Private SEND provision
Case reference FOI2025/02153
Received 30 October 2025
Published 20 November 2025
Request
Please could I request the following information under the Freedom of Information Act.
For each of the last five calendar years (2021, 2022, 2023, 2024, and 2025) could you please provide me with the following:
1) The total number of private special school providers used by the local authority for SEND placements.
2) The number of children the local authority has placed in private special schools.
3) The total yearly cost to the local authority of using private special school providers.
Please could provide this information in a spreadsheet if possible.
If it is not possible to provide the information requested due to the information exceeding the cost of compliance limits identified in Section 12, please provide advice and assistance, under the Section 16 obligations of the Act, as to how I can refine my request.
Response
Please could I request the following information under the Freedom of Information Act.
For each of the last five calendar years (2021, 2022, 2023, 2024, and 2025) could you please provide me with the following:
1) The total number of private special school providers used by the local authority for SEND placements.
2) The number of children the local authority has placed in private special schools.
3) The total yearly cost to the local authority of using private special school providers.
Please could provide this information in a spreadsheet if possible.
If it is not possible to provide the information requested due to the information exceeding the cost of compliance limits identified in Section 12, please provide advice and assistance, under the Section 16 obligations of the Act, as to how I can refine my request.
Answer: Please see the attached FOI2025 02153 Response Spreadsheet, as requested.
Documents
This is Herefordshire Council's response to a freedom of information (FOI) or environmental information regulations (EIR) request.
You can browse our other responses or make a new FOI request.