Ministers have been urged to clarify how special schools will be funded under their white paper reforms.
The document pledged a “fundamental reset” for special schools, including new funding bandings for provision, a curriculum review and a plan for the institutions to provide outreach and short-term placements for mainstream pupils.
But few details – beyond a £800 million fund to help towards outreach – have been given on how the changing role of special schools will be paid-for.
Government wants education, health and care plans to be reserved for pupils with the “most complex needs” from 2035.
Under the proposed system, a child will be placed on a “specialist provision package”, which will secure the right provision before an EHCP is issued. Funding for the packages will be set by national banding rates.
‘Deeply concerned’
Pauline Aitchison, deputy director at School North East, which represents the region’s schools, said there were “hundreds of different conditions” that would fit into proposed packages, with “nothing” mentioned on how they will be funded.
Warren Carratt, chief executive of Nexus Multi-Academy Trust said he was “deeply concerned” by the proposed banding rates, which he said were “so far removed from the needs of children and the schools supporting them”.
“When your funding agency and regulator is also defining what they want your unit costs to be – regardless of what they are – that can lead to a very conflicted space,” he said. “It would be disastrous if that leads to further underfunding of provision”.
Others have been more welcoming of the plans.
Marijke Miles, headteacher at Baycroft School in Hampshire, said: “Schools have been looking for a long time for a more consistent approach across the education landscape and for a less regional variation and postcode lottery.”
Mixed reactions
Carratt questioned the “logic” of introducing short-term placements in special schools.
“Surely if a child is assessed as needing a special school place, it’s not something that’s needed for a fixed period.”
However, Simon Knight, joint head at Frank Wise school in Oxfordshire, said placements have “the potential to improve” how the system supports pupils needing additional help.
Heads also have mixed views on the planned curriculum review for special schools.
While Adam Dabin, CEO of Horizons Education Trust said the review has “got potential to be quite a powerful piece of work”, Carratt said “drifting towards prescription will only be harmful for the sector”.
The review proposed that councils will no longer be forced to name a school on a child’s education, health and care plan if it is full, something leaders have welcomed.
“It’s always been a challenge where special schools want to be part of the solution, and we want to take as many pupils as we possibly can…It’s easy to say you can fit an extra pupil here and there, but that doesn’t work on the ground,” said Dabin.
Knight added this would need to be “accompanied by sufficient capacity within the system to enable all children who require a special school place to be able to access one safety and effectively”.
