Stuart Anderson MP has welcomed an unprecedented increase in funding for children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND). The Government has confirmed an extra £1 billion to help local authorities, schools, and other providers deliver better support for learners with complex needs. The 13 per cent increase compared to last year means that high needs funding will stand at £9.1 billion in the year 2022 to 2023.
Wolverhampton has been allocated more than £50 million for pupils and students with SEND, an increase of almost £4 million on last year. It will benefit learners from early years through to age 25, as well as those who are in alternative provision due to exclusion, illness, or other reasons. The city has also been allocated £112,800 from the Government’s Disability Access Fund to help early years providers make reasonable adjustments that further enhance access for children with disabilities or special educational needs. The extra funding is part of the annual funding cycle and follows the investment of nearly £5 billion in education recovery, including £1.5 billion on tutoring in schools and colleges across the country, to help children and young people catch up on lost learning. The Government will also provide £2.6 billion over the next three years to create new school places for children with special educational needs and disabilities, tripling capital funding levels to over £900 million by 2024-25.
Alongside this, the Government has announced over £1.1 billion of investment in targeted support helping those with disabilities get into work. This includes £339 million for each of the next three years to continue established disability employment programmes such as the Work and Health programme and Access to Work scheme through which disabled people can benefit from grants worth up to £62,900 to cover the cost of specialist equipment needed to support them to do their job. A passport will be offered to students who already receive extra support while studying at university, capturing information about their condition and the adjustments they benefit from, avoiding repetitive disclosures when applying for the grant once they start work. The pilot scheme is underway at University of Wolverhampton and Manchester Metropolitan University. Up to 100 students at each university will be supported through the trial, and thousands more could benefit if the scheme is rolled out across the country. The Government will also provide £156 million over the next three years to deliver job finding support for disabled people, with a focus on additional work coaches.
Stuart Anderson MP said: “I welcome this extra funding, which will help to deliver on the Government’s commitment to improve outcomes for children and young people with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND). By levelling up opportunities, we can ensure that all young people reach their full potential. Providing sufficient high-quality places that are suitable for a range of needs will help support the most vulnerable children, so that no one is left behind. It will level up standards and make sure every young person receives a high-quality education.”