To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what the spending by local education authorities in England was on special educational needs for the years (a) 1994–95, (b) 1995–96, (c) 1996–97 and (d) 1997–98. [39616]
It is not possible to disaggregate expenditure on all pupils and students with special needs. The table shows expenditure by local education authorities on pupils and students with statements of special educational needs for 1994–95 to 1996–97, the latest year for which figures are available.
- 1994–95: £1.82 billion
- 1995–96: £1.63 billion
- 1996–97: £1.69 billion
To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what the spending by local education authorities in England was on teacher training and development for special educational needs in (a) 1994–95, (b) 1995–96, (c) 1996–97 and (d) 1997–98. [39617]
Details of total LEA expenditure on teacher training and development are not held centrally. The Government do provide support to local education authorities for teacher training and development for special educational needs through the Standards Fund, known as the Grants for Education Support and Training (GEST) programme up to 1997–98. This provides specific resources for teacher training in special educational needs, but allows local education authorities to determine spending, in accordance with local needs. LEAs may use other funds for teacher training and development in addition to that supported through the Standards Fund.
| GEST programme—elements of the grant for teacher training and development for special educational needs | |
| Year | £million |
| 1994–95 | 15.2 |
| 1995–96 | 20.6 |
| 1996–97 | 20.1 |
| 1997–98 | 16.9 |
Note:
In 1994–95, 1995–96 and 1996–97 there were two separate grants, one to support training for SEN and one to support implementation of the SEN Code of Practice. These have been combined to provide an overall figure for training and development for special educational needs. In 1997–98 there was only one combined grant.