Cash shortfall in high needs education budget

High needs education in West Berkshire is short of cash.

The net shortfall in the 2021-22 budget is £3.6m, and the council has been put on a help list by the government.

Fifty five local authorities have been added to the ‘Delivering Better Value’ programme.

West Berkshire, along with many other local authorities, has seen significant pressure on the high needs block (HNB) of the dedicated schools grant (DSG).

These pressures have arisen because authorities need to meet their statutory duties for children with special educational needs.

A report to West Berkshire’s schools forum says those needs are ‘open ended’ in that all children who have a certain level of need have to have their needs met, regardless of budgetary constraints.

“While we have robust systems in place, numbers have continued to rise,” says the report.

The increase of 14.5 per cent in numbers is compounded by increased levels of complexity, requiring increased support and more (expensive) specialist placements.

The government has recognised that this is a national problem on a significant scale and is seeking to address some of the fundamental pressure points through the proposals set out in the current SEND Green Paper consultation.

The Department for Education invited West Berkshire on to the DBV programme to help identify and deal with the pressures of the system.