Vulnerable children lose out as government fails to communicate cuts

20 June 2011 1 min read Janaki Mahadevan Education

Vulnerable children and young people are missing out on vital outreach work after the government failed to tell independent special schools about significant cuts to their funding, representatives of the sector have claimed.

The National Association of Independent Schools and Non-Maintained Special Schools (NASS) said that more than £1m of funding expected by special schools in 2011/12 was not distributed by the Department for Education (DfE), affecting 21 of its members.

A letter sent by Education Secretary Michael Gove in response to concerns about the shortfall, said the DfE should have been clearer about the impact of changes to funding announced in last year’s spending review.

Gove wrote: "I must acknowledge that my department could have handled communications with non-maintained special schools better."

Following the spending review, funding for specialist maintained schools was rolled into the dedicated schools grant along with other previously ringfenced funding.

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