Council Seeks to Secure £49m Send Funding with New Strategy

A father of an autistic girl has expressed approval for a council’s proposed focus on providing early support to children with special educational needs and disabilities (Send). Paul Jefferies, from Huntingdon, stated that his 10-year-old daughter, Eirlys, would have had a “reasonable chance” of remaining in mainstream education if she had received assistance sooner. Cambridgeshire County Council has put forward a revised strategy concerning Send children under its responsibility. This initiative aims to secure £49m in funding from the Department for Education (DfE), which is currently jeopardized. A spokesperson for the council commented: “By working to ensure that children are supported as soon as possible, we will deliver better outcomes and prevent needs escalating further, whilst making better use of public funds.” The authority has presented its updated strategy to the DfE, seeking to salvage the funding agreement. This funding was initially granted on the condition that the council would contribute £9m over a five-year period. However, a report indicated there was “limited assurance” regarding the council’s capacity to fulfill this obligation. The council stated that its new strategy, termed “inclusion for all,” prioritizes the early identification and fulfillment of children’s needs, enabling them to flourish within mainstream educational settings. A report scheduled for presentation to councillors on Tuesday noted: “In this way, children and young people can develop their life skills to support independence whilst also driving costs down.” The average cost for a special school placement in Cambridgeshire is £21,824, whereas a mainstream school placement costs the council £14,025 annually. Mr. Jefferies’ daughter, Eirlys, transitioned to a special school in June, following dissatisfaction with her educational experience at a mainstream primary school. Mr. Jefferies observed: “Over time, you could see she was getting more and more anxious about going to school.” He explained that Eirlys’s specific needs hindered her ability to feel in control, which resulted in outbursts and exclusions. “Barely a day would go by without a phone call saying ‘this happened at school today’,” he recounted. Mr. Jefferies mentioned that Eirlys had a positive year at her school, supported by a teaching assistant (TA) who “totally understood” her. “She had a brilliant year and it proves a mainstream school could do it,” he stated. However, her situation deteriorated when she advanced to the next academic year. “Eirlys was simply not coping in class and had had enough,” he added. He subsequently withdrew his daughter from school in February, which led to an emergency review of her Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP). Mr. Jefferies asserted: “If we’d had the right strategies put in place, with Eirlys getting the right support, there’s a reasonable chance she would have been able to remain in her mainstream school.” Local authorities are experiencing increased pressure due to a growing number of requests for EHCPs, which are designed to offer additional support to children. Peterborough City Council indicated in a recent report that the demand for EHCPs had risen “significantly,” with 2,500 children in the city currently having such a plan. Cambridgeshire County Council reported approximately 8,000 EHCPs in effect, noting that demand has grown by nearly 50% over the past five years. A spokesperson for the authority stated: “We are doing all we can locally to manage the increased pressures on funding as result of this rising demand.” They added, “We have recently submitted a revised Safety Valve proposal to the Department for Education to help the council to manage these dual pressures of rising demand and costs.” Information regarding Cambridgeshire news updates is available on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram, and X. Copyright 2024 BBC. All rights reserved. The BBC disclaims responsibility for the content of external websites. Further details on its approach to external linking are available.