20th February 2026
When the UK Government announced it would clamp down on "runaway" SEND spending in England particularly the spiralling fees paid to independent special schools. It was framed as a necessary correction to a system in financial freefall.
English councils are drowning in SEND deficits, some effectively bankrupt, and ministers have decided the only way out is to restrict placements, tighten thresholds, and reduce reliance on expensive private provision.
But Scotland is not England
ASN (Additional Support Needs) is a different system, built on different principles, with different pressures. There is no Scottish equivalent of EHCPs, no national policy to cap independent school fees, and no headline announcement of cuts.
Yet the pressures are real and in some parts of Scotland, especially rural areas, they are becoming acute. The danger is not that Scotland will copy England's SEND reforms. The danger is that Scotland will drift into cuts by stealth, driven not by policy but by the financial collapse of local authorities.
This is the story that rarely gets told.
Scotland's ASN System: No Announced Cuts But Mounting Strain
Scotland's ASN framework is broader than England’s SEND system. It includes not only learning disabilities and autism, but also dyslexia, mental‑health‑related needs, trauma, looked‑after children, and social, emotional and behavioural needs. As a result, over one‑third of Scottish pupils are now recorded as having ASN — the highest proportion in the UK.
On paper, Scotland remains committed to inclusive education and to supporting children in mainstream settings wherever possible. But the reality on the ground is shifting. Councils are under unprecedented financial pressure. Staffing shortages are widespread. Transport costs are spiralling. Independent special school fees are rising. And demand continues to grow.
There is no ministerial announcement of cuts.
But the system is tightening all the same.
The Rural Reality: ASN Pressures in the North and North‑East
ASN pressures do not fall evenly across Scotland. Rural councils face challenges that urban policymakers often fail to grasp: distance, staffing shortages, transport costs, and the fragility of small schools. Here’s what that looks like in practice.
Highland Council: Geography, Distance, and a System at Breaking Point
Highland is the size of Belgium, with schools scattered across vast distances. ASN provision here is shaped by geography more than policy.
Key pressures:
Severe staffing shortages, especially ASN teachers and classroom assistants
Long travel distances for specialist support, often requiring staff to cover hundreds of miles
Exploding transport costs, with some ASN transport packages costing more than the education itself
Rising demand, particularly for autism and mental‑health‑related needs
Small rural schools struggling to absorb complex needs without additional staff
Highland’s ASN budget is routinely overspent, not because of mismanagement, but because the cost of delivering equitable support in a vast rural area is inherently higher.
The risk here is not policy‑driven cuts — it is attrition. Posts left unfilled. Hours quietly reduced. Support stretched thinner each year.
Moray: A System Under Pressure From Rising Need
Moray faces a different but equally serious challenge: a rapid rise in ASN identification, especially autism, dyslexia, and social‑emotional needs.
Key pressures:
Long waits for assessment, with families left in limbo
Insufficient specialist placements, leading to pressure on mainstream schools
Recruitment difficulties, especially educational psychologists
Transport pressures, particularly for rural villages
Growing reliance on classroom assistants, whose hours are often the first to be cut
Moray’s challenge is not distance but capacity. Schools are absorbing more ASN need than they were ever designed to handle.
Aberdeenshire: Rurality Meets Rising Complexity
Aberdeenshire combines the challenges of rural geography with the pressures of a growing ASN population.
Key pressures:
Large rural catchments, making specialist provision difficult to centralise
Increasing complexity of needs, especially autism and trauma‑related ASN
Pressure on specialist units, many of which are full
High transport costs, especially for out‑of‑area placements
Difficulty recruiting ASN specialists, particularly in the north and west of the region
Aberdeenshire’s ASN system is stretched, not because of policy failure, but because the needs of children have changed faster than the system’s ability to respond.
The Central Belt: A Different Kind of Pressure
Urban councils face a different set of challenges — not distance, but volume.
Glasgow
One of the highest ASN rates in Scotland
Significant demand for specialist placements
Pressure on autism units and SEBN (social, emotional and behavioural needs) provision
Rising costs for independent special schools
Budget constraints limiting expansion
Edinburgh
Rapid population growth
High demand for autism and mental‑health support
Shortage of educational psychologists
Over‑subscribed specialist schools
Transport pressures for children placed outwith their local area
Fife, Falkirk, West Lothian
Growing ASN rolls
Increasing reliance on mainstream schools
Classroom assistant hours under pressure
Rising transport costs
Limited specialist capacity
In the central belt, the issue is not distance but scale. The number of children needing support has risen sharply, and councils cannot keep up.
Is Scotland Heading for ASN Cuts?
Not Officially — But Practically, Yes**
Scotland has not announced anything like England’s SEND reforms
There is no plan to cap independent school fees.
No plan to restrict placements.
No plan to tighten ASN thresholds.
