Richard Foord Liberal Democrat Spokesperson (Defence)

The SEND crisis extends to Devon, and my postbag is full of correspondence from parents trying to get their children the educational provision they need. It has got so bad that in some cases children are being taught in school cupboards, and Devon has appointed a SEND champion to its cabinet. What steps is the Department taking to help boost SEND services in rural areas such as mine?

David Johnston The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Education

There has been a 30% increase in the per-head funding to schools in Devon for their special educational needs provision, and the whole thrust of our reform plan is to make the system work better for parents and families and get the support for their children at the stage when they need it.

So, what exactly is this “30% increase” (meaningless without quoting any baseline)?

John Hart, DCC Leader, didn’t mention it in an article he wrote a few weeks ago. In fact he says Devon is amongst the 42 worst funded councils in the country (see below).

In August the Government announced more support for children with special educational needs, backed by funding of £70m.

“Over a thousand more children and young people with SEND are set to benefit from access to high-quality specialised learning, with seven new special free schools in Cambridgeshire, Kent, Merton and Norfolk selected to be built alongside the existing 83 already committed to opening, located across England from Devon to Darlington.”

The detailed lists of which councils get the money can be found on this site: Revealed: Councils chosen to lead local SEND inclusion plans.

Devon and Cornwall appear to be excluded.

It received one comment from Kevin Hilton which says it all:

So Devon and Cornwall don’t have a requirement for SEND provision? It seems that this part of the ‘South West’ is constantly overlooked or forgotten. I find this a bitter pill as these counties are more the South West than Swindon and Gloucester who already have better transport links to reach other counties.

Did you know that getting from West Cornwall to the nearest major motorway (The M5) is a 100+ mile journey and as nice as West coast trains are they are not an affordable option for the majority of families in Cornwall.

When will the decision makers start to consider the needs of those of us who live and work in the most deprived county in the country? 

Meanwhile, Devon County Council in “Special Measures” is struggling.

See: We’re bottom of the class, John Hart on education funding.

Now John Hart has had to augment the efforts of Cllr Andrew Leadbetter (Wearside & Topsham),  Cabinet Member for Children’s Services and Schools, with an additional Cabinet member acting as a dedicated Champion for Special Needs Education, Lois Samuel.

Roll on the County Council elections, it’s time for a change. This administration is obviously tired and failing. – Owl