More than two-thirds of teachers say they have 'definitely not enough' Send funding

More than two-thirds of teachers said their school, college or nursery had “definitely not enough” support for children with Send.

A further 23 per cent said they had not enough Send support, with only 1 per cent of teachers saying they had definitely enough Send provision.

One teacher told the NEU: “One adult trying to cater for too many high-needs children in one class, means they are not getting what they need and leads to one exhausted teacher."

A second said: “In our mainstream secondary school we have 26 per cent Send.

“We cannot provide support for all Send at all times so children have to go without which is unfair and means they don’t necessarily achieve the outcomes we would want for them.”

The second comment will be a concern for education ministers, who recently announced sweeping reforms to the Send system.

The key focus was making mainstream schools more inclusive for children with additional needs, as well as trying to reduce costs for local authorities in the long-run.

The Department for Education said it was investing £4bn to bring in the changes to the Send system.

Yorkshire councils, in particular, have struggled with Send funding. The East Riding has long complained about its poor funding settlement regarding Send, saying it receives £18m less per year than the average local authority.

Bridlington and the Wolds MP Charlie Dewhirst recently raised this in the House of Commons.

He said: “The Prime Minister may be aware that my local authority in the East Riding of Yorkshire is the lowest-funded per pupil for children with Send, and his local authority in Camden is the highest—an inequality that he has repeatedly pledged to end.

“Well, the results are in: next year, children in my local area will receive just under £1,000, and children in his local area will receive over £3,800. The gap is getting wider.”

In North Yorkshire, council costs are rising by £19m “purely down to increasing demand” regarding Send.

Commenting on the findings of the NEU survey, Daniel Kebede, the union’s general secretary, said: “Schools are running on empty.

“When even basic provision cannot be met without having to shake a collection tin, then it is obvious that this government and successive governments have failed parents, teachers, leaders and above all, young people.

“Pupils in schools whose communities cannot afford to subsidise them are the ones who miss out.”

He added: “The NEU is consulting school staff in an indicative ballot on pay and school funding.

“The government has told schools to make efficiency savings to cover staff pay rises, but after 15 years of austerity there is nothing more to cut.

“The sooner the government recognises that schools cannot make cuts without affecting the quality of education the better.”