Staffordshire’s plan to improve provision for children with special educational needs and disabilities has been approved by the Government.
Backing for the development plan means Government will now release £85 million to cover some of the debt built up by Staffordshire County Council, as rising demand from pupils for SEND services outstrips funding.
Staffordshire’s SEND Reform Plan was jointly submitted by Staffordshire County Council and Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent Integrated Care Board.
Janet Higgins, Staffordshire County Council’s cabinet member for Education and SEND, said:
Staffordshire’s plan has been backed by Government and we’re already working hard with schools and the health service to deliver it and provide a better experience all the way through from nought to 25.
Some of these changes will take time to bear fruit which is why we have we have spent £500,000 in providing extra staff to target delays in agreeing EHCPs, committed funding for 48 more special school places and created 43 supported places in mainstream schools.
We have also delivered another 143 places in time for this school year, including a new Stafford town centre campus for Walton Hall Academy.”
In the last six years, the number of children and young people with an Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP) specifying support has risen by 50 per cent to almost 11,400.
The £84.987 million to be paid to Staffordshire County Council equals 90 per cent of the debt the authority had built up by March 2026 meeting rising demand for SEND services.
As well as the £9 million debt still outstanding from before March 2026, the authority expects to overspend its 2026/27 budget by £78 million.
Janet Higgins said:
The reality is that supporting children and young people with SEND remains expensive, far more expensive than the funding provided by central Government.
We need to work with parents, carers and users to deliver the services they need while moving provision closer to home.”
Plans include:
- delivering the right support without delay in local communities rather than travelling long distances;
- aim to meet needs earlier and provide appropriate support in mainstream schools;
- better collaboration with the education, health, social care and voluntary sectors;
- reducing exclusions and suspensions of pupils with SEND in the school system.
Vanessa Whatley, Chief Nursing Officer for NHS Shropshire, Telford and Wrekin and NHS Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent said:
This is an important step towards improving support for children and young people with SEND across Staffordshire.”
By working more closely across health, education, social care and the voluntary sector, our aim is to identify needs earlier, provide more support in local communities and make services easier for families to navigate.
We know there is more to do, and we are committed to working with our partners, children, young people and families to deliver sustainable improvements over the coming years.”
