'Significant issues' with council's SEND approach

Nearly £50m of funding granted to Cambridgeshire County Council was at risk

A council did not hold accurate data on the number of pupils with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) in its care, a report said.

Auditors looked into Cambridgeshire County Council’s SEND provision amid concerns it had not met the terms of a £49m funding deal with the Department for Education.

The audit, published in March and obtained by the BBC via a Freedom of Information (FOI) request, highlighted "significant issues" at the council including inaccurate data and limited staff capacity.

A spokesperson for the council said it was "currently in the process of renegotiating" its funding deal with the Department for Education.

'Considerable workload'

In 2023, the council was promised £49m to fund more SEND spaces, of which £19.6m has already been paid.

In return for receiving the money, the council was told to make a contribution of £9m over five years to reduce a deficit in its funding and agree to ongoing monitoring.

Writing in February, the auditors said there were "serious concerns" that it would not be able to meet the terms of this agreement.

They pointed to "long-standing problems" with the council's data on how many pupils were on care plans, as well as which plans were dormant or ceased, and the individual cost of each plan.

The council introduced a new system in March to address the issue, where parents and schools contributed information relating to their children or pupils.

'Significant increase'

The report also said there were insufficient staff to handle the "considerable workload" in SEND provision and that some issues deemed out of the council's control were effectively "written off".

The council responded and said it had hired more staff and was looking into ways to be more efficient, including using Artificial Intelligence.

A council spokesperson said it was currently "in the process of renegotiating" the agreement with the Department for Education because of the "continuing significant increase in demand for education, health and care plans".

They added: "Supporting young people with special educational needs and disabilities in our county is one of our statutory duties [and] our increased spending in this area is in line with national trends."

The issue will be discussed at a meeting of the council's children and young people committee in the autumn.