Adding Up: How Councils meet the costs of Special Educational Needs
From File on 4 Investigates by BBC Radio 4
May 19, 2026 · 37 min
About this episode
The episode explores how councils manage funding for Special Educational Needs amidst rising demand and school closures in England.
As the government plans major reform of the England's Special Educational Needs system, File on 4 Investigates goes back to the floor, spending time with councils as funding decisions are made and with families trying to navigate a system in flux. From home-schoolers in Whitley Bay to getting on board a school bus in Hackney, we'll hear about the challenges of delivering services to tens of thousands of children with SEN each year. As the number of young people who need extra support rises how will Councils balance their books? Over a hundred schools have closed in England in the last five years. Analysis by the BBC’s Data team has shown that pupils with special educational needs have been disproportionately affected by school closures. These pupils made up 29% of those whose school has closed, which is higher than the national average. We'll hear how the disruption of a school closing can affect those with additional needs, and their families. Presenter: Hayley Clarke Producer: Nicola Dowling Technical Producer: Craig Boardman Production Co-ordinator: Tim Fernley Editor: Tara McDermott (Thanks also to the BBC News Data Journalism team)
People in this episode
Host: Hayley Clarke
Topics covered
- Special Educational Needs
- council funding
- education reform
- school closures
- family challenges
- support services
Keywords
- Special Educational Needs
- council funding
- school closures
- education reform
- support services
- families
- challenges
Mentioned in this episode
Organizations: BBC Radio 4, BBC News Data Journalism team
Places: England, Whitley Bay, Hackney
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