ASCL welcomes extra funding for children with special educational needs

Commenting on the Education Secretary’s announcement of additional funding for children with special educational needs, Geoff Barton, General Secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, said:

“The Education Secretary’s announcement is a welcome acknowledgement of the crisis in funding for the children who most need our help. We have to do better for these young people. The system for providing them with the support they desperately need is at breaking point and this is neither sustainable nor acceptable.

“Local authorities are so cash-strapped they resort to moving money out of strained school budgets to plug funding gaps in provision for children with the most complex needs. That, in turn, means schools have less money available for the support they provide to youngsters with special educational needs. It is a case of robbing Peter to pay Paul, and we hope the extra funding announced by the government will help to ease this situation.

“This extra money isn’t enough to fully address the shortfall in funding for children with special educational needs but it is a step in the right direction, and we hope it paves the way for a realistic settlement in next year’s government spending review.”