More than 200 people have signed a petition calling for its axe
Derby dad Sam Melrose wants a council funding tool for SEND children scrapped(Image: Sam Melrose)
A ‘secret’ funding tool is being used which treats special needs children in Derby as ‘statistics’ – worried parents fear.
A petition launched online calls on Derby City Council to scrap “secret funding policies” in relation to Special Educational Needs and Disability (SEND) children.
It states: “Disabled children are not statistics in a secret matrix or chips on a roulette table. Stop the secrecy.”
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The petition, signed by more than 200 people, claims the council’s funding system is “secret” because the council has not disclosed details following enquiries via Freedom of Information (FOI) requests.
Should a child need additional support than is typically provided in mainstream schools, their parent or carer can apply for an educational, health and care plan (EHCP) which sets out the extra support they are entitled to.
Derby City Council confirmed in a statement it has developed a “needs-led funding matrix that aids us in determining the amount of additional funding that a child needs”.
But the authority added the matrix is used “in conjunction” with a child’s Educational Health Care plan “to get a full understanding of the needs of the young person”.
Petition organiser Sam Melrose, who is seeking SEND support for his son, claims the “high needs matrix” algorithm is capping how much funding is provided.
Sam and his wife Melissa are in a battle with the city council to get much-needed help for their seven-year-old son Charlie who has autism.
Mr Melrose said there was no information available on how the matrix model scores each child.
He told the Local Democracy Reporting Service: “It’s a terrible situation. My understanding is it is a spreadsheet and, instead of considering a child’s individual needs, they score certain areas based on different sections and questions.
“It is being rigidly followed and giving children funding based on very strict predefined questions.”
Another parent agreed with Mr Melrose, stating that a child’s funding should be primarily based on individual needs.
She said: “Everything is about money these days – but sometimes it is about more than that.“
The number of children requiring SEND provision locally and nationally has increased significantly, placing huge financial pressure on councils to deliver placements at high-demand.
Derby City Council has invested millions of pounds to increase SEND provision across the city. In December said work was ongoing to create 400 additional specialist places in the city’s schools over the next two years, following the approval of a £20m investment.
In response to the petition, a spokesperson for Derby City Council said: “Each child’s needs are considered individually by a multi-agency panel following assessment.
“Where an Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP) is issued, the panel carefully reviews information from education, health and care professionals to understand the child or young person’s needs and decide the level of support required.
“We have developed a needs-led funding matrix that aids us in determining the amount of additional funding that a child needs to support the delivery of the EHC plan.
“This matrix is used by our multi-agency panel in conjunction with the EHC plan, to get a full understanding of the needs of the young person.”
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