A LACK of funding for special needs education has led to a “full-blown crisis” in schools and is harming provision for pupils, a teaching union warns today.

Nearly all school leaders in England believe the funding they receive for pupils with special education needs and disabilities (Send) is insufficient, a poll by school leaders’ union NAHT has found.

Many schools have been forced to reduce the number of teaching assistants, who provide individual support to Send pupils, or the hours they work.