Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether her Department plans to provide additional resources to schools for the provision of inclusive education.

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 committed to improving inclusivity and expertise in mainstream schools, as well as ensuring special schools cater to children and young people with the most complex needs.

The department has announced an additional £740 million of capital funding in 2025/26 which can be used to support mainstream inclusion, including through the establishment of special educational needs units and resourced provisions.

In addition, the department is providing local authorities’ an increase of £1 billion for high needs budgets in England in the 2025/26 financial year, bringing total high needs funding for children and young people with complex SEND to £11.9 billion. Local authorities have flexibility to use this funding to support mainstream schools in their provision of inclusive education, taking into account the needs of the children and young people for whom they are responsible, and their schools’ and other local circumstances.