Cambridgeshire families told special needs system not in 'crisis'
The county council could see its high needs deficit more than double
Special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) services in Cambridgeshire have not reached a crisis, the county council has said.
The authority faces a high-needs deficit of £98 million, which the government currently covers through a 'statutory override'.
But that is set to run out in March 2028.
"The demand (for SEND places) has just gone up," Councillor Edna Murphy, chair of the county council's children and young people committee, said.
"There are so many children who qualify for extra support now than previously, and that drives most of the extra expenditure.
"By the end of 2028, it's (the deficit) forecast to be nearly £200m."
'Critical' situation
Cllr Lucy Nethsingha, leader at Cambridgeshire County Council, has warned that once March 2028 comes round, the authority could fall into section 114, where councils effectively declare themselves bankrupt.
But Cllr Murphy said if the council reached this point, it would still deliver key services.
Chloe - a member of a local SEND parent support group - has struggled to find the right support for her youngest son who has learning difficulties and is not in education after being taken out of mainstream school last May.
She told us the SEND system is "in crisis".
"I think it's (the situation) critical; the word 'crisis' I think doesn't do enough credit to the teachers who are working so hard to make the system work with the resources that they have," Cllr Murphy said.
£200m for teacher SEND training
The Government has announced plans to spend £200m during this Parliament to give all teachers SEND training.
The Department for Education (DfE) have said the money will be used to develop new courses for teachers to take in order to help them adapt to meeting different needs, such as speech and language requirements.
There will also be a new expectation set that all staff in every school, college and nursery should receive training on SEND, according to the DfE.
"This is a key part of our mission to reform the SEND system so that schools can take children from forgotten to included and give parents the confidence that the right support will be there at every stage of their child's education," Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson MP said.
Pepe Di'Iasio, general secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, is hopeful the announcement will come off but that it will "take time.
"Whether this investment is sufficient to deliver training of the depth and quality required at massive scale across a system in which there are around half a million teachers remains to be seen," he said.
"The expectation that all staff in every nursery, school and college should receive training on Send and inclusion is good in principle, but is a huge undertaking and it will clearly take time to deliver in practice."
'They know the system is broken'
Cllr Murphy believes many children with SEND are well-supported and enjoy their time at school.
But rather than a morale issue, the need for financial support can't be greater.
"I think we just don't have enough money and we don't have enough support for children in enough schools and don't have the means to get there without government support," she added.
"They (the government) know the system is broken and they have promised an overhaul of the system, so we're getting a little nervous, but we are expecting them to set out the stall of how to move forward."
In a message to families most affected by the SEND situation, Cllr Murphy said the council is "campaigning hard to make the system better."