Wymondham High Academy links staff reductions to SEND funding changes

A school has announced cuts to its senior personnel, citing decreased funding allocated for students with special educational needs and disabilities (Send). Wymondham High Academy informed parents via email that two assistant head teachers are departing due to a “sudden and unexpected change to funding” from the Norfolk County Council, a change that was made public earlier this year. In June, educational institutions across Norfolk had cautioned that modifications by the council to element three funding, which is designated for supporting Send students in mainstream schools, might result in job losses. The Norfolk County Council stated that mainstream schools are “receiving more money than ever” for children with Send. Chris Smith, the head teacher at Wymondham High Academy, also noted that the school has experienced “a huge rise in the number of students joining our school with additional needs”. Penny Carpenter, a Conservative councillor and the cabinet member for children’s services for the authority, affirmed that the county council allocates schools “a total of £80m each year to support children with Send”. “We haven’t cut the budget, however it has not grown as much as schools had been expecting,” she added. The need for services catering to children with additional needs has substantially grown in recent years. Government data indicates that 18,994 children in Norfolk schools needed support for special educational needs during the 2018/19 academic year, a figure that rose to 24,825 by 2023/24. In his communication to parents, Mr Smith maintained that Wymondham High Academy is “financially secure” and that the job reductions were “necessary to ensure that we can continue to provide the best level of education for the young people”. The BBC has reached out to Wymondham High Academy seeking a statement. For more Norfolk news, follow BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram, and X. Copyright 2024 BBC. All rights reserved. The BBC disclaims responsibility for the content of external websites. Information regarding our external linking policy is available.