London lacks enough nursery place for children with SEND, with just 9% of wards able to meet demand, new data shows.
The capital is the worst place in England to find an early years place, the annual survey by the children’s charity, Coram, found. The North-East is the second hardest hit region, with a third of wards having enough places, following by the East Midlands on 38%.
The West Midlands was the best place to find nursery places and childminders for SEND children, with 62% of wards being able to meet demand.
The report, which is based on surveys and Freedom of Information requests submitted to local authorities in England, highlights the inequalities in provision across the country and the discrepancies in support for families with a young SEND child.
Special schools full to the brim
The findings came as the Department for Education revealed that special schools are more than 10,000 pupils over capacity, according to the latest figures.
Capacity data published by the DfE this week shows 169,059 special-school students in 2024-25, but only 158,386 places.
Special schools are now over capacity by 10,673, up from 6,574 in the previous year. It means that around two-thirds of special schools are either at or over capacity.
This is a much bigger proportion than the number of mainstream schools at or over capacity.
Childcare entitlement
The expansion of Government-funded childcare entitlements in 2024-25 has sharply reduced costs for eligible working parents, saving them up to £8,000 per year, according to Department for Education analysis. However, not all families are eligible for the placements.
“Gaps in childcare for children with SEND has been one of the most consistent, and concerning, findings of our survey for the last 25 years,” said Lydia Hodges, head of Coram, a children’s charity.
“We call on the government to start taking steps towards making funded hours universal, and to address the gaps for children with SEND as part of the upcoming SEND reform, so that no child misses out on this vital boost to their outcomes.”
The National Education Union, meanwhile, said that inclusion has “not been afforded to many of the youngest, most vulnerable children, especially those with emerging and identified SEND”. The findings suggest that children who do not have additional needs might find it easier to get pre-school places.
SEND children ‘shut-out’
The survey shows that, for all children, just over half of wards in Inner London have enough childcare places for three-to-four-year-olds, who are entitled to the 30 hours of funding for working families.
In the North-East, 75% of wards have enough provision for three- to four-year-olds with the 30 hours entitlement, compared with 92% in the West Midlands.
Hodges said that the upcoming SEND reforms must have early years “at their heart” to make sure children with SEND “do not miss out”.
Daniel Kebede, the general secretary of the NEU, said: “Restrictive eligibility criteria and a lack of suitable places have effectively shut SEND children out from accessing provision with specialist early years educators, who have the skills, training and networks in health services that can transform their life chances.”
