Aug 30, 2019, About Manchester: Mainstream schools should be incentivised to take in more children with special needs, to ensure the country offers a more inclusive education system, say councils https://aboutmanchester.co.uk/mainstream-schools-should-be-incentivised-to-take-in-more-children-with-special-needs-to-ensure-the-country-offers-a-more-inclusive-education-system-say-councils/ The Local Government Association, which represents councils, says the Government should use the upcoming Spending Round to boost provision of support for pupils with special educational needs and disabilities in mainstream schools…. This comes as latest figures show a 27 per cent increase in pupils being placed in special schools since 2014, when legislation was introduced to extend eligibility to young people aged 16-25 with SEND. There are currently 138,980 pupils with Education, Health and Care Plans (EHCPs) – which state the support a child with SEND can receive – being educated in state special schools, alternative provision, or independent and non-maintained special schools. The LGA is calling on the Government in the Spending Round to build on the reforms of 2014 and invest in councils so they can better support children with SEND, where there is a £1.2 billion funding shortfall next year. … More mainstream schools also say they are increasingly unable to meet the needs of children with SEND while more parents are losing confidence in the ability of the mainstream sector to cater for their child’s needs, according to a recent LGA report which surveyed 93 councils in England. Placing a child in a special school is significantly more expensive than a mainstream education. The average annual cost to a council of a special needs placement in 2017/18 was £6,000 [$7,300] per pupil per year in a mainstream school, compared with £23,000 [$28,000] per pupil per year in a maintained special school, and £40,000 [$49K] per pupil per year in an independent or non-maintained special school. The rise in children with EHCPs placed in special schools – over 29,000 since 2014 – has cost councils around £200 million [$244M]….
Comments