£16 million is to be spent on creating more specialist education school places across Surrey.

The County Council last night approved the use of its High Needs Provision Capital Allocation Grant.

The money will be spent creating 220 new specialist places for the 2026/27 academic year.

Some specialist and mainstream schools will be expanded in order to create the SEND places.

There are said to be 46,000 children and young people with Additional Needs and Disabilities in the county.

The news comes on the back of the government’s special educational needs system shake up announcement earlier this week.

The biggest change is that only children with the most complex needs will qualify for education, health and care plans by 2035.