One in five children in Wolverhampton constituency has special needs - but MP says funding doesn't meet demand
An MP says almost one in five pupils in his constituency has special educational needs.
Warinder Juss, Labour MP for Wolverhampton West, called for urgent action to tackle a 'growing crisis' in funding for children with special educational needs or disabilities.
Mr Juss said there were nearly 9,000 pupils in his constituency, accounting for 18 per cent of the school population, who were receiving support.
He said the past decade had seen a 140 per cent increase in children requiring education, health and care plans, and youngsters in the most deprived areas of Wolverhampton faced particularly acute difficulties.
“This is not just a matter of education, but a matter of social justice," he said.
"We must invest in early years intervention and deliver a holistic programme of support.”
“This rise in demand has not been matched by a corresponding increase in funding,” said Mr Juss, citing a projected deficit of £4.6 billion in the dedicated schools grant by the end of the present financial year.
Mr Juss's concerns were echoed by Jason Dudley of Wolverhampton-based young person's charity Base 25.
Mr Dudley said: “At Base 25, we’ve spent 27 years supporting disadvantaged communities and vulnerable young people. Every day, we see the growing demand for support, with many still waiting for assessments and facing additional barriers.
"Access to the right resources is crucial so that charities like ours can step in quickly and provide the support these young people truly need.”
Mr Juss welcomed the Government's commitment to spend £740 million creating 10,000 new special needs places, but said more needed to be done to meet growing demand and close persistent gaps in provision.
"The current system is financially unsustainable," he said.
“We have to take bold, decisive steps to reform our special educational needs system, to ensure that every child, no matter their needs or background, receives the support they so rightly deserve.”
