ALLOCATION OF RESOURCES THROUGH
THE STATEMENTING PROCESS
245. Concerns have been raised throughout this inquiry
regarding the allocation of resources in statementing process.
50% of appeals to Tribunal are regarding the content of a statementa
large part of which seeks to allocate resources based on identified
need.
246. It has been proposed during this inquiry that
a voucher system of funding could be allocated through the statementing
process and that money and resource would then follow the child
to whichever school they chose to attend. The aim would be to
create a very specific financial entitlement through the statementing
process. A listener to the Radio 4 You and Yours Programme on
SEN[194] emailed the
programme to ask "why can't the education department give
the parents a voucher equivalent to the cost of educating their
child which could be used to pay towards the school of their choice.
Often a small private school with smaller classes is better,
but many parents cannot afford this, to the detriment of their
children."
247. The Minister was asked if he would endorse such
proposals, and he replied "no" for what he described
as a "perfectly immediate reason."[195]
As the Minister implied in his response, a voucher system is
not, in itself, going to fix the underlying faults in the statementing
process that impact on whether or not the resource follows the
child: firstly the continuing lack of specificity in the part
of the statement that allocates resources (despite statutory guidance
on specificity); secondly the role of the local authority in having
the final say in decisions regarding placement. The difficulty
is that a voucher system cannot, in itself, resolve these more
fundamental problems in the system. Furthermore, if these problems
were resolved then the resource wouldas in theory it shouldfollow
the child and a voucher system would not be necessary.
248. Others have argued that funding can better follow
the child if some is retained in a central resource. Primarily,
this is because of capacity issues for children low-incidence
needs, but also because of funding complications if the child
moves schools or if there is dual-registration.[196]
249. The Government should improve the extent to
which funding follows the child. Whether this be through a voucher
system or through an increased central resource for low-incidence
needs, this issue should be given further consideration. The
fundamental problems in the statementing process that prevent
funding from following the child should be resolved as a matter
of urgency.
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