EIGHT in 10 English councils may face bankruptcy as a “broken” special education system leaves children, families and councils “buckling under the strain,” a survey found today.

A multibillion-pound bailout could be needed for councils who can no longer afford to pay over £14 billion in debts as a result of overspending on special educational needs and disabilities (Send).

Of the 87 councils surveyed by the Local Government Association (LGA), 69 – about 80 per cent – said they would not be able to set a balanced budget by the end of the statutory override.

The override was an emergency measure put in place which allowed them to overspend on Send up until 2028.

Only seven councils said they would be able to meet budgetary requirements by then, while the rest of those who responded to the survey were not sure.

Of the 153 upper-tier councils in England, which have the responsibility for education spending, 95 per cent have said they overspent on Send this year.

The Office for Budget Responsibility predicted that councils’ cumulative high needs deficits will reach £14bn by the end of 2027/28.

The plans, which were met with strong condemnation from Labour backbenchers and disability campaigners, would restrict children’s legal entitlement to specialist help, with the stated goal of improving mainstream school’s support for pupils with special needs.

Cllr Amanda Hopgood, the LGA’s Children, Young People and Families Committee chairwoman, said: “There is a widely held consensus that the Send system is broken and not working for children, their families and councils.”

National Education Union general secretary Daniel Kebede told the Morning Star: “The Local Government Association is correct to say that Send reform will fail unless schools are given additional resources to support children with special needs and disabilities.

“The current system is failing thousands of children, stretching schools to breaking point and bankrupting councils.

“The Chancellor needs to commit to supporting schools to allow them to provide special needs support without the long and bureaucratic EHCP process.”

The Department for Education said it was ending “the lottery of Send provision by strengthening support and protecting parents’ rights.”

A spokesperson said: “We are clear that any deficit from 2028-29 onwards will be absorbed within the overall government budget.

“Work is already underway to reform the system including through investing £200 million to train all teachers on Send and at least £3bn to create 50,000 new specialist places.”