THE demand for special education needs and disability (Send) support continues to outstrip funding from the government, the National Education Union (NEU) warned today.

The latest government data suggests that the number of children and young people in need of an education, health and care plan is at a new high, and is up by 97 per cent since 2015.

But funding for pupils under the plan has not kept up with the rise, with the NEU calling for an additional £3.6 billion to restore it to its real value from nearly a decade ago.