EDUCATING and caring for 31 York youngsters in homes and residential schools outside the city is costing City of York Council almost £2million a year.

The cost to taxpayers of residential school fees of one young man with autism comes to £213,000 per year, while the therapeutic placement of another youngster is costing £3,600 a week.

The average cost for the 31 children in residential care is £62,829.94 a year each, or £1,208.27 a week. They suffer from a range of disorders, including autism.

In comparison, the average cost of educating a secondary school pupil is £3,000 per year, or £57.69 per week.

The council is also facing a £771,000 overspend on its budget set aside to pay for the services.

At a meeting of the executive today, councillors were discussing how to cater for such young people within the city and cut down on the £1,947,728 spent on housing them in residential schools, therapeutic and emergency placements during 2003/04.

Plans to be laid on the table include a system of pooled budgets and joint commissioning for the next financial year and to seek enhanced contributions from Selby and York Primary Care Trust.

Discussions are currently under way with the Local Education Authority to open two new special schools and to establish local provision for children with Aspergers Syndrome with a mainstream secondary school.

Westfield School is considering supporting children for a further year, which would only affect one or two students but could save the LEA up to £40,000 per year after staffing and capital costs.

Councillors will hear how the Education and Community Services budgets are still facing pressure, despite only 29 out of 735 pupils with Statements of Special Educational Needs (SEN) being educated in external residential special schools.

A report to the executive states: "It is recognised that the unique needs of some children will result in their needs being more appropriately met by a placement out of authority. The drive is to ensure that such placements reflect a positive choice which is in the interests of the young person and their families and not a reflection of deficiencies in local service provision that could have been developed."

The national population of "looked after" children is increasing, as is the number of young children in York diagnosed as autistic, and annual fees for places in independent special schools rise at a cost higher than inflation.

Updated: 11:04 Tuesday, August 03, 2004