Following today’s data release from the Department for Education,
which revealed that the number of school pupils with special
educational needs has risen for the third year in a row, Liberal
Democrat education spokesperson MP said:
“Cash-strapped schools are struggling to support our children with
the most complex barriers to learning. Teaching assistants and
other support staff are being cut. Conservative cuts to schools and
councils mean that more than 9 in 10 councils face a funding
shortfall for pupils with high needs, and today’s figures show
these budgets will be squeezed further. The Government is failing
the children most in need.
“Liberal Democrats would reverse school cuts with an emergency cash
injection and provide more money for children with the most complex
needs, so that every child can get the best start in life.”
Notes to Editors:
Today’s data release from the Department for Education, available
here – https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/special-educational-needs-in-england-january-2019 –
reveals that, in January 2019:
- The number of school pupils with special educational needs
has risen to 1.32 million, the highest since 2014
- The number of pupils with a statement or an Education, Health
and Care Plan (EHCP), which gives them a legal entitlement to
council-funded support, has risen to all-time high of 271,165
The National Education Union warne
