An investigation has revealed that hundreds of SEND (special educational needs and disability) students in the borough are being sent many miles away to receive an education.
The data – from the by the Bureau of Investigative Journalism (BIJ) – revealed that, in total, 507 Wokingham students have been sent to schools or other education settings outside of their home local authority – including one student sent 200 miles away to Bolton.
The investigation also found more than 150 SEND students from other local authorities have been sent to Wokingham for their education.
In 2020/21, Wokingham Council’s Dedicated Schools Grant (DSG), which includes funding for Education Health and Care (EHC) plans, showed a deficit of £6.535m, according to its monthly budget performance documents.
The BIJ investigation forecasts that this deficit will increase by a further £3.1m by the end of 2021/22 to £9.642m – an increase of 47.5% on the previous year.
A Wokingham Borough Council spokesperson said: “We can’t comment on individual cases but there are two main reasons why children with high special education needs might be placed outside their home borough.
“They may be in care and placed with foster parents or in a specialist care home in another borough, and the school is close to their residential placement. This could include Wokingham children placed in other boroughs and vice versa, so this is normal practice and by no means unique to our borough.
“Alternatively, they may have needs that can only be met by a specialist institution some distance from their home. We would always seek to place children close to home, but some forms of highly specialised support aren’t available in schools or care settings locally.”
They added: “Special schools generally focus on particular needs, so while there may not be a suitable place locally for a Wokingham child, a child from another borough could be placed at a Wokingham school if there is a good mutual fit.
“We’re doing everything we can to increase the number of specialist places locally – for example, we’re working with Reading Borough Council, the Department for Education and the Maiden Erlegh Trust to open the new Oak Tree Special School in Winnersh.
“Our last High Needs Block deficit forecast, reported at our Schools Forum in March, was an in-year deficit of £4.1m for the 2021/22 financial year and a cumulative deficit of £10.6m.
“While we’re working to reduce this, by law it can’t affect the services that children receive. Their needs are established in a document called an Education Health and Care Plan and this must be delivered in full, regardless of finances.”
