SCHOOL leaders have put forward recommendations to address rising costs of supporting children with high level special needs - but there is still work to be done.

The Schools Forum - a panel of headteachers and local education experts which shapes local education spending - met privately in Kendal to determine recommendations on how to best tackle a growing multi-million pound deficit in the county's high needs budget, part of ring-fenced schools funding which comes to Cumbria from central government.

Though they are yet to be firmed up yet, the recommendations are due to be put the County Council's cabinet in November and December.

Councillor Clare Feeney-Johnson, the cabinet member for Schools and Learning, said it was a difficult meeting but they have come along way.

"Some recommendations were pretty straight forward which have been discussed a lot over the past six months or so. To fund young people who have gone out of mainstream education into more complex needs support, its just a matter of moving the funding around to meet those needs," she said.

"Then there's the Autumn statement that will have implications on the high needs budget. Apparently the government has got £55m additional funds for high needs so we need to know how that is going to be distributed nationwide."

There was suggestion that another meeting be held at the end of November following its outcome.

The Department for Education needs the financial plan for the county's designated school grant by November 30 but Cumbria County Council is going to ask that submission be delayed until December 5.

The Government announcement will affect the fund, and education leaders want to be able to analyse the information and work it into the plan.

By December they will be in a position to say what the recommendations are. The inclusion strategy is also due to come before cabinet at the time. Mrs Feeney-Johnson said its important to tie the two documents together. "The inclusion strategy will work towards helping alleviate the pressure on the high funds block as well."

There are also plans to review the funding formula, Mrs Feeney-Johnson said, to put some protection into special needs schools but also provision across the board.

She said: "There's a lot of on-going work yet to be done before recommendations can be firmed up for cabinet.

"It was a difficult meeting but it was a positive meeting because there was some tidying up decisions and recommendations which were very straight forward but there's some more work being done.

"So we are progressing forward with solutions but we're trying to do it in a very fair cohesive way that isn't going to unfairly disadvantage any particular school. We don't want to live somewhere where schools become selective. We need to have a comprehensive system."

She added: "It's really important that we try and get this right. We're talking about some of our most vulnerable young people."

School are due to receive a summary of the meeting along with further consultation information on other suggestions.

The Cumberland News revealed last month that proposals included slashing three per cent from the budget of every county school to help towards meeting statutory costs the council must meet to support those with the highest needs. This has now been sidelined while other options are considered, with a warning that alternatives could be "equally unpalatable".