SEND Funding Crisis
Inclusive Education & Funding in England Promises made by the UK Government on school and SEND funding are not what they seem. Even if true, which they are not, they do nothing to deal with structural problems created by wider Government Policy, that make it increasingly difficult for mainstream schools to successfully include disabled children and those with special educational needs. The Government needs to recognise the reality and act.
£2.6bn to the core schools budget in 2020-21, but the unions say there will still be a shortfall of £2.5bn in the coming year after years of devastating cuts.” Guardian 30.09.19. NEU joint General Secretary Kevin Courtney stated:
“Johnson has made lots of empty promises on school funding – but his numbers don’t add up. The latest funding announcement falls well short of settling the shortfall for every child. And crucially Prime Minister Johnson, like his predecessors it fails to reverse the cuts schools have suffered Theresa May and David Cameron, has promised to since 2015.” “level up” school funding across the country. But, if you fast-forward to the highest point in the Prime Unison’s Head of Education Division John Richards Minister’s plan, in three years’ time UK schools commented: will be reeling from a £1.3bn funding shortfall in “Schools are so cash starved that staff are buying 2022/23 compared with 2015/16 — the biggest equipment like pens and stationery with their own in a generation. In real terms, the Government is money. Valuable teaching assistants are also being not levelling up historically poorly funded areas axed by schools as they struggle to balance budgets. to the level of the best funded (and usually most The government keeps promising resources but deprived) areas but cutting the best. schools need money now.” The numbers just don’t add up, accounting for This means all pupils with SEND in mainstream rising school costs and the number of pupils the schools with no Education Health Care Plan (EHCP), budget has to cover: who receive funding from a “non-ring fenced” SEN • Since 2015 the average amount spent on Support budget, lose out. Which puts increasing a pupil has fallen from £5,000 a year to just pressure on parents to get an EHCP for their child. under £4,700. Schools need an extra £2.4bn a The Government’s Higher Needs Block funding year to put that right. which pays for EHCP provision is not keeping up. • 83% of schools in England will lose out in 2020 It is estimated the £780 rise million rise, added in September 2019, will not prevent a £1.3billion compared with 2015. deficit by 2021. Until recently, Local Authorities have • Schools in England will be £2bn poorer in 2020 taken money from other funding to bridge the gap. than in 2015. However, the Department for Education has now • The Government is putting more money in but stopped this ‘robbing Peter to pay Paul’ approach, not enough (Source School Cuts Campaign) meaning more cuts in EHCP provision. Ironically the ability to switch budgets was the main reason the This has been met with a widespread negative courts found in favour of the Government in the response and coverage: Judicial Review last year. This is now closed down. “The government has pledged to invest an extra Currently 8,000 children with SEND are out of school £7.1bn in schools in England over the next three awaiting placement. The reasons more mainstream years up to 2022-23, including an increase of schools say they can’t meet the needs of children
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