfaction and long‑term outcomes for students with SEND.
The £3 Billion investment offers a rare chance to redesign how England supports learners with additional needs. By keeping the focus on education quality rather than buildings alone, councils, schools and families can turn thousands of new SEND spaces into thriving places to learn.