EDUCATION FUNDING

Schools Face Tough Funding Choices Amid Rising Costs and Challenges

UK schools face significant financial strain as rising costs are projected to exceed funding by 2025-26. Teacher pay increases and special educational needs funding are at risk, forcing schools to consider service cuts or alternative funding solutions, underscoring the urgency for sustainable education financing.

TECHNOLOGICAL ADVANCEMENTS

From Backlogs to Brilliance: How AI Is Redefining EHCP Creation

The UK government’s renewed focus on AI adoption across public services marks a pivotal moment for local authorities. Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s call for bold, ambitious approaches to AI sets the stage for transformation in critical areas like Education, Health and Care Plans (EHCPs).

EHCPs are vital for ensuring children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) get the tailored support they need to thrive.

In 2024 alone, councils drafted over 84,000 EHCPs, while costs and demands continued to rise. The system is stretched—and families are feeling the strain.

That’s where AI can step in.

Our latest report, From Backlogs to Brilliance: How AI is Redefining EHCP Creation, explores how AI is tackling these challenges head-on. Tools like Agilisys Transform's EHCP tool are revolutionizing the process by automating administrative tasks, improving the personalisation of plans, and delivering more consistent results across regions. These innovations save time and money while allowing SEND caseworkers to focus on what matters most: supporting children and their families.

By acting now, local authorities can align with the government’s AI agenda and make a real difference for children with SEND.

👉 Read the full report and request your own personalised report for your council here

EDUCATION POLICY

Proposed VAT on Private Schools Endangers Special Needs Children’s Mental Health

Education Policy Analysis Labour's VAT on private schools is criticised for impacting vulnerable children, especially those with special education needs (SEN). Legal challenges argue it unfairly burdens single mothers and SEN students. Experts warn this move could increase stress and mental illness, highlighting flaws in the current state education system.

COMMUNITY SUPPORT

John Sykes Foundation's Commitment to Reading Community Creates Substantial Positive Change

The John Sykes Foundation in Reading reflects on 2024's impactful year. It provided extensive funding for youth mental health and SEND initiatives, while also aiding homelessness services and animal welfare. The Foundation fosters partnerships to enhance community life, urging other charities to collaborate for a thriving Reading.

I have been an EHC Plan writer and SEND Caseworker for approximately 13 years and have tried various approaches to building a compliant and person-centred EHC Plan. In the past, putting together and editing the EHCP could take anything from half a day to a day and a half, depending on the complexity of the plan, i.e. how many professional reports there are.

Fast forward to 2025 and my plan writing has been transformed by using EHCP Plus! I open up the tool and upload the documents into the secure, encrypted environment and press ‘go’! The tool takes around 5 minutes to write the EHCP using the information in the professional reports to populate the appropriate areas. I then go through and edit the ‘output’. This process dramatically reduces the time it takes me to write an EHC Plan from scratch by taking out the ‘draft building’ step. As the tool also summarises the information from the professional reports, this also reduces the editing time. The overall process now only takes an average of 1-1.5 hours.

By speeding up the process of drafting an EHC Plan, EHCP Plus frees up Case workers’ time, supporting them to meet statutory timeframes, liaise with the professionals involved and spend more time working with families and children. Our team at Agilisys has been working with SEND teams up and down the country.

If you are a SEND Caseworker, Plan writer or Team manager (either interim or employed) and you would like to find out more, do get in touch with me.

SCHOOL BUDGETS

Education Faces Budget Crisis Due to Rising Special Needs Provision Costs

The Institute for Fiscal Studies warns of significant financial strain on English schools due to rising special educational needs costs and teacher salary increases. Falling pupil numbers won't mitigate budget pressures, risking cuts to mainstream spending. Urgent governmental action is needed to address the "inadequate" funding situation.

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