'Game-changer' Plymouth school needs substantial fundingCity council says it's committed delivering it in wake of SEND reformsView Image Mill Ford School (Image: Google Street View)Plymouth City Council will need to secure substantial capital funds to achieve its long term aim of rebuilding Mill Ford School for children with special needs and disabilities (SEND) but says it is "absolutely committed to delivering it”. The cost to the council of independent specialist school provision has risen from £5.2 million to 8.5 million in a year, which is nearly a 40 per cent increase. The government has pledged to cover 90 per cent of the shortfall in funding SEND which equates to around £47 million in Plymouth. Under the reforms there will be new ‘inclusion bases’ in every secondary school so needs are met closer to home. Parents of SEND children in Plymouth have highlighted "failures in the education system” through a number of peaceful protests in the city.

Source: Daily Mirror March 12, 2026 13:36 UTC