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10 September 2026

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Councils SEND further education to the back of the queue

New SEND reform plans will result in deficit write-offs but FE Week's transparency project finds many councils lack firm proposals for post-16 places. Anviksha Patel investigates attempts to cut costs and curb specialist provision

Anviksha Patel

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Councils are being lured by a carrot – submit a successful SEND reform plan and 90 per cent of their dedicated schools grant (DSG) deficit gets written off.

The three-year plans, currently being assessed by the Department of Education as a way to replace the ‘safety valve’ scheme, had to be submitted in June.

And to promote transparency, FE Week is today publishing 40 SEND reform plans on an interactive map after scouring local authority websites and requesting drafts from local officials.

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