The government is reportedly planning to restrict the number of children who can get education, health and care plans
Kent’s efforts to reduce the escalating cost of special educational needs and disability (SEND) provision could be bolstered by new government proposals.
At present, families with children who have additional needs can apply for legally binding education, health and care plans (EHCPs), which guarantee support from Kent County Council (KCC).
Initially, EHCPs were designed to assist children with the most severe needs, but now pupils with conditions such as mild ADHD are also eligible for these plans.
In recent years, Kent has experienced a surge in EHCPs, at one point around 20% higher than other large authorities, resulting in significant expenditure.
According to reports, the government now intends to limit future EHCPs to children with the most substantial needs, while mainstream schools will accommodate the rest.
An additional £3bn will be allocated to provide extra support to facilitate this transition, including more classroom assistants.
However, this would shift the responsibility to the schools, replacing the direct legal role of parents. One implication for KCC is that EHCP holders can claim home-to-school transport (HST), a door-to-door taxi service already costing Kent nearly £100m per year.
As per figures released by KCC in March last year, the cost of assessing applications and issuing EHCPs was £17m alone. At that time, there were 21,000 pupils with EHCPs, half of whom were eligible for HST.
Last year, Reform UK KCC leader Linden Kemkaran branded the HST cost as “absolutely enormous” and pledged to scrutinise the contracts with carriers.
Reform UK is now continuing the work begun by the previous Conservative administration to reduce the overall expenditure.
The high needs block (HNB) which exceeded £300m in 2024 is currently running more than £50m over budget, according to the most recent available figures.
The increasing reliance on specialist state-funded provision and costly independent providers has played a significant role in creating this financial shortfall.
The new regulations are understood to form part of a forthcoming white paper from Secretary of State for education Bridget Philipson, although she is expected to encounter resistance from her Labour backbenchers.
KCC’s SEND Strategy 2025-28 champions the principles of “inclusion, partnership and participation”.
It declares: “Every child has the right to access opportunities without discrimination. They deserve the right support in their own communities, surrounded by friends and families.”
However, recent documents have revealed: “The council is currently overspending on its high needs block…(and) the use of more specialist provision such as state-funded or independent special schools, rather than supporting children to remain more locally in their mainstream school, has been highlighted as a key contributing factor to this position.”
The council has already committed to the Safety Valve programme, agreeing to repay an £82m deficit by 2028, whilst receiving an additional £140m towards the escalating cost of provision. However, the scheme’s success hinges on KCC demonstrating that it has achieved value for money and a break-even position by 2028.
This will also necessitate reducing KCC’s dependence on specialist education placements and providing a broader mainstream offer. KCC has chosen not to comment until further details are made available.
