Wirral Council will consider spending an extra £1.1m on special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) provision after it was ordered by the Government to improve.
Officers have recommended that money is moved from a contingency fund and used to hire staff in assessment and psychology teams.
An extra £2.8m will also be needed for SEND services from next year, according to a council report.
The report says staff shortages have contributed to poor inspection outcomes.
In May, an improvement notice from the Department for Education (DfE) criticised the council’s ‘poor progress’ in addressing 10 areas of significant concern raised in an Ofsted and Care Quality Commission inspection in 2021.
The 2021 report had itself criticised the council for being too slow to implement reforms set out in the Children and Families Act 2014.
The improvement notice means the DfE could intervene if Wirral fails to make the necessary changes.
