New analysis published at the Local Government Association's Annual Conference today reveals the expected 200% increase on the amount spent in 2015/16.

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.

‘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 £5bn next year.'

Research for the LGA by the Isos Partnership found total SEND transport expenditure for 2023/24 was £1.7bn – up from £644m in 2015/16. This is projected to be around £1.97bn in 2025/26.

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

Nine in 10 councils 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. 

Key factors behind the increased cost of SEND transport include a rise in children with Education, Health and Care Plans, 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.

A DfE spokesperson said: ‘This government inherited a SEND system left on its knees – which is why we are looking at changes to enable more children to thrive in mainstream settings and stop parents having to fight for help, while bringing about financial sustainability for councils.

‘Through our Plan for Change, we're already making progress by investing £740m to create more places for children with SEND in mainstream schools, as well as increasing early access to speech, language and neurodiversity support to prevent needs from escalating.

‘This will pave the way for significant, long-term reform – improving children's and parents' experiences and addressing the pressures councils are facing, including around home to school transport.'