A shortage of therapists and increasingly tight budgets are just some of the issues facing children’s services in Kingston.

Kingston is one of a number of local authorities that were required to submit budget transformation plans to the Department for Education showing how they would be able to make savings.

It’s because the department has an in-year deficit of £6.2m in the dedicated schools grant, and a cumulative deficit of £20.7m.

At last week’s Health and Wellbeing Board, councillors discussed how to fund special needs provision from their ever-tightening purse.

Although Ofsted recently rated the borough as ‘Outstanding’, many expressed concern about what would happen to plans to provide a therapy service for pupils with higher learning needs, after schools voted not to transfer some of their own funds to a ring-fenced high-needs block.

They were particularly concerned after Kingston’s partner council for children’s services, Richmond, was criticised by the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman for “multiple failings” in its provision for children with SEND.

Officers assured councillors that discussions are “ongoing” and that a number of different solutions have been presented to schools.

It is also hoped the local NHS body will be able to provide some funds.

Ashley Whittaker, Programme Director at Achieving for Children added that the SEND partnership is currently looking at workforce issues.

He said the borough had created 84 new special school places since 2018, and that 97 per cent of Education Health Care Plans (EHCPs) were completed within the statutory required time.

But he did accept more work needed to be done to feedback on the quality of EHCP plans, and to reduce waiting lists for therapists in the future.