Independent Special School FOI Request
Received: 7 August 2025
Under the Freedom of Information Act, I would like to request the following information regarding placements and spending for Children with a Statement or EHC Plan in an Independent Special School. Please provide answers on the attached accompanying Excel spreadsheet.1. Please could you supply the name, job title, email address, and telephone number of the commissioner with responsibility for children and young people's Special Educational Needs (SEN) school placements.2. Please provide the total number of children and young people with a Statement of SEN or Education, Health and Care (EHC) Plan who are in placement at an Independent Special School, as at 31 March, with a primary diagnosis of;a) Severe Learning Difficulty (SLD)b) Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD)Please provide data as at 31 March for the five years from 2020/21 to 2024/25. 3. Please provide the total number of children and young people with a Statement of SEN or EHC Plan who are in placement at an Independent Special School: day placement, as at 31 March, with a primary diagnosis of;a) Severe Learning Difficulty (SLD)b) Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD)Please provide data as at 31 March for the five years from 2020/21 to 2024/25. 4. Please provide the total number of children and young people with a Statement of SEN or EHC Plan who are in placement at an Independent Special School: 38 or 52 week placement, as at 31 March, with a primary diagnosis of;a) Severe Learning Difficulty (SLD)b) Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD)Please provide data as at 31 March for the five years from 2020/21 to 2024/25. 5. Please provide a list of Independent Special School providers used by the council, as at 31 July 2025, to place children and young people with a Statement of SEN or EHC Plan, in a day placement, with a primary support need of a SLD or ASD, with fees per child or young person of £2,000 or more per weeka) Please provide the number of children and young people being funded by the Council with each provider, as at 31 July 2025b) Please provide total Council expenditure with each provider, as at 31 July 2025Please state which timescale was used if data as at 31 July 2025 wasn't available. 6. Please provide the number of children and young people with a Statement of SEN or EHC Plan with a primary support need of a SLD or ASD, in a day placement at an Independent Special School, with fees per week, as at 31 July 2025, of:a) Less than £500b) £500 to £749c) £750 to £999d) £1,000 to £1,249e) £1,250 to £1,499f) £1,500 to £1,999g) £2,000 to £2,499h) £2,500 or morePlease state which timescale was used if data as at 31 July 2025 wasn't available.