The government’s cruel austerity scheme has been devastating for our education services. Schools up and down the country are struggling to cope with cuts, alongside a funding shortfall for Special Education Needs and Disability (SEND) services.
The demand for SEND services has increased rapidly as local authorities are responding to more complex needs, yet this government is failing to keep pace.
Whilst the chancellor has committed some funding in his most recent budget statement, this does not go far enough and across the UK, councils face a shortfall in SEND funding of £1.2 billion by 2020-21.
It is a national scandal that the government is failing to adequately resource support for children with special needs, and is particularly concerning for our area, given that Tower Hamlets has some of the
highest levels of need for these services.
The government needs to prioritise this issue and support some of the most vulnerable children and young people in our society.
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