(UK) Yorkshire: $14M (US dollars) school overspend; GROWING NUMBER of SPED STUDENTS

Aug 14, 2018,Yorkshire Post: North Yorkshire County Council faces “very difficult” budget decisions to support growing number of children with special educational needs https://www.yorkshirepost.co.uk/news/north-yorkshire-county-council-faces-very-difficult-budget-decisions-to-support-growing-number-of-children-with-special-educational-needs-1-9300941 The Yorkshire council serving England’s largest county faces having to make “some very difficult decisions” to balance its books because of the rising levels of support required for children with special education needs. North Yorkshire County Council leader Carl Les told The Yorkshire Post that its children and young people’s budget faces an overspend of £10.8m [$14M US dollars] by the end of the financial year if urgent action is not taken. He said the authority had seen an unexpectedly big rise in the number of children coming forward with special educational needs statements, which set out a child’s learning difficulties and the help that will be given. … The issue has emerged as a major pressure on county authorities, alongside the increasing proportion of their budgets being given over to adult social care. Local authorities have in recent years been expected to do more to support children with special educational needs, with parents applying more pressure on schools to take action. … In June, a coalition of unions and 39 local authorities across the country, including four in Yorkshire, wrote to Education Secretary Damian Hinds to raise “deep concerns” over provision for children with special educational needs and disabilities. Amid warnings about the ability of local authorities to meet their statutory obligations, they called for urgent support and additional funding.