FAQs About SEN Funding
Here are 10 of the most frequently asked questions about 'SEN Funding'.
1. “WHY DO SCHOOLS NEED FUNDING?”
Schools require LA funding for all of their pupils, including those who have a form of SEN. The funding schools receive is vital to provide the educational support for all pupils, and special educational provision for pupils with SEN.
2. “WHAT WAS SEN FUNDING IN SCHOOLS PRE-APRIL 2013?”
Prior to April 2013 under school funding regulations, LAs were required to identify the particular amount of funding a school received to provide support for pupils with SEN. This was called a 'Notional SEN Budget'.
From April 2013, a system called “Place Plus” changed the provision to meet SEN funding in specialist settings (special schools, units and resource bases). The provision to meet funding in mainstream schools has also changed.
This 'Notional SEN Budget' still remains after April 2013.
3. “WHAT IS SEN FUNDING IN MAINSTREAM SCHOOLS POST-APRIL 2013?”
There are now three factors to consider:
(a) Core Education Funding:
The AWPU (Age Weighted Pupil Unit) – This is dependant on the total number of pupils in a school. Each pupil (both with and without SEN) is provided with a certain amount of funding to meet their educational needs. There is no set amount per pupil but there is now a general belief that this is the equivalent of £4,000 per pupil.
(b) Additional Support Funding (ASF):
On top of the core education funding, schools are given an additional amount of funding to meet the special educational provision of pupils with SEN. This funding comes from a particular funding stream called either the designated schools grant or schools block. This funding forms part of a school’s ‘notional SEN budget’.
Currently, the government suggests that a school should use their notional SEN budget to fund up to £6,000 worth of special educational provision for a pupil with SEN. This is an average figure, as not all pupils with SEN require special educational provision beyond the amount of £6,000. It should heavily depend on the individual needs of each pupil with SEN. Additional support funding is used for pupils requiring special educational provision, including, for example, the commissioning of external experts such as therapists to attend a school and provide support.
(c) Top-up Funding:
If a school requires funding that goes beyond the maximum £6,000 to provide a pupil’s special educational provision, then depending on the assessed needs of the pupil concerned, the LA will provide the required funding from the LA’s high needs block.
4. “DOES THE AGE OF A PUPIL AFFECT THE AMOUNT OF FUNDING A SCHOOL RECEIVES?”
Generally, the amount of funding available to primary school age pupils is lower than that delegated to pupils in secondary school. From the academic year 2013/14 all secondary schools and academies are provided with at least £3,000 per pupil, whilst all primary schools are provided with at least £2,000 per pupil. This difference is perhaps due the growing level of general educational provision needed as pupils move up from primary to secondary school level.
Pupils who are over the age of 16 with high needs will be allocated the standard funding that all post-16 students receive. In addition to this, they will receive £6,000 for each organised high needs place in the educational establishment the pupil will attend.
5. “IS THERE A DIFFERENCE IN THE AMOUNT OF FUNDING FOR CHILDREN WITH AND WITHOUT SEN?”
The core education funding is provided to schools for every pupil in that school, regardless of whether a pupil has a SEN or not. However, both the additional support funding and top-up funding are mainly, but not exclusively, used for pupils with SEN. The pupils who do receive this additional funding are classified as “high needs”. These are needs that go beyond the needs of pupils who do not require extra funding.
6. “IS THERE A DIFFERENCE IN THE FUNDING BETWEEN ACADEMIES AND MAINSTREAM SCHOOLS?”
The Government has now changed where the funding to schools comes from: it could be from the LA or the EFA. It depends on the type of school requesting the funding.
ASF is provided to mainstream schools by the LA and to Academies and free schools by the EFA. Academies receive the same amount of funding as mainstream schools.
7. “WHAT IS SEN FUNDING NOW IN SPECIAL SCHOOLS POST-APRIL 2013?”
Special schools are defined as establishments designed to make special educational provision for their pupils with SEN. They are approved by the Secretary of State. A pupil with SEN in a specialist placement will have a designated place set aside for them.
Before April 2013, all maintained special schools had a pre-set amount of places for pupils joining them in the upcoming academic year. Even if these places were not all filled, the school would still receive full up-front funding for each place.
