LGA responds to NAHT survey on school funding

8 Sep 2021 10:21 AM

Cllr Anntoinette Bramble, Chair of the Local Government Association’s Children and Young People Board, responded to a survey by the National Association of Head Teachers on school funding in England 

“The long-term funding of schools has become more vital after they have incurred considerable additional costs due to COVID-19, the impacts of which will be with children and young people for years to come. These will show up in mental health issues, attainment gaps, economic hardship and more, and it will be up to councils, schools and their partners to support children and their families to navigate these challenges.

“It is vital that children are put at the centre of our recovery and councils and schools want to work with government towards our shared goal of ensuring pupils make up for lost learning and are able to provide holistic support, including for pupils with SEND.

“The Government should urgently complete its ongoing review of the SEND system and set out reforms that increase mainstream inclusion, provides councils and schools with long-term certainty of funding to meet the needs of all children with SEND, and gives councils the power to hold education and health partners to account if their provision for identifying and supporting children with SEND is not adequate. We are also calling for high needs block deficits to be written off.”

NAHT: New data shows England’s school children suffering from government’s ‘failure to invest’