Agenda

Motion received from Councillor P Smith:

As a result of ongoing Government cuts in Derbyshire there are schools in Derbyshire which have had a cash loss in the budget of more than £200,000 over two years.  Some schools have lost up to a quarter of their staff.  Some schools have had their SEND budget halved.

The National Funding Formula allocating financial resources to schools includes a requirement that schools themselves have to fund the first £6,000 of the support for the most disadvantaged Special Educational Needs pupils (SEND), those with Education Health and Care plans (EHCP).  The formula guesses the number of SEND children at a school based upon the size of the school and the deprivation in that area.  It does not take into account the number of SEND children at a school.

This results in schools who develop a good reputation for supporting disadvantaged students facing an unsuitable financial burden when more SEND pupils attend than the National Funding Formula predicts.

It also results in children with additional needs finding it difficult to get a school place.  In particular this is a problem when children change schools for example entering reception or beginning secondary school.

Derbyshire County Council resolves to ensure every Derbyshire SEND pupil gets the education they are entitled to get by:

·        Urgently looking at setting up a discretionary fund so that those schools which are penalised by the National Funding Formula because they have more SEND Children than predicted can be given more financial support; and   

·        To continue to pressure the government for more funding to be invested in education, especially SEND; and

·        To bring a report outlining the proposals for funding the discretionary fund and progress made with the government to the next Full Council meeting.