A Heathrow charity is warning that it faces closure next year as a result of the funding crisis affecting special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) across the country.
Heathrow Special Needs Centre has provided support for individuals of all ages for the past 38 years, aiming to teach them important life skills they would otherwise not learn in mainstream education.
But charity secretary Ken Tinslay warned the funding available to local authorities does not reflect that one in four people have some disability or special needs, leaving the centre in a precarious position.
Tinslay said: “We will run at a loss this year, which we can probably cover from reserves.
“But, if it continues through next year, we’ll probably close after serving SEND individuals since 1986.
Tinslay called for an increase in funding for people to local councils to provide better support for people with disabilities and special needs.
He added: “We can prove our achievable benefits.
“Improving self-confidence, for instance, can be measured.
“It fosters a sense of personal achievement in actually having done something.”
It is not just London charities like Heathrow Special Needs Centre which are facing a funding crisis.
In neighbouring Hertfordshire, for example, the current funding formula does not accommodate the increase in demand as it has the third-lowest cash rate per high-needs child of any county in the country.
OFSTED identified the“widespread and systemic failings” in Hertfordshire County Council’s SEND provision, for which the service received the lowest rating possible, and some children waited more than 78 weeks for help.
If funded at the same rate as Buckinghamshire, Herts’ local authorities would have received £85million more in 2023-24.
Olivia King-Boateng, chief executive of Special Needs Community CIC, explained how parents across the country are having to shoulder much of the reponsibility to get their children tested.
She said: “The burden is on the parents as they cannot wait for the system to get itself organised.
“The services had broken down, so the gaps, which were small before the pandemic, got wider.
“For instance, there’s a backlog from child and adolescent mental health services, and a backlog from all the other agencies that can make the diagnosis.
“So, parents have to unfortunately do their research and talk to charities to understand symptoms and how they manifest.”
There is a looming crisis within councils too, with SEND deficits of more than £4billion currently off their annual accounts due to statutory overrides, which expire in March 2026.
These concerns were echoed in the July 2024 Local Government Association and County Council Network Commission report, which found families and children lacked confidence in the system.
The Department for Education (DfE) is unsure how much capacity should be planned and where to meet future needs despite the increase from 48% to 55% of children on EHC plans who attend mainstream school.
King-Boateng said: “Those who go through mainstream school, where the provision and understanding of SEND are less understood, are more likely to go undiagnosed and missed.
“We need more trained people in mainstream schools who under SEND and how they manifest.
“I am hoping the government, in their SEND reform, is going to make sure that teachers have a better awareness of neurodiversity so students do not go through the system unsupported and misdiagnosed and just being naughty.”
Chancellor Rachel Reeves announced in her recent budget that an extra £1billion will come from the overall £2.3billion school funding uplift to cover the SEND deficit.
Spending on SEND has risen by 58% in the last 10 years, reaching £10.7bn annually in England.
Despite that increase, the National Audit Office concluded the system is broken and financially unsustainable without reform, with an estimated 1.7million children with special needs in schools in England.
As of Spring 2024, the DfE identified that 69% of primary school and 73% of secondary school leaders are confident their schools could effectively support pupils with SEND.
Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson said: “I recognise the pressures that this is placing on councils.
“There is no magic wand we cannot fix this overnight.”
