A COUNCIL has hit back at intense critcism over proposed funding cutbacks to pupil referral units, claiming it is spending nearly three times the national average on places for high needs students.

After being accused by a head teacher of concocting a “fantasy” that all pupils needs would be met in future, North Yorkshire County Council bosses said its strategy to focus funding on mainstream schools would help tackle the rising number of excluded pupils.

John Warren, head teacher of The Grove Academy, in Harrogate - one of five specialist pupil referral units (PRUs) in North Yorkshire, including one in Skipton - told a meeting of the authority’s young people scrutiny committee questions surrounded whether excluded pupils would have anywhere to go if PRUs closed due to cuts.

He said: “Whilst we all believe in inclusion, it is a fantasy to believe that every child can be educated in a mainstream school, especially when those schools are facing their own extreme budgetary pressures. The simple reality is many children cannot cope with the pressures of a modern mainstream school.”

Parent governor Dr Rachael Pickering claimed the council’s consultation exercise over the changes had been “unlawful” and a legal action was set to be launched against the authority.

She said thousands of residents had voiced their opposition to plans to cut funding at places such as The Grove Academy.

The authority’s  assistant director of inclusion, Jane Le Sage, told the meeting with the proposed changes the council would invest up to £3.3m into children who had been excluded or were at risk of exclusion.

She said the council currently invested £1.2m in The Grove Academy, which included £435,000 of statutory funding and £788,000 of discretionary funding, the latter of which it intended to withdraw.

Ms Le Sage said the unit currently offered 25 full-time equivalent places, which meant each place cost £48,000 a year, compared to the £18,000 per place national average.

The council officer added: “We are of the belief the consultation that we have carried out has been extensive.

“We have carried out a number of public meetings, we’ve had an online survey, we’ve provided documents in our formats as required, we have engaged with children and young people, we’ve written to parents and carers directly notifying them of the proposals.”

After the meeting, Mr Warren said the council had muddled its figures and that rather than 25 pupils, he had 40 on his school roll. He said: “Our figures show a placement typically works out at £24,000, which is comparable to the special school cost per placement. I would argue we are a special school.”