The shortfall in special needs education funding in Rutland could rise to £18m within the next six years, the county council's head of finance has warned.

There is a growing deficit in the money being provided by the government to cover the costs of providing education for special needs children in the county, with the account currently £2.9m over budget which is expected to rise to just under £5m by April. The total budget for all education in the county is £40m.

In a report to go to the school's forum next week (Thursday, Sept 26), Rutland County Council's head of finance Andrew Merry says: "The biggest risk is the position on the high needs block, forecasted to be £1.9m overspent in the year, leading to a total deficit of £4.9m.

"These projections are expected to be well above the agreed allocations so the continuation of the transfer from the school's block to the high needs block is required. It is expected that this would equate to the similar level of transfer to 2024/25 (c£160,000)."

The council is now forecasting the deficit will continue to rise steadily each year until it reaches £18.3m at the end of the decade.

Currently 385 children in Rutland have an Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP) and another 30 children are about to be approved. However, the authority is currently missing the 20-week target for assessments with less than a fifth (17 per cent) happening on time. There has been a sharp drop in the number of on-time completions since last year, when two thirds were being decided in the statutory time frame.

The finance boss is suggesting the authority transfers £160,000 – less than one percent- out of its overall school block into the special needs block. This is the maximum a local education can transfer without getting permission from the government.

The schools forum, which is made up of head teachers, local authority staff, trade unions and sixth form providers, will decide whether to transfer the money at the meeting.

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For more about SEN funding in Rutland, read this article about the delays in children receiving EHCPs.