The government has confirmed that Bracknell Forest Council will receive £29 million of funding to wipe out around 90%of debt accumulated to support local children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) at school.
Last month, the Bracknell Forest Local SEND Reform Plan was formally approved by the Department for Education (DfE) and the Department of Health and Social Care.
The approval demonstrated the government’s confidence in the plan and local partnership in improving support for children and young people with SEND. It also meant the council became eligible to receive a High Needs Stability Grant - covering 90% of its Dedicated Schools Grant (DSG) deficit accrued up to the end of 2025 to 2026. The DSG first started to go into deficit in 2019 to 2020.
The indicative allocation of £29 million has been confirmed by the government this week and has been welcomed by the council. The £29 million is in addition to payments of £9 million that the council has previously received through the Government’s Safety Valve programme.
Cllr Megan Wright, cabinet member for children, young people and health, said:
“We very much welcome the news that the £29 million High Needs Stability Grant has been confirmed by the government; it is really good news as it means we do not have to try to find £29 million from elsewhere to pay back the historic deficits. Alongside the approval of our SEND Reform Plan, it is another positive step in our SEND improvement journey.
“Alongside our partners, our focus remains on improving local SEND services for our children, young people and their families. The DfE has formally approved our Local SEND Reform Plan showing that we have a solid foundation for reforming and improving our SEND services.
“We are determined to make sure the agreed improvements are felt by children, young people and families in their day-to-day experiences.”
More information
The Dedicated Schools Grant (DSG) is a ring-fenced government funding allocation for state schools. It is split into blocks, with one being the ‘high needs block’ – this funds the needs of children and young people who need extra support at school or another educational setting (for example, nursery).
Like most local authorities, Bracknell Forest Council’s high needs block spending was over its budget and allocation, creating an historic debt. The £29 million from central government under the High Needs Stability Fund confirmed this week will wipe out around 90% of the historic debt accumulated until March 2026.
SEND services in the borough are provided by the local area partnership, made up of Bracknell Forest Council and NHS Thames Valley Integrated Care Board.