But the pressures are pushing councils toward the same outcomes:
fewer specialist placements
tighter eligibility
reduced transport
longer waits for assessment
fewer classroom assistants
more pressure on mainstream schools to "absorb" need
rising reliance on parents to fight for support
These are not policy decisions.
They are the consequences of a system under financial strain.
The Real Risk: Cuts by Stealth
England is making explicit cuts.
Scotland is drifting into implicit cuts.
The danger is that ASN support will erode quietly — not through ministerial decree, but through:
unfilled vacancies
shrinking hours
rising thresholds
overstretched staff
exhausted schools
and families left to navigate a system that cannot meet demand
For rural Scotland, the risk is even greater.
Distance magnifies every weakness.
A single unfilled post can leave an entire region without specialist support.
Scotland Needs an Honest Conversation About ASN
Scotland’s ASN system is built on strong principles — inclusion, equity, and support for the whole child. But principles alone cannot sustain a system under this level of pressure.
If Scotland wants to avoid the crisis now engulfing England’s SEND system, it must confront the reality:
ASN demand is rising
Council budgets are collapsing
Rural delivery costs are high
Specialist staff are in short supply
Transport is becoming unaffordable
Independent school fees are rising
This is not a moment for complacency.
It is a moment for clarity.
Scotland does not need to copy England’s cuts.
But it does need to act — before the system reaches breaking point.
The UK Government Announcement 19 February 2026
Government ends runaway independent special school fees
Children’s progress put first as government ends runaway independent special school fees.
Thousands more children with SEND will get the support that helps them achieve and thrive under new government action to end spiralling independent special school costs and reinvest funding where it makes the biggest difference to pupils’ life chances.
It comes ahead of the Government’s schools white paper, which will be a golden opportunity to change the course of children’s lives for the better, moving away from a one size fits all approach to one where every child belongs and where high standards and inclusion are two sides of the same coin.
Independent special schools charge an average of £63,000 per child per year - more than twice the £26,000 cost of a state special school. Yet there is no evidence children do any better. Over 30% of these schools are backed by private equity firms, with public money intended for children and young people with the most complex needs instead flowing into private profit.
For the first time, clear national price bands and strengthened standards will ensure every specialist placement delivers real progress for children – not higher bills for councils – ending the postcode lottery that families have faced in securing high-quality SEND support.
Demand for SEND support has risen sharply in recent years, driving an over-reliance on expensive independent special school placements. Today’s measures will reset the specialist sector so that funding is focused on what matters most - high-quality education, better progress and stronger life chances for children.
And for those children who we know can thrive in mainstream schools with the right support, new research shows that children with SEND perform half a grade better at GCSE than their peers in special schools.
Education Secretary, Bridget Phillipson said:
For too long, families have faced a postcode lottery – fighting for support that depends on where they live, not what their child needs. That ends now.
We’re cracking down on providers who put profit before children. New standards and proper oversight will ensure every independent special school placement delivers real outcomes for children – not unreasonable bills for local authorities.
This is about building a system where every child with SEND can achieve and thrive, at a school that’s right for them and delivers the life chances they deserve.
Under the plans:
New national price bands will end unjustified fee variation for the same provision, giving councils the confidence to challenge poor value placements.
New statutory SEND-specific standards will ensure every independent special school delivers consistent, high-quality support and clear outcomes for pupils.
Full cost transparency will show exactly how public money is spent.
Local authorities will have a formal say on new or expanding independent provision so places are created where children actually need them.
Where special schools are the right setting for children with the most complex needs, the new framework will ensure places are high-quality, locally planned and financially sustainable.
Cllr Louise Gittins, Chair of the LGA, said:
It is good the Government has set out plans to regulate independent special schools and measures to control costs.
While in some cases an independent school can be the best place for a child to attend, it is wrong that when councils’ own costs are soaring that some providers are setting unreasonably high prices and making significant profits from state-funded placements.
To reduce the reliance on independent special schools, we look forward to the Government’s Schools White Paper ensuring more children with SEND get the care and support they need in schools and other mainstream settings.
These measures complement work already underway to create an inclusive education system, including £3.7 billion to deliver 60,000 specialist places in mainstream schools and £200 million to train all teachers and teaching assistants to support pupils with SEND.
This forms the foundations of the government’s reform plans, centred around the belief that children with SEND can thrive in mainstream settings with the right support.
For example, when looking at comparable pupils with EHCPs, the data shows that not only are those in mainstream schools considerably more likely to be entered into GCSE exams, but those who are, achieve around half a GCSE grade higher in English and maths than their peers in special schools.
That’s a half a grade which could mean the difference between a pass or fail at one of the most important academic milestones.
The forthcoming Schools White Paper will build on these reforms, setting out further action to strengthen oversight, improve inclusion and ensure public funding is directed to the support that delivers the best outcomes for children and young people.