Special educational needs bill in England hits record £10bn a year

National Audit Office report finds no signs of improvement in lives of pupils despite record spending

The bill for special needs education in England has hit 10bn a year, with the number of children and young people entitled to government support in the form of education, health and care plans set to double to 1 million within a decade, a landmark report has found.

The investigation by the National Audit Office (NAO) found that despite record levels of spending there had been no signs of improvement in the lives of children with special educational needs (SEN).