Rise in children getting Send support is crippling councils, report says
The share of children getting support for special educational needs and disabilities has doubled over the last decade, driving a “dramatic and ongoing increase in spending”, an influential think tank has said.
One-in-20 pupils aged under 16 in England have an Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP), the highest level of support for children with Send, the Institute for Fiscal Studies has said.
This share has almost doubled - from 2.7 per cent - over the last decade.
In particular, this has been driven by a tripling of the number of youngsters being diagnosed with autism, and double the amount of children getting help for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).
The IFS has said that this is placing particular pressure on councils, which have a statutory duty to provide help for children with EHCPs.
Costs have exceeded central government funding, leading to many local authorities falling into debt.
Mark Franks, director of welfare at the Nuffield Foundation, said: “The current system for supporting and funding children with additional needs is fragmented and hasn’t kept pace with the changing needs of the population.
“As demand and costs continue to rise, there is a strong case for holistic review of the system to ensure resources are directed where they are needed most and can achieve the greatest benefit, in a situation where significant constraints on the public finances will remain.”
In particular, this is a major issue in rural parts of the region, with both North Yorkshire Council and the East Riding saying how the Send crisis is causing significant funding pressures.
North Yorkshire Council leader Coun Carl Les revealed that transporting one child with complex needs to school was costing £1.2m a year.
“That is the sort of scale of cost that we can be facing for an individual child, and there are more of those children coming into the system,” he said.
While in the East Riding of Yorkshire, the council receives the lowest amount of per pupil Send funding in the country.
Coun Victoria Aitken, cabinet member for children, families and education said: “The way Send funding is calculated is outdated and doesn’t represent the current demands and needs of children and their families.”
If the East Riding of Yorkshire received the average national funding per pupil, the council would have £17.4m extra each year for Send provision.
“The effect of lower funding in children’s services contributes significantly to the wider council budget, and if we received appropriate funding for high needs, our overall council position would be significantly more manageable,” Coun Aitken added.
The Government will set out how it will reform the Send system in the Schools White Paper later this year.
There have been concerns that EHCPs, the legal documents setting out support required for young people with Send, may be cut under the Government reforms.
A Department for Education spokesperson said: “The evidence is clear that the Send system has been on its knees for years – with too many children not having their needs met and parents forced to fight for support.
“It will take time, but through our Plan for Change, this government is determined to spread opportunity, restore the confidence of families up and down the country and deliver the improvement they are crying out for.”