Special educational needs in English schools in ‘crisis’, minister admits

Gillian Keegan says parents having to ‘fight to get right support’ as unions say provision falls short of what is needed

Special educational needs provision in England is in the grip of a “crisis”, the education secretary has said, as school unions questioned whether a funding boost promised for the sector by the government was actually new money and said it fell a long way short of what was needed.

Days after figures showed about two in three special schools were at or over capacity in the last academic year, Gillian Keegan also acknowledged parents were having to “fight to get the right support” for children with special educational needs.