Future plans for SEND spending in Wiltshire
Wiltshire Council has shared an update on funding for Special Educational Needs and plans to provide a sustainable future
Wiltshire Council has shared an update on funding for Special Educational Needs and plans to provide a sustainable future.
At a cabinet meeting today (21 January) the latest progress on the Safety Valve programme was discussed. This is a multi-million-pound agreement with the Department for Education (DfE) to support SEND in Wiltshire. Originally the plan was for five years but the council is asking DfE to extend to seven years to help meet targets.
Safety Valve is a Department for Education (DfE) programme that works with councils that have very high overspends in their High Needs Block budget. The High Needs Block is the funding to support children with SEND. Since 2018/19 the High Needs Block has been under increasing pressure across councils in England. It is central government's responsibility to fund education through the Dedicated Schools Grant and the High Needs Block is part of that funding. Safety Valve also offers the opportunity to gain much needed investment which the council believes will help improve outcomes for SEND pupils and address the overspend.
The plan was drafted jointly with schools, parents and carers, health and care professionals and with the voices of children. It maps out how the council will work with partners and communities to provide a long-term sustainable future for SEND. It also charts the activity required for financial recovery while ensuring the quality of provision for learners with SEND and focussing on early support and prevention wherever possible.
The agreement means providing an additional 500 special school places to ensure children stay closer to home in Wiltshire, as well as investment in more resource bases which provide SEND support in mainstream schools. It is also funding teams to provide early support for children and young people with SEND, and their families.
The activity to support the plan is broadly on track however data shows an increased spend in the current year which is mostly driven by higher numbers of Education, Health and Care Plans. The new proposals will follow the principles set out in the original plan - investing to save in future years and improving support for children and young people with additional needs across the system - but doing this over seven years not five.
Council leaders endorsed the draft revised plan submitted to the DfE including the new timeline.
Cllr Jane Davies, Cabinet Member for SEND said: "We place the needs of our children and young people at the heart of everything we do. We do this in the context of ever rising demands and overspend on budgets in this area. We have a very good and solid plan on how we can bring this spending into an in-year balanced position but realistically we know this will be over seven not five years. Our approach to this vital work means we won't compromise the quality of support provided."