Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will make an estimate of the number of additional SEND places that each local authority that has received funding under the Dedicated schools grant: very high deficit intervention arrangements has opened since the relevant agreement was put in place.

The Safety Valve programme supports the local authorities with the highest Dedicated Schools Grant (DSG) deficits. The programme requires the local authorities involved to develop substantial plans for reform to their high needs systems, with support and challenge from the department, to rapidly place them on a sustainable footing. If the local authorities can demonstrate sufficiently that their DSG management plans create lasting sustainability, including reaching an in-year balance, and are effective for children and young people, then the department will enter into an agreement.

Through the agreements, the local authorities are subsequently held to account for their reform and savings projections via regular reporting to the department. The department will help the local authorities with additional revenue funding over time to contribute to their historic deficits, but this is contingent on delivery of the reforms in the agreements.

Capital funding is a necessary feature of many local authorities DSG management plans, in cases where investment in local infrastructure will result in the availability of more appropriate provision and subsequent revenue savings. Local authorities with safety valve agreements are therefore invited to apply for additional high needs capital funding, to be provided as a one-off ‘top-up’ to their high needs provision capital allocations.

In order to receive additional capital funding, local authorities must demonstrate how investment would align to the reform plans and savings projections in their safety valve agreements. Proposals also need to show how capital plans will meet identified gaps in provision and improve the local provision offer.

The department has allocated additional capital funding to 26 local authorities through this route, totalling £175 million.

Once funding is allocated, local authorities have appropriate flexibility to make sensible adjustments to their plans, reflecting that the statutory duty to provide sufficient school places remains with the local authority.