Council spending on SEND home-to-school transport nears £2bn

LGA research reveals growing cost of meeting travel needs of children with special educational needs and disabilities

Spending by councils on home-to-school transport for children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) is predicted to reach nearly £2 billion this year (2025/26), according to new analysis published by the Local Government Association. This represents approximately a 200% increase on the amount spent in 2015/16.

Research for the LGA by the Isos Partnership found total SEND transport expenditure for 2023/24 was £1,733,513,195 – up from £644,757,072 in 2015/16.

However, based on survey returns, this is projected to be around £1.97 billion in 2025/26.

The vast majority of expenditure was for pre-16 children and young people with SEND, with approximately £1.5 billion spent on home to school transport in 2023/24.

The average cost per child of providing SEND transport was around £8,900 a year. For a child requiring mainstream, non-SEND transport, this was around £3,100.

The research also found:

• Nine in 10 councils, that provided survey responses, thought spending on SEND home to school transport would increase, while only 12% were confident they would be able to balance their budgets for SEND home to school transport over the next five years 
• Councils have seen a 40% increase over the last five years in children and young people with SEND aged under 16 needing home to school transport.  
• The average one-way trip to school for pupils with SEND is nine miles, with councils highlighting a growing minority of children with SEND travelling very long distances to school, most often due to lack of suitable special school places closer to their home.

Key factors behind the increased cost of SEND transport include a rise in children with Education, Health and Care Plans (which set out the support a child will receive), more children having to be placed further from home and outside their local area, and changes in complexity of need, which for example might require individualised transport arrangements.

The LGA said the findings of the report reinforce the urgent need for a comprehensive programme of reform of the SEND system, which focusses on boosting mainstream inclusion.

Cllr Arooj Shah, chair of the LGA’s Children and Young People Board, said: “The rapidly rising need for home to school transport from children and young people in SEND is yet another reminder of the huge pressures on the SEND system.

“It is also wrong that children are increasingly having to travel long distances to get to school because of a lack of provision near to their home. This has to change.

“We urge the government in its white paper to deliver the comprehensive reforms the SEND system needs, so that it is more inclusive and improves educational attainment for children.

“This should also include putting councils on a stable financial footing by writing off councils’ high needs deficits, which are projected to reach £5 billion next year.”

The new findings were published as council and education leaders met in Liverpool for the LGA Conference to discuss how the special educational needs and disabilities system can be reformed ahead of an expected government white paper in the autumn. 

Spending on SEND home-to-school transport break down for 2023/24 

SEND pre-16	£ 1,498,267,888
Mainstream pre-16	£    479,431,728
SEND16-18	£    167,699,015
SEND 19-25	£      67,546,292
Mainstream post-16	£      26,164,495