Kent’s deepening special educational needs (SEN) crisis and the rocketing cost to the taxpayer has been laid bare.

New figures show the price tag is rising rapidly as the number of children requiring help grows, particularly in the high-needs block (HNB).

They also reveal a single state pupil currently looked after in the private education sector costs nearly £50,000, which has helped create an in-year £46 million overspend.

The huge demand has piled immense financial pressure on cash-strapped Kent County Council (KCC) which must provide the service by law.

Statistics before today’s KCC’s influential scrutiny committee, chaired by Conservative Cllr Andy Booth, show each HNB pupil in a maintained special school environment costs the taxpayer £24,252 in 2024-25 compared to £20,629 in 2020-21, up 17.5%.

The price for sending the same child into the private, independent sector now costs £49,259 in 2024-25, up from £43,734 (12.6%) four years ago.

In the same period, the number of HNB children in mainstream special provision grew from 5,118 to 6,591 (28.7%) and from 1,126 to 1,623 (44.1%) in the independent sector.

The HNB budget for 2024-25 is £342.7 million against the forecast cost of £389 million, some £46.3 million out.

The Local Democracy Reporting Service understands children are regularly transported by cab from Thanet to Sevenoaks to receive their specialist learning.

There are thought to be hundreds of taxi journeys made each day to take youngsters to special needs schools.

KCC has already outlined a series of reforms designed to assign SEN pupils to mainstream schools and ways to reduce the £60 million and rising annual bill for home-to-school transport.

Earlier this year, 25 heads from the Kent Special Educational Needs Trust (KsENT) signed a letter to KCC questioning if the shake-up can work and if it is supported by data.

Education chiefs feel Kent is over-reliant on special school places and wants to change the system to give places only to students who need them most.

Youngsters who do not meet new criteria may be sent to mainstream schools instead of an SEN setting.

County councillor Simon Webb, a former head teacher, academy trust chief and ex-KCC Principal Primary Adviser, said: “My greatest concern is that we make sure that a pupil with high needs gets the provision best suited to them.

“We have got some special schools who have a selective admissions policy. We have created a ludicrous situation where some special schools have set their own admission criteria in such a way to stop ‘high-needs pupils’ gaining admission into their schools, and consequently have to be found places elsewhere

“But these schools are equipped to deal with high-needs children. They have the staff, the space, the facilities to accommodate these children. They shouldn’t have to be sent to independent special schools.

“The children they reject have higher needs than the children they currently have, in my view. They must be willing to adapt their curriculum or appoint staff who can nurture and support these vulnerable children and offer a local provision.

“That is why the special school review is right and has been needed for a very long time.

“What I would be looking for is a better balance between our mainstream provision and special school provision, with a greater number of outreach support centres in mainstream schools.

“I believe the current admission criteria for some special schools has to be changed, ensuring a greater number of out-of county-pupils come back into Kent schools.

“This process is not difficult to complete, in a short time scale. Let’s remember KCC has the statutory accountability to provide these places and special schools have to widen their admission criteria, as some should be challenged, if necessary.”

But KsENT heads stated in their letter: “There has been some rhetoric from KCC officers that special schools do not wish to change and are actively resisting change – this is simply not the case and is causing further friction between KCC and its schools; something that will only be detrimental to the children we all seek to serve…”

The letter says: “Currently 23 out of 24 special schools in Kent are judged “good” or “outstanding” by Ofsted.

“Nowhere in recent reports is that fact sufficiently celebrated or indeed is there reassurance for children and their families on how their educational offer will be safeguarded.

“Given this impressive track record, it is difficult to understand how any compelling educational argument can be made to justify the upheaval of the special school sector on this scale.”

Deputy cabinet member for finance, Cllr Harry Rayner, said: “The rate of SEN budget growth as shown in Kent is clearly unsustainable and KCC as a responsible council has to take action.

“I was interested to hear the Chancellor Rachel Reeves in her Budget speech announce extra funding to local authorities with SEN requirements and I look forward to seeing how much will devolve to Kent County Council.”

KCC papers state: “The in-year funding shortfall for high needs placements and support in 2024-25 is +£46 million due to a combination of continual higher demand for additional SEN support and higher cost per child resulting from continual demand for more specialist provision.”

While other councils have experienced similar issues with SEN and the cost of education and health care plans (EHCPs), KCC’s case has differed.

The papers add: “However, increases locally have been increasing at a significantly faster rate than other comparative councils and the council is placing a greater proportion of children in both special and independent schools compared to other councils, and a smaller proportion of children with SEND in mainstream schools.”