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    ‘Schools are being forced into crisis’: Dudley special needs pupils are being short-changed, says MP

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    By Mark Andrews

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    'Schools are being forced into crisis': Dudley special needs pupils are being short-changed, says MP

    Dudley MP Sonia Kumar said children with special educational needs and disabilities faced stark inequalities compared to neighbouring areas.

    Miss Kumar said schools in Dudley were being forced into financial crisis due to the inadequate support provided for pupils with Education, Health and Care Plans.

    She called for a shake-up of how funding was allocated.

    “The current funding formula is failing our children,” she said.

    “Schools are having to stretch their budgets beyond breaking point to meet the needs of vulnerable pupils.”

    She said evidence gathered from schools across the borough showed that Dudley’s top banding for special-needs funding was just £10,000 per pupil, compared to £26,102 in Birmingham, and £21,400 in Worcestershire Yet she said the cost of providing full-time one-to-one support for a child with complex needs could exceed £32,000 annually.

    “This means schools are forced to take money from their general budgets, affecting every child in the classroom,” Miss Kumar added.

    “It’s simply not fair. Dudley’s children deserve the same investment in their education and wellbeing as those in other parts of the country.”

    She also criticised the local authority’s payment system, which reimbursed schools 12 months in arrears, unlike most councils that paid termly.

    This created further financial strain, she said.

    Miss Kumar is now calling on the Department for Education and Dudley Council to urgently review the funding formula and payment practices.

    “This is not just a budgeting issue, it’s a matter of equity and justice for our children. I will be raising this in Parliament and working with local leaders to secure a better deal for Dudley.”

    Dudley Council’s cabinet member for children’s services and education, Councillor Wayne Little, said the council was already looking at how it could make its provision fairer.

    “We are already in the process of reviewing our special educational needs and disabitliy funding, with a focus on providing funding for each pupil based on their specific needs,” he said.

    Councillor Little said the council would work with those affected to ensure children got the funding they need.

    “We await with interest the publication of the Government’s schools White Paper this autumn and its impact on funding provision,” he added.

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