Hartlepool council welcomes rise in Government cash for children with ‘increasingly complex needs’

Hartlepool has received a 12% increase in its 2021/22 high needs block school funding received from the Government, the second year in a row it has seen an increase following a 16% rise for 2020/21.

The high needs block funding supports children who have got special educational needs, and in past years Hartlepool Borough Council has had to transfer money from its schools block funding to cover costs.

However council officers told the children’s service committee the positive news that funding had increased, and they would not have to make such a request.

Councillors were also told a three year medium term financial strategy is being drawn up, to take a longer term view at the support required for children with additional needs and the forecast demand.

David Turner, headteacher at Rift House Primary School, said the complexity of need coming through the system is greater than ever before, and the three year plan will help manage that.

He said: “I think it’s wonderful we’ve got an opportunity now to have a medium term plan, because as heads, especially primary heads, the complexity of the need that’s coming through the system in Hartlepool is increasing all the time.

“Therefore secondary schools need to be prepared for this change but we need to make sure how we spend and how we resource is appropriate to the need that we’ve got.

“There’s been a massive amount of work over the last five years. We’ve got a clearer understanding of the need in Hartlepool than we have for many a year now I would have said.”

Cllr Brenda Harrison added she believes the schools are in a better position now than previous years given the increased high needs block funding and future plans being put in place.

She said: “It seems as though we’re in a much better position than we have been over the last few years as far as this is concerned.

“I think it’s a great thing there’s a medium term plan, it’s always good to have a plan, but to have that actually in place is forward thinking.”

Danielle Swainston, council assistant director for joint commissioning, outlined how the increase in funding meant they had a budget of £12.689milion for high needs block funding for 2021/22.

She said: “This is a second year of increased funding which is obviously positive for us.

“We have come in the past to ask for money to be transferred from schools block, but we are not requesting that due to the increase in funding, and the high needs block can manage the budget this year.

“We have started to work on a three year medium term financial strategy that we will come back to committee about, just so that we can understand the ongoing impact and the ongoing profile of needs over the next couple of years.

“We do think that demand continues to increase and we need to understand whether the budget can manage the increasing demand.”

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