Wiltshire Council request extension to SEND support plan

The Safety Valve programme is run by the Department for Education

Author: Aaron HarperPublished 29th Jan 2025
Last updated 29th Jan 2025

Wiltshire Council has asked to extend a plan supporting people in the county with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) by two years.

The request surrounds the Safety Valve programme, run by the Department for Education, which works with council where there are very high overspends in their High Needs Block budget, the funding to support SEND children.

It is central government’s responsibility to fund education through the Dedicated Schools Grant and the High Needs Block is part of that funding. Safety Valve also offers the opportunity to gain much needed investment which the council believes will help improve outcomes for SEND pupils and address the overspend.

Over the last six years, this funding has been subjected to increasing strain across councils in England.

The plan in Wiltshire was originally set for five years, but the Council has asked to extend that to seven in order to meet targets.

Drafted alongside schools, parents and carers, health and care professionals and with input from children, the plan maps out how the council works with it's partners and communities to deliver a long-term sustainable future for SEND.

It also charts the activity required for financial recovery while ensuring the quality of provision for learners with SEND and focussing on early support and prevention wherever possible.

The agreement demands an additional 500 special school places are provided to ensure children stay close to home in Wiltshire, as well as investing in resources to support SEND children in mainstream school and fund teams to give early support for children and young people with SEND and their families.

Wiltshire Council says the plan is mostly on track but data shows a higher spend in the current year, driven by higher numbers of Education, Health and Care Plans. The new proposals will follow the principles set out in the original plan – investing to save in future years and improving support for children and young people with additional needs across the system – but doing this over seven years not five.

Council leaders endorsed the draft revised plan submitted to the DfE including the new timeline at a Cabinet meeting earlier this month.

Cllr Jane Davies, Cabinet Member for SEND said: “We place the needs of our children and young people at the heart of everything we do. We do this in the context of ever rising demands and overspend on budgets in this area. We have a very good and solid plan on how we can bring this spending into an in-year balanced position but realistically we know this will be over seven not five years. Our approach to this vital work means we won’t compromise the quality of support provided.”

Hear all the latest news from across the UK on the hour, every hour, on Greatest Hits Radio on DAB, smartspeaker, at greatesthitsradio.co.uk, and on the Rayo app.

Rayo PremiumRayo Premium

Elton John

Daniel

Elton John
Rayo PremiumRayo Premium

Elton John

Daniel