Successful special educational needs complaints in England quadruple in four years

Rising demand and ballooning council deficits have left a threadbare service - and children and parents in crisis

Successful complaints about councils' special educational needs and disability (Send) services in England have quadrupled in four years, in the latest evidence of the crisis facing the system.

The local government and social care ombudsman (LGO), which handles complaints about English councils, upheld 1,043 cases regarding Send provision in 2024 - nearly 40% more than in 2023, and four times more than the 258 upheld in 2021.