Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether he has had discussions with Cabinet colleagues on allocating additional funding to local authorities to increase SEND provision in schools.

The total core schools budget is increasing to £56.8 billion by the 2024/25 financial year. This represents a £7 billion cash increase, compared with the 2021/22 financial year, and will benefit those pupils with special educational needs and disabilities in mainstream schools.

Within this, for those pupils with more complex needs, the department has increased high needs funding in the 2022-23 financial year by £1 billion to a total of £9.1 billion.

Barnsley Metropolitan Borough Council will attract an increase of 16% per head of their 2-18 population this year, compared to the previous financial year’s allocation, bringing their total high needs funding allocation in 2022/23 to £36.3 million.

Richmondshire District Council falls within North Yorkshire County Council, which will attract an increase of 15% per head of their 2-18 population this year, compared to the previous financial year’s allocation, bringing their total high needs funding allocation in the 2022/23 financial year to £71.3 million.