funding for Send pupils was insufficient, and 95% said funding was also insufficient for those on education, health and care plans with greater needs, in response to a survey by the school leaders’ union, the National Association of Head Teachers.
Four-fifths said they had been forced to buy extra services, including speech and language therapy, educational psychologists and mental health support, which prior to austerity would have been provided by local councils, often more cost-effectively.
One head teacher of a primary school in Staffordshire said that in determining how much support should be available for Send pupils, she had to “balance the needs of one child against the needs of a class of children”, a calculation that is becoming increasingly difficult as more children with complex needs became entitled to additional support after reforms in 2014.
Almost a third of the 1,500 heads in England who responded to the survey said they had been forced to slash their overall budgets in 2020-21, with 35% saying they would make further cuts this academic year. One in four predicted their budget would be in deficit in 2021-22.
According to the heads, this has resulted in cuts to staff numbers and salaries, mental health and wellbeing support for pupils and extra activities such as school trips.
One head teacher of a primary school in Berkshire said her school was no longer able to…
