Cambridgeshire backs national campaign for increased and fairer education funding and major reform to SEND provision

Cambridgeshire County Council is backing a campaign by the f40 group calling for increased and fairer education funding and sweeping reforms to solve the crisis in SEND.

Publication of a Schools White Paper, setting out Government’s new direction of travel for education, and the anticipated reforms to special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) was expected last year but has been delayed.

The County Council is urging Government to ensure that expected reforms are powerful enough to solve the crisis and are backed by sufficient funding to enable schools to implement them.

Based on the initial Dedicated Schools Grant (DSG) allocations for 2026/27, published by the Department for Education (DfE) in December, Cambridgeshire will receive £6,465 per pupil for the Schools Block. This ranks 128th out of all 151 local education authorities.

The county council’s High Needs Block deficit is forecast to be circa £94M by 31 March 2026, rising to circa £200 million by 1 April 2028, placing the council in severe financial risk.

Across the country demand for SEND support continues to outstrip funding, with the lowest funded local authority area currently receiving less than a third of the SEND funding that the highest receives – this is unsustainable.

It’s estimated that local authorities in England will have accumulated a collective SEND deficit of £6 billion by April 2026. Without significant reform, this figure will continue to grow – the County Council’s Network (CCN) estimates it could pass £13 billion by March 2028.

Cllr Lucy Nethsingha, Leader of Cambridgeshire County Council, said: “The way that funding is allocated for schools in England is fundamentally broken and Cambridgeshire’s children, young people and families are currently paying the price.

“We recognise the need for some level of weighting in schools funding, but the sheer size of the differential in per pupil funding nationally is deeply unfair – and the council is now in a critical financial position.

“We are joining with the other f40 authorities to call on Government to set out a clear, time-bound programme of reform which address long-term structural underfunding in our area. We are proud of the work we do for families, but Government must fund the system adequately and invest in the futures of Cambridgeshire’s children and young people.”

Mark Woods, CEO of Meridian Trust and Chair of Cambridgeshire Schools Forum, added: "It is vital that we understand the full context in which our schools are working. Across Cambridgeshire and nationally, demand for SEND support has grown significantly, with a rise in EHCPs and increasingly complex needs placing real pressure on schools and local services. It is a national challenge that is even more acute in Cambridgeshire given the long history and ongoing impact of low and unfair funding.

“As a forum, we believe the f40 campaign provides an important opportunity to raise awareness of these challenges and to make a positive case for a system that is better resourced and more sustainable. With the right level of investment and reform, we can strengthen local provision, improve inclusion, and ensure that all children receive the support they need to achieve.”