Financial pressures mean many councils are reluctant to issue top-up funding from high-needs budgets, say experts.

Pupils with special educational needs in mainstream schools are increasingly being refused additional funding from councils in England unless they have legal documents supporting their claims.

Experts say that increasing financial pressures have made many councils reluctant to make top-up funding available from high-needs budgets - creating a "vicious cycle" between parents and councils over who gets support.

Parents and carers in Buckinghamshire say they have been told that the local authority will no longer accept applications from schools to fund special educational needs provision unless it involves pupils with an approved educational health and care plan (EHCP).

Last year, 576,000 children and young people in England, including nearly one in 19 aged between five and 15, had an EHCP, which is a statutory document that requires an assessment and agreement between parents and local authorities detailing the extra support, funded from the council's high-needs budget.

But the County Councils Network estimates there are a further 1.2 million children with special educational needs and disabilities who may not qualify for an EHCP and could lose out on funding.