Last week, Tom Randall MP voted in favour of a review into the funding for SEND (Special Educational Needs and Disabilities) provision and called upon the Government to increase its funding SEND provision in Nottinghamshire during the debate in the House of Commons.
During the debate, Tom said: “When I visit schools in my Gedling constituency, I always ask at the end of my visit to the Head Teacher, if there was one thing I could wave a magic wand and solve for you what would it be? The almost unanimous answer, specifically from primary Head Teachers, is on SEND provision and improving it.”
Speaking after the debate, Tom said: “By 2025, there will be an extra £2.6 billion to support local Councils to deliver new SEND school places and improve existing SEND provision but, despite this significant uplift in funding, Nottinghamshire still has the poorest SEND funding per head when compared to our neighbours. In addition, standalone infant schools, such as Pinewood Infants in Arnold which I attended as a child, can find it difficult to access SEND funding because by time the funding is allocated the children have transitioned to junior schools but I am pleased Nottinghamshire County Council are working on plans to improve this. Also, SEND transport costs across Nottinghamshire have risen by over £5,000,000 since 2018.
“Since 2015, High Needs funding has doubled and Nottinghamshire County Council is investing in more SEND schools. But there is more work to be done in levelling-up this area and that is why I have voted in favour of a review into the funding for SEND provision and mentioned the above points to the Education Minister.”
