{"id":246456,"date":"2026-05-14T23:00:25","date_gmt":"2026-05-14T22:00:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/schoolsweek.co.uk\/?p=246456"},"modified":"2026-05-14T23:07:23","modified_gmt":"2026-05-14T22:07:23","slug":"councils-breach-funding-rules-again-due-to-send-deficits","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/schoolsweek.co.uk\/councils-breach-funding-rules-again-due-to-send-deficits\/","title":{"rendered":"Councils breach funding rules (again) due to SEND deficits"},"content":{"rendered":"

England<\/span>\u2019<\/span>s largest council has been given government permission to breach the minimum funding levels for schools for the fourth year in a row.<\/span><\/p>\n

The average<\/span>–<\/span>sized primary school in Kent could be <\/span>\u00a3<\/span>12,780 worse off as a result. <\/span><\/p>\n

Two other cash-strapped councils <\/span>\u2013 <\/span>North Tyneside and York <\/span>\u2013 <\/span>were also given permission to go below the national minimum per-pupil funding levels (MPPFLs).<\/span><\/p>\n

Councils argued this was necessary to ensure there was<\/span> no<\/span> \u201c<\/span>unequal distribution<\/span>\u201d <\/span>of funding after they moved schools<\/span>\u2019<\/span> cash into the high<\/span>–<\/span>needs pot to plug ballooning deficits. <\/span><\/p>\n

But experts warned it <\/span>was<\/span> a<\/span> \u201c<\/span>sticking plaster<\/span>\u201d <\/span>solution to what <\/span>was<\/span>\u201c<\/span>fundamentally wrong<\/span>\u201d<\/span>.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u2018<\/span>Harder to absorb<\/span>\u2019<\/span><\/h2>\n

Since 2020, councils have been required to follow MPPFLs<\/span>, b<\/span>ut ministers can sign off requests to go below this. <\/span><\/p>\n

The MPPFL<\/a><\/span>s<\/span> for 2026-27 are <\/span>\u00a3<\/span>5,115 per primary pupil, <\/span>\u00a3<\/span>6,388 per key stage 3 pupil, and <\/span>\u00a3<\/span>7,018 per key stage 4 pupil.<\/span><\/p>\n

In Kent, primaries received <\/span>\u00a3<\/span>46 less than national levels, while secondaries received <\/span>\u00a3<\/span>57 less for key stage 3 pupils and <\/span>\u00a3<\/span>63 less for key stage 4 pupils.<\/span><\/p>\n

This was after transferring <\/a><\/span>\u00a3<\/span>16.5 million out of its school budget to its high<\/span>–<\/span>needs pot <\/span>\u2013 <\/span>the largest of any block transfers in England.<\/span><\/p>\n

The council was expected to face a <\/span>\u00a3<\/span>136 million cumulative SEND deficit by March. <\/span><\/p>\n

Frazer Westmorland, a Kent school governor and former headteacher of Mundella Primary School in Folkestone, said<\/span> there was <\/span>a legitimate argument for smoothing or levelling funding across schools <\/span>\u201c<\/span>to maintain wider system sustainability and avoid extreme disparities.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201c<\/span>But where schools are simultaneously managing rising SEND demand, staffing pressures and inflationary costs, repeated reductions below minimum funding expectations inevitably become harder to absorb.<\/span>\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Kent did not respond to requests for comment. <\/span><\/p>\n

Schools Week<\/em> previously exposed<\/a> how 21 councils were given ministerial go-ahead to transfer a combined <\/span>\u00a3<\/span>75.5 million from mainstream budgets into the<\/span>ir <\/span>high<\/span>–<\/span>needs pot<\/span>s<\/span> for 2026-27.<\/span><\/p>\n

The transfers were agree<\/span>d<\/span> as part of <\/span>\u201c<\/span>safety valve<\/span>\u201d <\/span>deals <\/span>\u2013 <\/span>where councils receive government bailouts in exchange for sweeping reforms. <\/span><\/p>\n

This scheme was cancelled in March and instead councils <\/span>have been<\/span> asked to draw up <\/span>\u201c<\/span>local SEND reform plans<\/span>\u201d<\/span>. Town halls with approved plans will have 90 per cent of historic deficits wiped. <\/span><\/p>\n

