{"id":245320,"date":"2026-04-23T23:00:57","date_gmt":"2026-04-23T22:00:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/schoolsweek.co.uk\/?p=245320"},"modified":"2026-04-23T23:24:29","modified_gmt":"2026-04-23T22:24:29","slug":"ministers-mull-future-of-380m-send-budgets-transfer-policy","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/schoolsweek.co.uk\/ministers-mull-future-of-380m-send-budgets-transfer-policy\/","title":{"rendered":"Ministers mull future of \u00a3380m SEND budgets transfer policy"},"content":{"rendered":"

Ministers are mulling changes to a controversial policy that allowed councils to raid nearly <\/span>\u00a3<\/span>380 million from school budgets over the <\/span>p<\/span>ast decade to plug spiralling SEND deficits.<\/span><\/p>\n

Schools Week<\/em> can reveal how 21 councils were given ministerial go-ahead to transfer a combined <\/span>\u00a3<\/span>75.5 million from mainstream school budgets to the high<\/span>–<\/span>needs pot in 2026-27.<\/span><\/p>\n

Headteachers are demanding <\/span>the <\/span>government scrap the cash transfers, in light of <\/span>its<\/span> plans to wipe most of councils<\/span>\u2019 <\/span>existing SEND deficits.<\/span><\/p>\n

Town halls must get Department for Education approval<\/a> if they want to transfer more than 0.5 per cent of school budgets, or to move up to 0.5 per cent without sign-off from their local schools forum.<\/span><\/p>\n

In the <\/span>p<\/span>ast eight years<\/a>, councils have transferred <\/span>\u00a3<\/span>378 million from schools budgets, with one head warning he had to make redundancies because of the cuts.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Councils have argued the transfers are needed to keep up with ballooning costs and rising numbers of education, health and care plans (EHCPs), with the money taken benefiting the wider SEND system.<\/span><\/p>\n

But with <\/span>the <\/span>government expected to clear deficits worth <\/span>\u00a3<\/span>5 billion up until April this year, heads want the policy scrapped and previous decisions reversed.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The DfE told Schools Week<\/em> block transfers have become an <\/span>\u201c<\/span>established part of the funding landscape<\/span>\u201d<\/span>, but that it is considering policy and guidance for beyond 2026-27.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u2018<\/span>Reverse the decision<\/span>\u2019 <\/span><\/h2>\n

Vic Goddard, <\/span>chief executive of Passmores Cooperative Learning Community academy trust, said it would be <\/span>\u201c<\/span>beyond comprehension<\/span>\u201d <\/span>if the government continued to approve more money taken from school budgets.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201c<\/span>Report after report shows the impact that will have on staff and other resources that are in place to support the most vulnerable children in our schools.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201c<\/span>It<\/span>\u2019<\/span>s not too late to reverse these decisions and they should do it now.<\/span>\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Freedom of information data obtained by Schools Week<\/em> revealed Kent had the largest amount approved <\/span>\u2013 \u00a3<\/span>16.5 million, or 1.2 per cent of the schools budget.<\/span><\/p>\n