Cardiff Council has confirmed the creation of 342 additional specialist education places across 14 schools.
The expansion comprises 196 places in special schools and 146 places in specialist resource bases within mainstream schools.
A further 120 places are planned.
The programme, backed by approximately £40 million, aims to meet increasing demand for additional learning needs provision.
It includes new or expanded facilities at English-medium and Welsh-medium schools.
The council says additional local provision should reduce travel times and enable more pupils to remain connected to their communities.
Why it matters: The investment provides an example of how local authorities are responding to increasing demand for specialist education.
It also raises questions about the geographical distribution of places, the availability of Welsh-medium provision and the continuing costs of transporting pupils to specialist settings.
