‘I feel like I’m failing my son’: Parents of disabled children say they are paying thousands over ‘broken system’
New measures to address spiralling cost of independent special school fees
- The government is introducing new measures to address spiralling costs and inconsistent quality in independent special schools for children with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND).
- Reforms include national price bands, statutory SEND-specific standards, and full cost transparency to ensure better value for money and consistent, high-quality support for pupils.
- The initiative aims to end the 'postcode lottery' for families seeking SEND support and prevent public money from flowing into private profit, noting that over 30% of these schools are private equity-backed.
- Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson stated the changes will ensure every independent special school placement delivers real outcomes for children, not unreasonable bills for local authorities.
- These measures form part of a broader strategy to strengthen the SEND system, including significant investment in mainstream specialist places and teacher training, with a focus on enabling more children to thrive in mainstream settings.
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