Devon facing £4.5m shortfall in special needs school funding
Devon is reportedly facing a funding shortfall of £4.5 million in the ‘high needs’ education budget, which supports children with special needs, according to a report from the BBC.
The high needs budget is for children with learning difficulties and serious physical disabilities in mainstream and special schools. Currently 17.1 per cent of Devon’s 96,900 school children have the funding, which accounts for around £57 million of the overall £507 million education budget.
The shortfall is a result of cuts to government grants, which are set to fall from £151.6 million next year to £102.3 million in 2018-19.
According to the BBC report, a letter sent to county councillors said the high needs funding could be made up by taking money from mainstream schools, but at the moment no official decision has been made.
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