Sorting out the crisis in special educational needs (SEND) provision and funding is a 鈥渇irst-order issue鈥� for the new government, experts have said. Sir Keir Starmer and Bridget Phillipson have inherited a system on its knees, with councils facing bankruptcy, parents forced into court to secure support for their children and schools crying out for more resources. Labour has said little about what it will do. Its manifesto pledged a 鈥渃ommunity-wide approach鈥� to SEND, improving 鈥渋nclusivity and expertise in mainstream schools, as well as ensuring special schools cater to those with the most complex needs鈥�. The Department for Education today to place responsibility for SEND and AP within its schools group 鈥渢o ensure that we deliver improvements to inclusion within mainstream schools鈥�. Luke Sibieta, research fellow at the Institute for Fiscal Studies, said SEND was among the 鈥渇irst-order issues that will affect school resources and put pressure on school budgets鈥�. 鈥淭rying to work out how to develop a system that meets children鈥檚 needs and is financially sustainable would be a good thing to do,鈥� he added. 鈥淚t鈥檚 clearly not functioning well at the moment, and they need to be thinking carefully about how to redesign the system.鈥� Ticking time bomb of council deficits One quick fix enacted by the previous government was an override allowing councils to keep their high needs deficits off their main balance sheets until April 2026, preventing them from going bankrupt. Jo Hutchinson Jo Hutchinson, director of SEND and additional needs at the Education Policy Institute, said incoming ministers 鈥渃ould protect children鈥檚 provision in the short term鈥� by extending that override. Deficits now sit at 拢1.6 billion. Hutchinson added that 鈥渢he prospect of deficits being added to main council budgets in 2026 is very likely to drive councils to cut essential provision for disabled children as things stand鈥� They could even write these deficits off.鈥� Hilary Spencer, chief executive of the Ambition Institute, said Labour鈥檚 ambitions for SEND 鈥渨ill also rely on well-supported and well-trained teachers鈥�. She said Labour should fund the new national professional qualification for SEND 鈥渋mmediately鈥� and in full.