But ministers are mulling changes to the controversial transfers policy. Its white paper also set out ambitions to <\/span>\u201c<\/span>re-balance funding<\/span>\u201d <\/span>by directing more high<\/span>–<\/span>needs cash into school budgets. <\/span><\/p>\n

More <\/span>\u2018<\/span>equitable<\/span>\u2019<\/span> way needed<\/span><\/h2>\n

North Tyneside breached minimum <\/a><\/span>funding for the second year<\/span>, with <\/span>\u00a3<\/span>26 less per primary pupil, <\/span>\u00a3<\/span>32 less per <\/span>key stage <\/span>3 pupil, and <\/span>\u00a3<\/span>35 less per <\/span>key stage 4 <\/span>pupil.<\/span><\/p>\n

After 0.5 per cent of the budget <\/span>\u2013 \u00a3<\/span>800,000<\/span> \u2013 <\/span>was moved in 2025-26, North Tyneside<\/span>\u2019<\/span>s schools forum noticed some schools experienced greater impact than others.<\/span><\/p>\n

David Watson, forum chair and headteacher of St Thomas More <\/span>Catholic H<\/span>igh <\/span>S<\/span>chool in North Shields, said some schools <\/span>were not <\/span>impacted <\/span>\u201c<\/span>at all<\/span>\u201d<\/span> by th<\/span>e <\/span>0.5 per cent.<\/span><\/p>\n

When it became apparent that this would happen again<\/span> \u201c<\/span>we agreed that <\/span>\u2026<\/span> a more equitable way of taking the 0.5 per cent should be found<\/span>\u201d<\/span>.<\/span><\/p>\n

Watson said it meant most schools experienced a 0.4 to 0.6 per cent cut this year, which <\/span>was<\/span> \u201c<\/span>certainly not the extreme that happened before<\/span>\u201d<\/span>.<\/span><\/p>\n

York schools forum also had <\/span>\u201c<\/span>concerns about the distributions of the transfer across all mainstream schools<\/span>\u201d<\/span>,<\/span> according to Maxine Squir<\/span>e, its <\/span>assistant director of education and skills.<\/span><\/p>\n

Modelling presented to the forum showed <\/span>\u201c<\/span>unequal distribution<\/span>\u201d<\/span> after 0.5 per cent of the schools block was moved, which<\/span> was<\/span> \u201c<\/span>significantly reduced<\/span>\u201d <\/span>by lowering the minimum per-pupil funding.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201c<\/span>This demonstrates a much more equitable distribution of the impact of the transfer across all schools and is the option that both the LA and all members of the school<\/span>\u2019<\/span>s forum wanted to implement,<\/span>\u201d <\/span>Squire said.<\/span><\/p>\n

While North Tyneside offered the same explanation, <\/span>David Mason, <\/span>its head of finance<\/span>,<\/span> said the block transfers or applications to reduce per pupil funding <\/span>was <\/span>not expected to continue beyond 2026-27.<\/span><\/p>\n

Amanda Watkins, <\/span>an <\/span>education consultant, said while <\/span>\u201c<\/span>anything done in a fair way is <\/span>OK<\/span>,<\/span>\u201d <\/span>it was a <\/span>\u201c<\/span>stick<\/span>ing<\/span> plaster<\/span>\u201d <\/span>solution to<\/span> something that was <\/span>fundamentally wrong.<\/span><\/p>\n

Improvement notices lifted<\/span><\/h2>\n

It comes as the DfE has lifted improvement notices issued to Plymouth, Oxfordshire and Oldham councils. <\/span><\/p>\n

All three were given notices to improve after significant failings were found in their SEND provision in 2023.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

In April, Bridget Phillipson<\/span>, the education secretary,<\/span> wrote to Plymouth recognising <\/span>its<\/span> \u201c<\/span>significant commitment, determination and hard work<\/span>\u201d<\/span>,<\/span><\/p>\n

She said Oxfordshire had improved communication and information sharing across the local area partnership.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Schools in Kent could be thousands worse-off as its council goes below minimum funding for fourth year in a row<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":315335,"featured_media":246343,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[1292,324,62],"post-theme":[2425],"class_list":["post-246456","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","tag-councils","tag-funding","tag-send","post-theme-school-funding"],"acf":[],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t