As of April 2013, there is the new system called “Place Plus”. Special schools are provided with base funding of £10,000 for each planned place dependent on the predicted admissions for the next academic year. In maintained schools the budget will be supplied by the maintaining LA, whilst for academies the budget will be provided by the EFA. If a special school requires additional funding on top of the £10,000 base funding, then it can request that the LA provides top-up funding.
8. “WHAT HAPPENS IF A SCHOOL HAS TO PROVIDE MORE FUNDING FOR PUPILS WITH SEN THAN ORIGINALLY INTENDED?”
If a school finds it has to provide special educational provision for more pupils with SEN than was originally planned, then the school can ask the LA for additional funding. If approved, the funding would be supplied from the LA’s high needs block. The amount of funding provided is based on the proportion of pupils at the school with SEN, but the ultimate aim should be to ensure the correct amount of funding is spent on each pupil with SEN, to provide them with the special educational provision they require.
9. “HAS THE LAW ON SEN CHANGED TOO?”
Yes. The SEN Framework had been outlined in Part 4 of the Education Act 1996 Act and the SEN Code of Practice 2001. Regulations and Case law stipulated the LA’s legal responsibilities for providing the correct special educational provision for children with SEN under their Statement.
However, the new SEN Framework came into force in September 2014 and is now set out in the Children and Families Bill 2014 and a new SEN Code of Practice 2014.
10. “ARE THERE ANY ISSUES WITH THE NEW FUNDING SYSTEM?”
Some schools may have lost out in the new funding system. This includes small schools with only a certain amount of additional funding for their pupils with SEN, and who are required to allocate more funds if another child joins the school.
Also, LAs may have tried to remove the necessary specification element from a child’s Statement, due to changes in the funding available. Remember that the changes in school funding do not affect the LA’s legal responsibility to provide the special educational provision set out in a child’s Statement/EHC plan.
Financial hardships do not provide LAs with an excuse to not provide the correct special educational provision for a child with a Statement/EHC plan.
To find out more information about the new funding system click here to read the Council for Disabled Children's guide on 'School funding changes and children with SEN in mainstream schools: a briefing for parents'.
By Douglas Silas
1. “WHY DO SCHOOLS NEED FUNDING?”
Schools require LA funding for all of their pupils, including those who have a form of SEN. The funding schools receive is vital to provide the educational support for all pupils, and special educational provision for pupils with SEN.
2. “WHAT WAS SEN FUNDING IN SCHOOLS PRE-APRIL 2013?”
Prior to April 2013 under school funding regulations, LAs were required to identify the particular amount of funding a school received to provide support for pupils with SEN. This was called a 'Notional SEN Budget'.
From April 2013, a system called “Place Plus” changed the provision to meet SEN funding in specialist settings (special schools, units and resource bases). The provision to meet funding in mainstream schools has also changed.
This 'Notional SEN Budget' still remains after April 2013.
3. “WHAT IS SEN FUNDING IN MAINSTREAM SCHOOLS POST-APRIL 2013?”
There are now three factors to consider:
(a) Core Education Funding:
The AWPU (Age Weighted Pupil Unit) – This is dependant on the total number of pupils in a school. Each pupil (both with and without SEN) is provided with a certain amount of funding to meet their educational needs. There is no set amount per pupil but there is now a general belief that this is the equivalent of £4,000 per pupil.
(b) Additional Support Funding (ASF):
On top of the core education funding, schools are given an additional amount of funding to meet the special educational provision of pupils with SEN. This funding comes from a particular funding stream called either the designated schools grant or schools block. This funding forms part of a school’s ‘notional SEN budget’.
Currently, the government suggests that a school should use their notional SEN budget to fund up to £6,000 worth of special educational provision for a pupil with SEN. This is an average figure, as not all pupils with SEN require special educational provision beyond the amount of £6,000. It should heavily depend on the individual needs of each pupil with SEN. Additional support funding is used for pupils requiring special educational provision, including, for example, the commissioning of external experts such as therapists to attend a school and provide support.
(c) Top-up Funding:
If a school requires funding that goes beyond the maximum £6,000 to provide a pupil’s special educational provision, then depending on the assessed needs of the pupil concerned, the LA will provide the required funding from the LA’s high needs block.
