Comment: Dedicated Schools Grant allocations

Chris Munday, Chair of the ADCS Resources and Strategy policy committee, said:

“Any increase in funding to help schools, early years settings and councils meet the needs of children and young people is welcome. However, the overall quantum of funding for schools is insufficient and the pressures councils face in relation to demand and provision of SEND are nothing like we have ever seen before. There has been a significant increase in the number of children who are accessing support via the high needs budget and we have seen a drift away from inclusion in mainstream schools alongside an over reliance on costly independent specialist provision. It is estimated that high needs deficits could reach £3.6bn by 2025. Additional funding alone cannot solve the fundamental systemic challenges we now face in meeting our statutory duties and government programmes, such as Safety Valve and Delivering Better Value, do not go far enough to address the deficits. We need urgent national action to prevent more councils facing bankruptcy due to the spiralling costs of SEND. The funding formula for high needs must be completely reformed to address the funding challenges and ensure they do not overshadow a new system of SEND.”

ENDS

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