“Severely stretched” funding and “insufficient” staffing are preventing London’s mainstream schools from being inclusive for pupils with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND), according to a new report.

As well as more “sustainable” money to help schools deliver inclusive education – where pupils with and without SEND are educated in the same classroom – the report, commissioned by London Councils, also calls on the government to increase support to specialized teachers.

It comes after Chancellor Rachel Reeves announced Extra £1 billion in high needs funding as part of last week’s budget.

A Department for Education (DfE) spokesperson said: “The reform that families are crying out for will take time, but with a greater focus on mainstream provision and earlier intervention, we will deliver the change that is so desperately needed.”

Wednesday’s Budget allocated £1bn for SEND, out of an overall £2.3bn increase in core spending on schools.

But most of the additional funding for the next financial year is expected to be used to reduce council deficits.

According to the Inclusion in London Schools report, only 1% of senior school leaders believe they have sufficient funding to meet the needs of their SEND pupils.

The report concludes: “It is clear that London faces a number of key challenges, which present barriers to the effective inclusion of children and young people with SEND within its schools.

“These include a rapidly growing SEND cohort, severely limited funding, an insufficient workforce and widening gaps in outcomes between pupils with SEND and their peers.”

As a result, London Councils, the group representing all local authorities in the capital, are calling on the government and the DfE to increase support for specialist SEND teachers and upskill teaching assistants.

It also recommends increased collaboration between education providers, the NHS, local authorities and parents to ensure a strengthened and supportive educational environment.

Conservative councilor Ian Edwards, executive member of London Councils for children and young people, said: “Currently, school leaders and boroughs in London show a commitment to inclusion, but in practice they are not always able to deliver on it.

“This has to change, and we need all education partners and government to come together to support schools to move towards a genuinely inclusive education model.”

He added: “We are pleased to see the Government is taking action, committing in last week’s Budget to spend an extra £1 billion to help with the SEND underfunding, as well as promising to reform the SEND system.

“We must take action now to ensure that all children in London and across the country have access to an excellent education.”

The DfE spokesperson said the Government had inherited a system that “has been neglected to the point of crisis, with SEND children and families failing on every measure”.

“Every child and young person deserves the best opportunities in life and the chance to achieve and thrive, which is why we are announcing a significant £1 billion investment in the SEND system in the Budget.”

According to the report, children with SEND currently make up just over 17% of the capital’s student population.

Seven London boroughs have more than a fifth of their pupils with SEND, an increase from one borough in 2023.

One of the findings of the report was a reduction in the number of teaching assistants supporting SEND pupils and a heavy reliance on agency teaching assistants, which has grown by 245% in the last decade.

Despite better outcomes for children with SEND in London compared to the national average, the report found that children with SEND face higher rates of suspensions, absences and dropping out of school compared to pupils without SEND.

There is also a disparity between black pupils with SEND in the capital, who are more likely to be suspended compared to other pupils with and without SEND, according to the findings.

The report recommends ensuring London schools are truly inclusive, as the number of children with SEND grows.

It stated that children with additional needs in a classroom with pupils without SEND can reduce emotional distress and increase attendance.

Keeping SEND children within mainstream education also leads to better short-term educational outcomes and long-term employment prospects, the report adds.