(UK) Thurrock: $20M SPED deficit by March 2027
Thurrock Council expects its SEND funding gap to reach over £15m by the end of the financial year as demand for support continues to rise.
Council officers said rising numbers of Education, Health and Care Plans (EHCPs) and costly specialist placements were driving a £10.3 million [$14M] Special Educational Needs and Disabilities funding gap.
The overspend would push Thurrock’s Dedicated Schools Grant (DSG) deficit to £15.3 million [$20M] by March 2027.
Council officer David McNamara said councils across the country were facing the same pressure.
He said: "The Dedicated Schools Grant deficit continues to increase due to SEND demand, EHCP growth and high-cost placements.
"Continued growth may create significant medium-term financial pressures."
Mr McNamara said government changes had also increased EHCP applications and approvals.
He said: "We are seeing quite a large increase in applications for EHCPs and the numbers of approvals are also going up.
"That's locking in spend that will continue once the new arrangements come into place, but we don't yet know what those new arrangements will be." . . .
Mr McNamara warned the DSG deficit could exceed £40 million [$53M] by 2028/29 if current trends continued.
He said the council planned to expand local SEND provision and reduce its reliance on expensive placements outside Thurrock.
The Government has confirmed a High Needs Stability Grant expected to cover 90 per cent of Thurrock’s historic SEND deficit, subject to Department for Education approval of a local SEND reform plan. . . .
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