Local authorities are now spending nearly 700m a year on schoolplacements for children with acute special educational needs. Theaverage placement now costs 57,000 a year, but some individualplacements are costing more than 200,000.
Special educational needs professionals hit out at the spiralling costs,which were revealed this week following a major survey of English localauthorities. Hugh Clench, facilitator for the South Central RegionalInclusion Partnership, said: "In the longer term it's unsustainable. Ifyou look at the increases, local authorities have had in their budgetsincluding the dedicated schools grant, it's nowhere near that. It has amassive impact on local authorities and on schools, because that moneycomes out of the dedicated schools grant."
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