School funding overhaul to hit SEN and rural pupils hardest, say council chiefs

The Local Government Association (LGA) has said that the government's proposed national funding formula leaves councils frozen out of local school funding matters. 

In particular, it removes their flexibility to provide extra money to areas with the greatest needs, such as to ensure small rural schools can stay open or to help schools meet rising local demand for SEN support.

"A strict application of the national formula will see councils lose their ability to work with head teachers, governors and schools forums to determine need in their local areas," says an LGA statement.

"Decisions about providing additional funding for more teachers or providing higher allocations for small rural schools to ensure they can stay open cannot be made from Whitehall.

"Some flexibility over these decisions should remain with councils and schools who are well versed in the needs of their communities."

The introduction of a new funding formula for schools was outlined in the Conservative manifesto as well as this month's Queen's Speech, with the aim of making the allocation of funding fairer across England.

LGA children and young people board chair Richard Watts added: "Currently, there is a real fear among councils that a strict national funding formula will not reflect local need and that children could potentially miss out on receiving the education they deserve.

"This is particularly concerning for those with special educational needs and disability support as councils will no longer be able to make additional funding available under current plans."

In documents released with the Queen's Speech, the government says that since 2010 the schools budget has been protected in real terms.

However, a report released this week by the Social Mobility Commission, into 20 years of social mobility policy, found that spending on education had fallen in real terms over the last seven years.

In May, a report by the Education Policy Institute on the main parties' election manifesto pledges said Conservative plans to boost education funding by £4bn by 2022 would actually result in a real-terms cut in per-pupil funding of around three per cent over the course of the parliament.

A survey published this week by London Councils, of around 400 head teachers in the capital, revealed that three quarters believe SEN pupils will be the most likely group to be adversely affected by funding cuts.