Rise in special needs cash scrutinised

One-third of local education authorities that have increased
funding for special educational needs by over 30 per cent this year
are being questioned by the government about their role in the
current education cash crisis.

Newly published spending figures for all 150 LEAs show large
variations in their increases for special educational needs
funding, with 45 authorities increasing this by over 30 per cent
while 33 have increased it by only 5 per cent or less.

But Sir Jeremy Beecham, chairperson of the Local Government
Association, said the Department for Education and Skills needed to
have more faith in local decision-making processes and that
variations in spending between schools and between authorities were
inevitable.

“Different schools and different parts of the country have
different needs, particularly in relation to special needs pupils,”
he said.

The government has also highlighted the increase in spending by
half of all LEAs on educating pupils outside school, such as in
pupil referral units.

It has also questioned why 19 LEAs appear not to be passing the
full increase in the education funding they received from
government into their schools budget.