Wokingham Schools' budgets slashed to fund SEN services

Headteachers hit back at initial proposals last month to take around 1% from each of their schools budgets

Schools' budgets are set to be slashed to fund special educational needs (SEN) services.

Last week headteachers in Wokingham agreed to use 0.5%, on average, from their budgets for the SEN support.

This was a condition from a grant that Wokingham Borough Council was given by the government earlier this year.

The council expects its schools funding budget to have a deficit of £19.5m by March 2024 - largely caused by rising costs in SEN services.

The government agreed to pay Wokingham Borough Council a "safety valve" grant, worth just over £20m, between 2022 and 2029 to spend on SEN services.

In return the council must promise to reduce its deficit in SEN, partly by skimming money from schools' budgets.

Headteachers hit back at initial proposals last month to take about 1% from each of their schools budgets - with many saying they were already stretched.

Council leaders and bosses argued that without the grant, the council would have to find millions of pounds elsewhere in its budget or else "the whole thing could collapse".

But they agreed to ask headteachers whether they would accept a 0.5% cut instead.