Mid Dorset and North Poole MP Vikki Slade has called for urgent reform of the Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) system, including a cap on profits made by private providers.
The Liberal Democrat MP says many providers are “profiteering” at the expense of children and local taxpayers, with some making profit margins of over 20 per cent. Research by the House of Commons Library, commissioned by the Liberal Democrats, found that top SEND providers – often owned by private equity firms or foreign state-backed investors – are charging local councils high fees while generating substantial profits.
One example is Witherslack Group Limited, which operates 37 schools and has reported profits of over 20 per cent in the last two years.
Currently, 4,333 children in Dorset have Education, Health and Care Plans, while the cost of SEND home-to-school transport reached £1.42 billion nationally in 2023–24.
The Liberal Democrats are proposing a profit cap of eight per cent and improved government funding to help councils meet their legal obligations without having to cut other services.
Vikki Slade, a former Leader of Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole Council, said she has seen the impact of high private SEND placement costs first-hand, and warned that “families and children with SEND deserve better than a system that enriches private equity at their expense.”