Regional disparity in SEN funding
Department for Education (DfE) commissioned research has shown that funding for students with special educational needs (SEN) varies depending on where the live and attend school.
A study of local authorities questioned how much money would be allocated to support a hypothetical pupil, and the answer varied dramatically from a minimum of £2,000 to a maximum of £25,000.
The research, ‘Research on funding for young people with special educational needs’, found that ’spend does not appear to match very closely with current levels of need’ or that ‘the current distribution of the high needs block funding was not sufficiently transparent, objective or fair’.
This outcome leans heavily towards calls for a formula-based allocation and an overhaul of the current school funding system.
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