To ask you to explain SEND funding and bankrupt councils to me?

[Myanna]

I've read a few articles like this one:

https://www.theguardian.com/education/2026/feb/05/send-costs-bankrupt-english-local-authorities

But I don't understand why the cost of funding SEND is so high that it's going to potentially/actually make most councils insolvent.

It's not like provision is generous or easy to get, from what I've read (I don't have a child who is supported).

Were these kids previously just not supported in any way by the state and was it left to families to cope as best they could?
Are these kids who previously wouldn't have survived, but now do because of better medical care and therefore need a lot of help?
Is this private equity running enterprises and charging huge amounts to local authorities?
Is it just inflation and the cost of employing people?

I really don't know much about this at all but I'm sure many on here do, so I'd really welcome your knowledge.

It would be better than state schooling only exclusively for children who aren't disabled. Either all children have a right to state education or none IMO.

In any case, my point was that simply expecting your disabled child to receive a state education isn't not being prepared to look after your own child just as it isn't when you expect the state to educate your non disabled child.

How dare we allow children to have the chance to hear and see! What a waste of money, we shouldn’t allow it 🙄

I hate this argument. I think that most people are aware that they can become disabled but knowing that doesn’t make money magically appear on the money tree. Emotional appeals are of little use when you’re trying to decide how best to use a limited amount of money for the good of all. Anyone could get cancer or a variety of other conditions at any time but that doesn’t mean that other conditions and issues don’t need funding too or that careful consideration isn’t required when deciding how to spend it or that unlimited funds can be thrown at one particular category or issue. I am disabled btw.

That went so well during Covid, didn’t it? No parents complained or were inconvenienced.

Therefore every child's parent should pay for their education. However in this scenario the SEN parent would have to pay more as it is more costly,

I find that interesting. So you basically accept that most people are selfish by nature. SEN parents aren't immune to this. Many simply don't care about the impact that funding expensive SEN placements or provision has on public finances, other services or the individuals being taxed. They just want their child's needs met. This doesn't make them better or more moral people, just people with more skin in the game and who stand to gain from increased spending. Those who stand to lose and want other services funded or to keep the money themselves to spend on their own families will obviously object and be against this. It's just human nature.

The majority of people don't have kids that have SEN. In a democracy this is what is most relevant. There is a notable shift in public sentiment happening that is palpable. Reform unsurprisingly have picked up on this. I think it's in all SEN parents interests to get spending under control and sustainable and to make it less of a political hot potato. For as long as it's costing so much money, literally bankrupting councils and spiralling rapidly then questions will be asked and change will be demanded.

I have noticed on MN and elsewhere that SEN parents like echo chambers. I understand it in a way as it's a sensitive subject and it's never nice to hear people arguing to take things away from your children. People will be shouted down and shamed but ultimately wider opinion is shifting and I do think change is on the horizon. It reminds me slightly of the trans issue. The TRAs for a long time policed discussion and made it taboo for people to express alternative opinions. Eventually though this broke and now debate is open and impacting legislation and political sentiment in the main parties. I expect the same will happen with SEN over time.

This is hilarious. In a total uk budget of 1,335 billion, it is the 50k deaf children getting a hearing aid that has tipped us into bankruptcy. I reckon we need a better accountant.

Life is not inclusive and we can't make it that way for everyone. We can't just "buy" an ideal solution. We have to accept that everyone has limitations.

I can't afford to send my dyslexic child to go to private school. But I am paying for other peoples dyslexic children to go full board, private school, London / Kent in taxis back and fourth (actual case locally... parents could afford lawyers to fight for their case so they got their kid the best)
How is this ok?

I’m not sure - I think when people are told they have cancer but there’s unfortunately no money to pay for treatment, they might wonder why they paid National Insurance all those years. Like car insurance or travel insurance, it’s there in case something unexpectedly goes wrong.

Last time I asked DS, a professional what his charge out rate is, he said £375 plus VAT per hour. Doctor in the family gets £600 approx for half a day’s locuming. Neither of them are partners, who would be considerably more!

I think DS paid £3,000 recently for an independent ed psy report, which was a few hours assessment and observation of DGD, and what 5 hours to write the report? They’d use a template as the base for it?

So £600 a day for a locum ed psy in a LA is cheap!

Or you would just have some unsupported SEN children in schools because parents could only afford the bare minimum.

Not to mention the children not at school at all because their parents can't afford it.

Sounds fun for everyone and not costly long term at all.

It’s very rare for children to get a specialist school for dyslexia alone. 1 in 10 people are dyslexic. Happy to help if you need any assistance with supporting your child.

That can be life/death though. Which is different. This is about paying large sums of money for what is frankly not a sustainable return - what’s the point in ££££££ in therapy to see a very small or negligible difference, when that child would benefit more from the money being saved toward adult provision.

You suggested parents pay for state school. I didn't say I agreed with it but explored what life would be like if we went down that path.

It varies by local authority but ours is partly by bus. but you don’t have a hope in hell of getting a taxi at the start and end of the local special school day which is madness to me in our small county. There are some situations that warrant it(Due to distance or safety issues) but mini buses should be the norm imo.

Some parents can be very demanding (see merlin rap)

I can see how it happens basically once you get the ehcp you can pick any school so why wouldnt you? The same happens with adopted kids - one from the village going to the top city school but even that has a knock on for places at the schools.

Locally i find it hard to believe with a city 30min away that there was nowhere closer than 2hrs away for a probably level2 asd kid - so verbal but very reserved etc. For secondary there wasnt even an expectation to try the hub or other local sen schools.

There are minimum of 1 ehcp per class at dc secondary which is at least double to 10 years ago where there was more like 1 per whole year group.

Have to say i agree with pp in not seeing the benefit to spending 100k for 1 child its rarely going to be needed and i assume most kids getting that level of support are unlikely to work.

I think the failing nhs (leaving some kids with long term issues from fixable situations and vitamin deficiencies etc etc) k
Low effort across state school (and nhs...) Meaning issues not raised, logged or identified or intentionally ignored as by then only x years till they leave.
Some of the behaviour issues will be contagion from others with parenting issies /sen.

And yes obviously a more challenging curriculum but high sen and some uninvolved parents is putting pressure on kids.

The uk is rather an outlier in not letting kids repeat year groups if a child struggles so we will have more struggling academically who could have coped better in the year below.

Its probably time for advertising

-- pointing out higher asd rates in older parents.
-- And that fasd can mimic asd

No one on Mumsnet would ever complain that “a SEN child” had bitten their own child because there was no one-to-one support. They’d all just say oh well, these things happen, the country can’t afford SEND support.

I only suggested it due to your 'suggestion' that parents of disabled children don't want to look after their children simply because they expect their children to receive a state education just as parents who don't have disabled children do.

I out loud laughed at some of these posts earlier.

Some of them are so clueless, but also so opinionated, it’s genuinely hilarious.

😮Holy God this is a joke surely?

The NHS regularly declines various expensive treatments that could improve the quality of life, prolong a life or save a life for individuals because they have to consider the needs of their patients and responsibilities hence the number of stories where families turn to crowdfunding for treatments, often abroad, because often only the standard treatments are available.

Sorry to say but if that happened the child would be suspended. Home education would be necessary.

You cannot “just pick any school.”

Two years ago the school my son is in couldn’t meet need. His behaviour was unmanageable.

Their options were provide a 1:1 at a cost of approximately £25k p/year, or move him to a different (out of area) school that would involve transport costs and his education placement costs doubling.

I’ll let you work out which one happened.

We want to care for vulnerable children and disabled/elderly adults. We dont want to pay much council tax. Thats the issue