(UK) Gloucestershire: 'Number of children with high needs is increasing'

Nov 19, 2018, Gloucestershire Live: Fewer pupils with special needs will receive extra funding after 'reluctant' decision https://www.gloucestershirelive.co.uk/news/gloucester-news/fewer-pupils-special-needs-receive-2236672 Fewer pupils with special educational needs will receive extra money in schools after Gloucestershire's education heads reluctantly agreed to county council proposals. It's because there are more children that require special educational needs funding and the council have to redistribute "underfunded" money from central government. And the county's school heads and governors also failed to approve Gloucestershire County Council 's plans to take money from main schools funding budget to plug a financial black hole in the special needs fund. The authority currently faces a £3.2million overspend in its high needs budget but is proposing to fill £1.7m of it with money from central government allocated for the main schools budget. The council are currently considering writing to the Department for Education to ask if there are alternatives, but if the proposal goes through then it would effectively mean the funding per pupil will decrease…. Over the last three years there has been an increase in children needing additional support in the county’s schools, which has resulted in an overspend of the high needs funding from government by £3 m [$3.9M US dollars] . … “We know that our schools are under increasing financial pressure – and the county council has backed them in highlighting this to government and MPs. "Despite an overall increase in funding, more children in Gloucestershire than ever before need intensive help and support at school which is has resulted in an overspend of the high needs specific block of the Dedicated Schools Grant by £3 million. … Reacting to the news, Labour MP for Stroud David Drew has requested a special adjournment debate in the House of Commons on the education funding in Gloucestershire. He said: “Gloucestershire County Council is trying to ‘patch up’ the crisis in special needs funding by proposing taking money from schools which was supposed to be used for the education of children without SEND…. “The number of children with high needs is increasing, but the government has failed to meet that cost, or even recognise the growing pressures on schools." …