School blames cuts on Send funding reduction

A school said it has made cuts to its senior staff because of reductions in funding for pupils with special educational needs and disabilities (Send).

In an email to parents, Wymondham High Academy said two of its assistant head teachers would be leaving because of a “sudden and unexpected change to funding" from the Norfolk County Council, which was announced earlier this year.

In June schools in Norfolk warned that changes by the council to element three funding – which supports Send pupils in mainstream schools - could lead to redundancies.

Norfolk County Council said mainstream schools were “receiving more money than ever” for Send children.

Chris Smith, the head teacher of Wymondham High Academy, said the school had also seen "a huge rise in the number of students joining our school with additional needs".

Penny Carpenter, a Conservative councillor and the authority's cabinet member for children's services, said the county council was providing schools with “a total of £80m each year to support children with Send".

“We haven’t cut the budget, however it has not grown as much as schools had been expecting,” she added.

Demand for provision for children with additional needs has increased significantly in recent years.

According to government figures 18,994 children in schools in Norfolk required support for special educational needs in 2018/19, and that number increased to 24,825 by 2023/24.

In his email to parents, Mr Smith insisted Wymondham High Academy was "financially secure" and the job cuts were "necessary to ensure that we can continue to provide the best level of education for the young people".

The BBC has contacted Wymondham High Academy for comment.

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