BCP Council warns SEND funding cut puts promised special school at risk
BCP Council says funding for a promised new special school in Bournemouth has not materialised, despite earlier approval
BCP Council has said it will no longer receive funding for a new free special school in Bournemouth, despite earlier government confirmation that the project had been approved.
In May last year, the Department for Education (DfE) announced that a bid from Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole to support children with autism had been successful.
The plan included building a new free special school for around 180 pupils aged between three and 19.
However, the council now says that funding for the school has not materialised.
Instead, it has been awarded £9 million as part of a national £3 billion investment programme to create 50,000 new special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) school places closer to home.
The authority says that figure is “significantly less” than the funding previously awarded and falls short of what is needed to meet rising demand.
Councillor Richard Burton said while it was positive to see local MPs championing SEND provision, the latest announcement masked deeper problems in the system.
“What is not being said is that the Department for Education is no longer funding the building of a new free school here, which they promised over two years ago but never gave us the money for,” he said.
“This £9 million is significantly less than the amount we were awarded then and is dwarfed by the millions sucked up every year by a system where demand and cost keep rising.”
BCP Council estimates that by March the gap between the cost of providing SEND services and the funding received from government will exceed £180 million. It also expects to pay nearly £10 million a year in interest to finance that deficit.
Councillor Burton warned the shortfall would have a direct impact on residents: “We will be forced to make difficult budget-setting decisions that will impact directly on all Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole council taxpayers,”
The council is calling for wholesale reform of the SEND system, arguing that funding decisions made in Whitehall are failing to deliver sustainable, long-term support for families and local authorities.