Any cuts to teachers and support staff in Dorset schools is likely to result in a disproportionate impact on families whose children have additional needs.

Weymouth councillor Jon Orrell has warned that if support for those pupils in mainstream schools is cut it could accelerate the number of parents who will want to move their children to special schools.

Former teacher Cllr Stella Jones backed the concerns.

The Dorchester councillor said she was worried by national reports highlighting that many schools are now warning that front-line posts may have to be cut, or classroom hours reduced, because of rising costs.

Cllr Jones said she taught for many years in a county town school which accommodated pupils with additional needs and the model worked to everyone’s advantage, although was only successful because of teaching assistant support.

Mrs Jones said she feared that if cuts in Dorset school budgets had to be made she hoped that no teaching and teaching assistant posts would be at risk.

To date no loss, or potential loss, of staff posts have been announced at any Dorset school although boards of governors across the county have been discussing where they can make further savings while also increasing income.

Dorset Council’s education brief holder, Cllr Andrew Parry, told a scrutiny committee in Dorchester on Tuesday, that although two-thirds of the county’s schools were now run by academy trusts any school who feared having to cut posts should ask for help – with a team at County Hall experienced in helping to identify savings to protect core services.

Cllr Orrell said he believed that if mainstream schools which catered for pupils with additional needs were to suffer cuts to teaching and classroom support workers it would not be long before parents took steps to safeguard their child’s future by moving them. He said that, in turn, would put pressure on the limited number of special school places in the county.

“If we lose TA and other support in mainstream schools we’ll see many move over to SEND provision,” said Cllr Orrell. He added that the county’s mainstream funding per pupil was “not great” to begin with compared with other areas.

The meeting heard that although £40million in extra funding had been approved for new SEND school places in the county, both in specialists units and in ‘hubs’ at mainstream schools, many of the places would not be available until next year, or the year after.

These include Osprey Quay on Portland due to open with 75 places in September 2024 and the Harbours School at Wareham which is already open but will not reach its capacity of 160 places until next year. Work is also underway on expanding the Beaucroft School at Wimborne with a specialist unit, expected to open in May 2023.

Currently around 300 Dorset children with additional needs are in independent facilities, many out of the county, some of which charge fees at least double the £23,000 per year cost per pupil in council-run schools.

Cllr Parry said that the Dorset Council leader, Cllr Spencer Flower, was lobbying the Government, with the help of the county’s MPs, to get a better funding deal for Dorset, including services for children and young people.