Watchdog demands review of out of area SEN placements

The Audit Commission is calling for a review of the way children with special educational needs are placed out of authority after research showed they may not be receiving appropriate or cost-effective education provision.

In a report, it said councils were spending more than £500m every year on out-of-authority placements for children with special educational needs – an average of £57,150 per placement – but many councils did not focus enough on pupils’ progress.

Commission chief executive Steve Bundred said: “Children with complex SEN are the most in need of specialist, tailored support but our report shows that some local authorities do nor know what levels of support these children are receiving, or how much this is costing.”