Report

Post-pandemic funding for SEND pupils: is it enough?

Think tank: CEPEO

Author(s): Asma Benhenda

August 1, 2022

This report from UK think tank CEPEO looks at the disruption caused to pupils with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities by Covid-19.

The Covid-19 pandemic has had a profoundly disruptive impact on education. Pupils with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND), whose inclusion was already a challenge before the pandemic, are at risk from being disproportionately affected. The Chancellor announced as part of the 2021 spending review that he was “more than tripling the amount” invested in special education needs. The Autumn Budget and Spending Review 2021 details “£2.6 billion of new funding across the next three years for new school places for children with special educational needs and disabilities”. This amounts to a yearly increase in high-need funding by around £867m per year for the next three years.