Fix SEN funding to avoid ‘absurd’ council deficits in England, IFS says

Thinktank calls on government to set a long-term vision for radical change

Council deficits in England could spiral to “absurd” levels in excess of £8bn in less than three years without radical reform of special educational needs funding, a leading economics thinktank has said.

Spending on pupils with SEN has gone up nearly 60% over the past decade, with the government announcing a further £1bn in the October budget, but increased investment has failed to meet rising need, the Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS) said.