Thousands of children with special needs could miss out
on vital daily care and support unless the Government
continues to provide extra funding for maintained nursery
schools, a survey by the Local Government Association reveals
today.
Maintained nursery schools play a significant role in providing
care and support for more than 5,000 children with SEND, with
qualified teachers designated as co-ordinators – something not
required in other nursery provision.
The Government has provided £55 million each year in
supplementary funding for maintained nurseries since a new
funding formula was introduced in 2017. The additional
funding was provided in recognition of the extra costs faced by
maintained nursery schools, such as the need for more highly
qualified staff.
However, this funding is set to end after 2019/20.
Nearly two thirds of councils responding to the LGA survey – 61
per cent – fear maintained nursery schools in their area will
close if this funding is not protected.
More than half (52 per cent) also said that the loss of funding
would mean reduced support for children with special educational
needs and disabilities (SEND).
The LGA, which represents 370 councils in England and Wales, is
calling on government to commit to continue this funding for an
extra year in 2020/21 to help councils keep maintained nurseries
open before a long-term sustainable funding solution is found as
part of the Spending Review.
There are currently 397 maintained nurseries in England with more
than 40,980 children enrolled, of which 13.8 per cent have SEND.
Only 6.3 per cent of 3 and 4-year-olds in the general population
have SEND.
Maintained nurseries are more highly rated by Ofsted than other
types of provision, and concentrated in areas of deprivation,
which otherwise tend to experience lower-quality provision.
Councils are already struggling to manage the rising demand in
support from children with SEND in schools and this issue is an
additional pressure. The LGA is calling on the Government to
address the underfunding of SEND provision in the Autumn Budget,
otherwise councils may not be able to meet their statutory duties
and children with high needs or disabilities could miss out on a
mainstream education.
Cllr Anntoinette Bramble, Chair of the LGA’s Children and Young
People Board, said:
“As our survey shows, councils have grave concerns about the
future of maintained nursery schools if the current funding does
not continue beyond 2020.
“This could have a detrimental impact on children with special
educational needs, for whom maintained nurseries provide a
lifeline of vital support.
“For example, unlike other nurseries, maintained nurseries have
to have a qualified teacher designated as a SEND co-ordinator.
“This provision is now under threat unless government commits to
an extra year of funding in 2020/21 as part of wider work to find
a long-term sustainable funding solution in the Spending Review.
“This is on top of the overarching funding pressures councils are
facing in providing support for children with SEND, which we
would like to see the Chancellor address in next week’s Autumn
Budget.”
NOTES TO EDITORS
1. We asked 56 councils with maintained nursery schools about the
likelihood of these nurseries closing, if funding was not
protected after 2019/20
The highest proportion of councils (19 out of 56, 33 per cent)
said it was ‘very likely’ that maintained nurseries in their
authority would close if funding for such nurseries was not
protected and 28 per cent (16 out of 56) said this scenario was
‘fairly likely’.
A sizable proportion of councils (16 in total) were unsure if
their MNSs would close if funding was not protected.
We also asked what the likely impact on maintained nurseries
would be if funding was not protected. 29 councils (52 per cent)
said it would mean reduced support for children with SEND.
Full results of the survey available here https://www.local.gov.uk/early-years-provision-survey-results-june-2018
2. Number and proportion of children accessing maintained nursery
schools in January 2018.
https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/education-provision-children-under-5-years-of-age-january-2018
The tables here show
that 13.8 per cent of children on roll at MNS in 2018 had
SEN. This amounts to 5,655 children. For reference, 3.1 per
cent of two year olds and 6.3 per cent of 3 and 4 year olds are
recognised as having SEN (table 18LA)
