TWO in five school leaders have cut back on support for students with special educational needs and disabilities (Send), a poll for the Sutton Trust revealed today.

Four in five also expect to make further cuts in the next academic year, particularly to teaching assistants and tutoring, the research conducted by the National Foundation for Educational Research found.

Unions and industry experts have raised concerns over the level of funding to deliver sweeping reforms to the Send system the government set out in a white paper in February.

The head of the Sutton Trust, Nick Harrison, urged ministers to “target measures that will rebalance funding towards the pupils and schools that need it most” in the wake of the survey’s findings.

The survey of 1,105 school leaders in England also found widespread cuts to subject choices at GCSE and A-level, school trips, and sports and other extracurricular activities.

NAHT general secretary Paul Whiteman said that “the simple truth is that despite some welcome additional government investment, school finances remain in a perilous state.”

Association of School and College Leaders general secretary Pepe Di’Iasio said: “This research shows the contradiction which exists between the government’s aspirations for the education system and the amount of money that it is prepared to provide to realise those aspirations.”

The National Education Union said schools are “running on empty” and are forced to make cuts “simply to survive.”

General secretary Daniel Kebede said: “It is indefensible that government continues to underfund schools.”

The Department for Education said: “Despite deeply challenging choices about public spending, we have continued to prioritise education by putting record investment into our schools, so every child can achieve and thrive.”