Since 2010, education budgets have not matched school-specific expenditure and inflation, while the number of children requiring SEND intervention has grown exponentially.
To compound issues, support services, such as speech therapy and mental health care, have declined.
Schools are doing far more without sufficient funding and without the vital training, resources and support required. The cost-of-living crisis and Covid pandemic have created even greater challenges.
Budgets have become so stretched, teaching assistants are often now only available to support pupils with the greatest SEND requirements. The days of teaching assistants being on hand purely to assist teachers across the classroom have gone. All the while, pastoral support and early intervention have reduced.
Mainstream schools are struggling on their current budgets and are unable to meet the requirements of all their pupils, especially those with special needs.
The lack of funding is impacting on every pupil and every school.
Additional funding is required in both mainstream and SEND to improve the quality of provision and ensure that all children are provided with the right support in the right setting at the right time.
England is behind the OECD average on education spending*
*The OECD (Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development) is a forum and knowledge hub for data, analysis and best practices in public policy for more than 100 countries across the world, helping to shape better policies for better lives.
f40 is campaigning for:
- Substantial investment in mainstream education and SEND
