Councils in England must outline Send plans to access £860m funding pot

First tranche of a £3bn fund aimed at creating 50,000 new Send places in mainstream schools part of changes announced last month Councils in England will have to set out plans to create more places in local mainstream schools for children with special educational needs and disabilities as a condition of receiving a share of £860m in new government funding. Authorities must submit their written plans to the Department for Education (DfE) outlining how they will enable more pupils with Send to attend their local school and reduce the number of children travelling long distances for their education. Schools will be expected to use the cash to create more inclusive spaces – such as specially adapted rooms to support children with autism or ADHD who may feel overstimulated in the classroom and require a special sensory environment. The money will also be used to ensure all secondary schools eventually have a dedicated space called an “inclusion base” to enable pupils to move easily between specialist support and mainstream classes. Ministers have said no child currently at a special school or college will have to move under the reforms unless they choose to. Councils are expecte