Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to ensure equal access to funding for special educational needs and disabilities services in Essex.

This government’s ambition is that all children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) or in alternative provision receive the right support to succeed in their education and as they move into adult life.

The department is providing an increase of almost £1 billion for local authorities’ high needs budgets in the 2025/26 financial year, bringing total high needs funding for children and young people with complex SEND to £11.9 billion.

The department is now in the process of calculating indicative high needs funding allocations for local authorities next year through the national funding formula, which the department expects to publish shortly.

It is for the local authorities to decide how they manage their spending within the resources available to secure the best possible outcomes for children and young people with SEND.