(UK) Swindon: $6.2M SPED deficit; schools 'in crisis'

July 7, 2021, Swindon Avertiser: £4.5m [$6.2M U.S.] deficit puts Swindon schools' funding 'in crisis' https://www.swindonadvertiser.co.uk/news/19426209.4-5m-deficit-puts-swindon-schools-funding-in-crisis/

SW England Funding for the town's schools is in crisis, says education expert and the chairman of Swindon’s Schools' Forum Jackie Smith. Ms Smith is the chief executive officer of the Brunel Special Educational Needs multi-academy trust, which runs schools for children with special needs across Swindon. She was speaking during Tuesday's presentation of a report on a plan to get the borough’s schools budget back to being balanced. Officers Annette Perrington and Jo Godwin were telling members about a plan to cut the deficit, which is heading for £4.5m [$6.2M U.S.] by the end of this financial year. The funding hole is caused by overspending on the high needs budget – which provides extra support to children with disabilities or special needs – for this year and the last two. Ms Perrington said the recovery plan was demanded by the Department For Education and added: “We are using the plan and we will g though the work to bring the budget back into balance. “We have proposed to the DfE a five-year plan – trying to bring the budget back to balance after three years would have a very significant inpcat on schools and children.”… The overall aim is for earlier support and intervention in order to reduce the need for more extensive and expensive support to children when they are older…. Her colleague Ms Godwin presented figures which showed even with such investment there could be an increase in the projected deficit of several million pounds. Forum member Andy Steele, the head at Highworth Warneford School, said: “These are scary numbers and this transparency shows a whole lot of complexity. "My colleagues and I need to understand these better and upskill ourselves to understand it all.” Chairman Ms Smith said: “School’s funding is in crisis, especially for SEND. "Place funding hasn’t gone up since 2014 – a teaching assistant now costs much more than one did in 2014. It really is a crisis."