FOI Request - SEND and Alternative Provision
Request 101003988187
1. Please could you supply the name, job title, email address and telephone number of the commissioner with responsibility for children and young people's Special Educational Needs (SEN) school placements.
2. Please provide the total number of children and young people with a Statement of SEN or Education, Health and Care (EHC) Plan who are in placement at an Independent Special School, as at 31 March for the last three financial years, with a primary diagnosis of Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD):
a) Within the local authority boundary (in-area placements)
b) Outside the local authority boundary (out-of-area placements)
Please provide data as at 31 March for the three years from 2023/24 to 2025/26.
3. Please provide the total number of children and young people with a Statement of SEN or Education, Health and Care (EHC) Plan who are in placement at an Independent Special School, as at 31 March for the last three financial years, with a primary diagnosis of Social, Emotional Mental Health needs (SEMH):
a) Within the local authority boundary (in-area placements)
b) Outside the local authority boundary (out-of-area placements)
Please provide data as at 31 March for the three years from 2023/24 to 2025/26.
4. How many placements were newly initiated during each financial year (i.e., the EHC Plan named an independent special school for the first time in that year), for the last three financial years, with a primary diagnosis of:
a) Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD)
b) Social Emotional Mental Health (SEMH)
Please provide data for the three financial years from 2023/24 to 2025/26.
5. What was the average (mean) weekly day placement fee paid for ASD placements in independent special schools in each of the financial years 2023/24, 2024/25, and 2025/26?
6. What was the average (mean) weekly day placement fee paid for SEMH placements in independent special schools in each of the financial years 2023/24, 2024/25, and 2025/26?
7. What was your authority's total annual expenditure on independent special school placements for children in each of the financial years 2023/24, 2024/25, and 2025/26, with a primary diagnosis of Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD)?
8. What is the weekly fee range (minimum and maximum) paid by your authority for independent special school placements for children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) in the financial year 2025/26 or the most recent financial year for which data is available? Please provide separately for:
a) Day placements
b) Residential / weekly boarding placements (if applicable)
9. Please provide the number of children and young people with a Statement of SEN or EHC Plan with a primary need of ASD, in a day placement at an Independent Special School, with fees per week, as at
31 March 2026, of:
a) Less than £1,000
b) £1,000 to £1,499
c) £1,500 to £1,999
d) £2,000 to £2,499
e) £2,500 or more
Please state which timescale was used if data as at 31 March 2026 was not available.
For the purposes of this FOI, the definition of alternative provision is as follows: education arranged by local authorities for children of compulsory school age who, because of exclusion, illness or other reasons, would not otherwise receive suitable education; alternative provision can also be used by schools for children on a suspension (fixed period exclusion); and for children being directed by schools to offsite provision to receive education intended to improve their behaviour.
10. Please provide the number of children in Alternative Provision
(AP) with a Statement of SEN or Education, Health and Care (EHC) Plan, across all primary needs, segmented by setting type, using the following categories in the following financial years: 2023/24, 2024/25, 2025/26.
a) Local authority-operated provision (e.g. PRUs)
b) Academy or free school AP (AP academies, AP free schools)
c) Independent schools with an AP specialism
d) Online learning provision and online learning providers
e) Unregistered providers
f) Charities and voluntary sector providers
11. If available, please provide the total Alternative Provision (AP) spend for the most recent year (e.g. 2025/26), broken down by setting type for children with a Statement of SEN or Education, Health and Care (EHC) Plan:
a) Local authority-operated provision (e.g. PRUs)
b) Academy or free school AP (AP academies, AP free schools)
c) Independent schools with an AP specialism
d) Online learning provision and online learning providers
e) Unregistered providers
f) Charities and voluntary sector providers