Warning over special needs pupils’ places

CHILDREN WITH special educational needs and disabilities are at risk of missing out on an education at a mainstream state school, town hall chiefs are warning.

A lack of funding and a rise in demand is putting a strain on councils’ abilities to offer places to these young people, according to the Local Government Association (LGA).

It says that an analysis of government data shows that the percentage of pupils with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) attending a specialist school has risen in the past four years. There has also been an increase in the proportions attending independent schools.

This is because it is becoming more difficult to place these children in mainstream schools, the association suggests. It says that dedicated schools funding for special educational needs has been frozen for several years, putting council budgets under increasing pressure at a time when there is already a squeeze on funding. If local authorities do not receive enough government funding to cover high-cost special needs, they will not have the money to allocate extra cash to schools that take higher than average numbers of children with additional needs, the LGA says.

Richard Watts, chair of the LGA’s children and young people board, said: “There has been a historic underfunding of high needs funding and a significant increase in the number of pupils with special educational needs or disabilities in schools.”

A Department for Education spokesman said: “This Government is determined to build a country where everyone can fulfil their potential. This is backed by a £5.3bn investment in 2016/17 for children and young people with high needs.”