Council's SEND debt to be 90% wiped out by £29m grant

A council is to have 90% of its special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) debt "wiped out" with £29m of government support.

Bracknell Forest Council in Berkshire has been accruing a deficit on its Dedicated Schools Grant since 2019.

The authority will receive a High Needs Stability Grant that will cover the deficit accumulated up until March 2026.

It follows government approval of the authority's SEND reform plan and is in addition to £9m received through the Safety Valve programme.

In 2025, the authority was found to have "widespread and systematic failings" in its SEND services and published a plan on how it would improve.

The plan was formally approved by the Department for Education and the Department of Health and Social Care in October.

It meant the council became eligible to receive a grant, covering 90% of its deficit accrued between 2019/2020 up to the end of the last financial year.

The £29m has now been confirmed by the government.

Children and health councillor Megan Wright said: "It is really good news as it means we do not have to try to find £29m from elsewhere to pay back the historic deficits.

"Alongside the approval of our SEND Reform Plan, it is another positive step in our SEND improvement journey."

The authority's focus remains on improving local SEND services for "our children, young people and their families", she added.

The Dedicated Schools Grant is a ring-fenced government funding allocation for state schools.

It includes a "high needs block", which funds the needs of children and young people who require extra support.

Like many local authorities, Bracknell Forest's high needs spending was over its budget and allocation.

SEND services in the borough are provided by a partnership made up of Bracknell Forest Council and NHS Thames Valley Integrated Care Board.