SEND Allocation for Cornwall

Cornwall Council has been allocated a capital cash injection of £9.19 million in High Needs Provision funding for 2026–27, as part of a national investment to increase specialist school places and strengthen specialist support in mainstream settings. This funding will support improvements to SEND provision across Cornwall and help more children receive the right support closer to home.

The funding comes at a critical time, with demand for Education, Health and Care Plans (EHCPs) in Cornwall having risen by 87% between 2019 and 2025, which exceeds the national increase.

Cornwall Council’s allocation is 9% higher per pupil compared with other rural authorities with dispersed populations, recognising the high need and additional challenges and costs we face as a rural and coastal region.

Alongside this capital investment, Cornwall has also received over £3 million to establish an ‘Experts at Hand’ service. This will help provide a bank of educational psychologists, occupational therapists and speech and language therapists, so local children with SEND receive timely support at an earlier stage.

Through casework, roundtables and surgeries, I have been in conversation with many families and service providers across Truro and Falmouth, who know the SEND system and its challenges well. This investment represents a step towards

addressing some of those concerns and improving SEND provision in Cornwall.