The Government announcement – made just before Christmas instead of the usual funding timetable in July – means councils had very little time to adjust their SEND budgets for the coming year. Schools are facing rising costs and would normally expect their funding to increase in line with this. However, no extra national funding has been provided for this coming year, which places immediate pressures for both schools and councils.
KCC must also continue to meet the requirements of its legally binding Safety Valve Agreement – a national programme designed to help councils reduce their SEND deficits over time. This agreement requires KCC to show year-on-year reductions in overspend.
Offering funding increases to schools without national funding to support them would add to the SEND deficit and increase financial risk for the Council and Kent taxpayers. This creates a difficult balance between supporting schools, continuing improvements to SEND services and meeting national financial rules.
There has been a lot of misunderstanding about how SEND deficits have built up nationally over many years. To ensure clarity, KCC’s Cabinet Member for Education and Skills, Beverley Fordham, has written to Kent MPs and will be speaking with them at a meeting on Friday 23 January.
She will use the opportunity to provide clear, factual information ahead of any discussions MPs may have with school leaders. Her letter sets out the impact of the funding freeze, the importance of sticking to the Safety Valve agreement, and the wider pressures affecting the SEND system.
“Our focus remains on delivering the improvements already underway and ensuring that children and young people with SEND continue to receive the support they need.”
She said: “We are setting out the position clearly so that Kent’s MPs understand the constraints we are working within. The national funding freeze, combined with our Safety Valve requirements, means we must plan carefully and make decisions that are financially responsible. Our focus remains on delivering the improvements already underway and ensuring that children and young people with SEND continue to receive the support they need.”
