Special schools are staring into budget holes as deep as £1.5 million, a Schools Week investigation has found, as heads say “enough is enough” and launch a national campaign against more cuts.
Nearly nine in ten special schools are forecasting a budget deficit over the next two years as unfunded pay rises, soaring energy costs and inflation take their toll.
A poll of 100 schools by the National Network of Specialist Provision (NNSP) has found that the average deficit across 80 schools in the red is forecast as £144,176 next year, rising to £225,926 across nearly 90 schools in 2024-25.
But after years of slashing provision “to the bone”, heads are now refusing to make more cuts – warning they would breach their legal duty to provide care for the country’s most vulnerable children.