4. “DOES THE AGE OF A PUPIL AFFECT THE AMOUNT OF FUNDING A SCHOOL RECEIVES?”
Generally, the amount of funding available to primary school age pupils is lower than that delegated to pupils in secondary school. From the academic year 2013/14 all secondary schools and academies are provided with at least £3,000 per pupil, whilst all primary schools are provided with at least £2,000 per pupil. This difference is perhaps due the growing level of general educational provision needed as pupils move up from primary to secondary school level.
Pupils who are over the age of 16 with high needs will be allocated the standard funding that all post-16 students receive. In addition to this, they will receive £6,000 for each organised high needs place in the educational establishment the pupil will attend.
5. “IS THERE A DIFFERENCE IN THE AMOUNT OF FUNDING FOR CHILDREN WITH AND WITHOUT SEN?”
The core education funding is provided to schools for every pupil in that school, regardless of whether a pupil has a SEN or not. However, both the additional support funding and top-up funding are mainly, but not exclusively, used for pupils with SEN. The pupils who do receive this additional funding are classified as “high needs”. These are needs that go beyond the needs of pupils who do not require extra funding.
6. “IS THERE A DIFFERENCE IN THE FUNDING BETWEEN ACADEMIES AND MAINSTREAM SCHOOLS?”
The Government has now changed where the funding to schools comes from: it could be from the LA or the EFA. It depends on the type of school requesting the funding.
ASF is provided to mainstream schools by the LA and to Academies and free schools by the EFA. Academies receive the same amount of funding as mainstream schools.
7. “WHAT IS SEN FUNDING NOW IN SPECIAL SCHOOLS POST-APRIL 2013?”
Special schools are defined as establishments designed to make special educational provision for their pupils with SEN. They are approved by the Secretary of State. A pupil with SEN in a specialist placement will have a designated place set aside for them.
Before April 2013, all maintained special schools had a pre-set amount of places for pupils joining them in the upcoming academic year. Even if these places were not all filled, the school would still receive full up-front funding for each place.
As of April 2013, there is the new system called “Place Plus”. Special schools are provided with base funding of £10,000 for each planned place dependent on the predicted admissions for the next academic year. In maintained schools the budget will be supplied by the maintaining LA, whilst for academies the budget will be provided by the EFA. If a special school requires additional funding on top of the £10,000 base funding, then it can request that the LA provides top-up funding.
8. “WHAT HAPPENS IF A SCHOOL HAS TO PROVIDE MORE FUNDING FOR PUPILS WITH SEN THAN ORIGINALLY INTENDED?”
If a school finds it has to provide special educational provision for more pupils with SEN than was originally planned, then the school can ask the LA for additional funding. If approved, the funding would be supplied from the LA’s high needs block. The amount of funding provided is based on the proportion of pupils at the school with SEN, but the ultimate aim should be to ensure the correct amount of funding is spent on each pupil with SEN, to provide them with the special educational provision they require.
9. “HAS THE LAW ON SEN CHANGED TOO?”
Yes. The SEN Framework had been outlined in Part 4 of the Education Act 1996 Act and the SEN Code of Practice 2001. Regulations and Case law stipulated the LA’s legal responsibilities for providing the correct special educational provision for children with SEN under their Statement.
However, the new SEN Framework came into force in September 2014 and is now set out in the Children and Families Bill 2014 and a new SEN Code of Practice 2014.
10. “ARE THERE ANY ISSUES WITH THE NEW FUNDING SYSTEM?”
Some schools may have lost out in the new funding system. This includes small schools with only a certain amount of additional funding for their pupils with SEN, and who are required to allocate more funds if another child joins the school.
Also, LAs may have tried to remove the necessary specification element from a child’s Statement, due to changes in the funding available. Remember that the changes in school funding do not affect the LA’s legal responsibility to provide the special educational provision set out in a child’s Statement/EHC plan.
Financial hardships do not provide LAs with an excuse to not provide the correct special educational provision for a child with a Statement/EHC plan.
To find out more information about the new funding system click here to read the Council for Disabled Children's guide on 'School funding changes and children with SEN in mainstream schools: a briefing for parents'.
By Douglas Silas