'VAT raid is forcing pupils with special needs into the state sector' - Wolverhampton Tory leader lays into Government over children with special needs and disabilities

Councillor Simon Bennett, leader of the opposition Conservative group on Wolverhampton Council, said the rise in National Insurance on teachers' pay was squeezing education budgets, while VAT on private schools was forcing many youngsters with special needs into under-resourced state schools.

Councillor Bennett has written to Warinder Juss, Labour MP for Wolverhampton West, after the MP called for increased support for children with special educational needs and disabilities. 

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Mr Juss had said 18 per cent of pupils in his constituency had special needs, and said social justice required more support to be made available.

Councillor Bennett said Wolverhampton was facing 'considerable challenges' around special needs provision. 

He said that following a critical Ofsted inspection, Wolverhampton Conservatives called for the creation of a scrutiny review panel for pupils with special needs, and proposed specific budget amendments to improve support for their families.

But he said policies from central government were making it harder to deliver the kind of targeted, individualised support that children with special needs required.

He said education budgets had not been increased to fund the rise in National Insurance, announced in last year's budget, or to fully fund the teachers' pay rise.

He said cuts to vital education programmes, such as computing hubs and foreign language lessons, had also had an impact.

Councillor Bennett said money had been stripped from the education budget to fund policies such as universal breakfast clubs and the expansion of free school meals.

"A VAT raid on private schools is projected to force thousands of pupils — including many with special educational needs and disabilities — into the state sector, increasing demand without proportionate funding increases.," he said.

"Furthermore, Labour’s spending review revealed education as one of the tightest departmental budgets, with little room to meet rising demand or invest in meaningful reform."

Councillor Bennett said that in many cases schools were being forced to make redundancies or increase class sizes.

"Special educational needs are nuanced and complex," he said. "One-size-fits-all solutions, or blanket funding announcements , rarely meet the specific needs of the individual child. 

"What is required is a sustained commitment to early identification, timely and appropriate support in the early years, and the flexibility for schools to tailor provision."

Councillor Bennett accused the Government of pursuing headline-chasing policies, pushing schools towards centralised control, while limiting their financial ability to innovate or respond to local needs.

Mr Juss thanked Councillor Bennett for his letter.

"I maintain that after 14 years of underfunding under previous Conservative governments, we have inherited a system in crisis," he said.

"This government is now taking urgent steps to fix it - investing in schools, reforming special educational needs and disabilities provision, and expanding free school meals and breakfast clubs. 

"I will continue to fight for the resources our children deserve, to ensure that every young person has the opportunity to thrive.”