Portsmouth faces £4.5m school budget gap as leaked SEND reforms emerge
Portsmouth is facing a £4.5m deficit in its school budget as details of SEND reforms are leaked.
The government has leaked details about new SEND reforms after Portsmouth City Council recently approved its school budget for 2026/27.
Total funding from the government to Portsmouth, known as the dedicated schools grant, amounts to £266m to cover all authority-funded schools, pupils with high needs, early years and central services.
Pupils with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) continue to place financial pressure on the budget, with around £44m allocated to the high needs block for 2026/27 – up from £37m last year.
With costs linked to special schools, inclusion centres, alternative provision, out-of-city placements and post-16 support, the budget is facing an £8.5m deficit. However, around £4m will be met from reserves.
Council officers have described Portsmouth’s education finances as having disparities, as special schools in the city are better funded than statistical neighbours, while mainstream schools are less well funded.
The cost of independent specialist school placements, which are provided to pupils when their needs cannot be met in the city, is around £88,000 per place, which the council “is keen to avoid wherever possible”.
SEND reforms
It was reported the government’s planned SEND reforms will introduce a new system in which children are reassessed as they move through key education stages, such as from primary to secondary school and from secondary to college.
This means some children currently supported through Education, Health and Care Plans (EHCPs) may not keep them under the new arrangements.
Every child with identified special educational needs, including those without an EHCP, will instead have an Individual Support Plan (ISP) drawn up by their school, which is expected to carry some form of legal status.
Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson has suggested there will be clearer national criteria for how children access support. Leaked details indicate three levels are likely: Targeted, Targeted Plus and Specialist.
Ministers have stressed their aim for SEND needs to be met in mainstream schools, backed by more teacher training and a goal of an inclusion unit in every secondary school.
More details about the new SEND system are expected on Monday, 23 February.