Q1. What is the name of your local authority?
Devon County Council
Q2. What was the financial status of your high needs budget at the end of financial year 2017/18?
Underspend or overspend? Please confirm the amount of any under/overspend.
Overall Underspend was £266,000 however this includes Special School Balances of £2.3million. High Needs Deficit was £2.1millions
Q3. What was your original allocated high needs budget for 2017/18?
£64.1millions
Q4. For the financial years 2017/18 and 2018/19 have you transferred any funding from the early years block, schools block or central school services block into the high needs block? Please confirm how much.
2017/18:
£4.01millions from Schools and Early Years block into High Needs
2018/19:
£0 millions
Q5. What is the predicted financial status of your high needs budget for the end of financial year 2018/19?
Underspend or overspend? Please confirm the amount of any under/overspend.
Overspend £6.4millions before adjusting for Special Schools Balances
Q6. What is your original allocated amount of high needs spending predicted for 2018/19?
£65.3millions
Q7. Have you sought permission from the Department for Education to move more than 0.5% from DSG to high needs in the current financial year 2018/19?
No
Q8. If so, please confirm whether permission was granted? Please confirm how much was transferred:
Following our response to question 7 above this question is not applicable.
Q9. What is the predicted financial status of your high needs budget for 2019/20? Underspend/overspend?
Underspend or overspend? Please confirm the amount of any under/overspend.
The 2019/20 Budget is being prepared now so we do not hold any specific figures. We can confirm that it is expected to be a significant overspend
Q10. Please give some indication of the increase in demands on your high needs budget.
Numbers of children and young people with EHCPs has grown from 3,572 in Jan 17 to 4,093 to Jan 18. This is a growth of 14.5% compared to only 2% growth in budget.
In addition, whilst the LA have been able to increase maintained special school places by 18.7%. (187 places), restrictions on further expansion, potential delays in the opening of new Free schools and limitations to changing existing placements have created a significant increase in the number or learners placed within the independent sector.
Q11. Please add any further comments which would help us understand the pressures on your high needs budget.
Independent costs per place (market led) has seen a 35% increase in the last 5 years; average is now £50,000