‘Perverse’ government funding scheme is leading to schools not being able to afford taking children with special needs - MP
Local MP Tim Farron has criticised the Government's "perverse" funding scheme which is leading to schools not being able to afford to take on children with special needs.
Speaking at the NAHT Cumbria Education Summit in Penrith today, Tim said that the policy of schools having to pay for the first 11 hours of support for children with learning disabilities meant that the Government had made it too expensive for local schools to take children with learning disabilities.
At the summit, Tim learnt that 80% of schools are reporting that they are in debt with seven out of 10 head teachers citing unfair funding for children with special needs as a major reason.
Tim said: "From regular conversations I have with head teachers in the South Lakes and from listening to teachers from across the whole of Cumbria today, it's clear that there are deep concerns about funding for their schools.
"A big problem I was able to raise today was the frankly perverse scheme from the Government which leaves head teachers knowing the more young people they have with special needs, the worse it is financially for their school.
"It's utterly heart-breaking and for this kind of discrimination to be taking place in the 21st century should make the Government rightly feel ashamed of themselves."