EssexCounty Council SENCO Manual 2011

Funding for Special Educational Needs in Primary schools

Introduction

The dividing line between a school’s activities funded by learning support budgets and by the rest of the delegated budget is difficult to define precisely.

This is because there is a continuum between learning support, more general support for pupils’ learning and general delivery of the curriculum that involves:

“A graduated response that encompasses an array of strategies….and where necessary, brings increasing specialist expertise to bear on the difficulties that a child may be experiencing. However the school should, other than in exceptional cases, make full use of all available classroom and school resources before expecting to call upon outside resources.”

Special Educational Needs – Code of Practice 2001(5:20)

Funding for pupils with special educational needs (SEN) in all primary schools in Essex is made available through:

  • resources within Key Stage funding
  • additional educational needs targeted allowance
  • resources for statements of SEN – complex and severe
  • the pupil premium – devolved funding for pupils eligible for FSM, Service children and Children Looked After

These are recorded on the Section 52 statement received by schools.

Key Stage Funding

Approximately 3% of the school’s key stage funding should be used to provide direct support for children with special educational needs.

The following elements should be funded from the remaining 97% of the key stage funding:

i)management administration and liaison activities undertaken by the SENCO

ii)differentiation of the curriculum through planning, teaching resources and smaller teaching groups for certain subjects or pupils

iii)specialist equipment (including IT equipment) for a broad range of pupils

iv)general classroom support

Delegated SEN Funding and Additional Educational Needs

Provision at School Action and School Action Plus and a base level of provision for all pupils with statements should be met from the SEN delegated budget. Each school is allocated a sum through formulae using indicators including the number on roll, free school meals entitlement and end of Key Stage 1 results. This directly supports the needs of pupils identified at Essex School Action or Essex School Action Plus. Allocations for pupils with statements assume the school is already making appropriate provision(equivalent to 5 hours individual Learning Assistant time) from this element.

Funding for Statements

It is expected that, for pupils with statements, schools will already be providing the same level of support that they would provide to pupils on Essex School Action Plus. The allocation from the Local Authority (LA) then supplements this provision.

It is recognised that in practice the needs of pupils with or without statements may at times be met together and it may be difficult to isolate exactly the support allocated to statemented pupils. Nevertheless, schools need to ensure that the support funded by the LA is allocated to individual pupils with statements, and that they are able to account for this.

All funding for pupils with statements known to the LA, at the time of the January School Census, is delegated to schools. The sum is shown on the Section 52 budget statement. Additional funds are allocated or reclaimed as appropriate as pupils join or leave the school. Schools should be able to account for this expenditureagainst those pupils with statements.As the incidence in mainstream schools of pupils with a statement is more difficult to predict,the school is allocated a specific sum for each pupil to enable them to provide teacher and/or teacher assistant and/or other support, depending on the needs as outlined in the statement.

The individual band allocation is in line with that provided to pupils with similar needs in special schools or special units.

The LA funds Learning Assistant support at LGPS Band 2 scale point 13 in mainstream schools for the purpose of allocating SEN resources.

As a general rule the hours can be allocated on a ratio of 1 hour to a pupil on School Action to 1.5 to 2.5 hours for pupils who are on School Action Plus.

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The diagram on the following page illustrates how funding matches the continuum of need.

Where should the funding come from and how does it accumulate for the child?
Pupils / Service / Funding source
Requiring occasional support clearly with SEN but not on Essex School Action
On EssexSchool action
On EssexSchool Action Plus
Statements - Additional
With statements – Complex/Severe / Differentiation
As above plus objectives plus central recording, plus IEPs and meetings with parents, plus small group/individual classroom support plus where already involved liaison with health or social services
As above plus more detailed assessment, increased levels of support, liaison with other agencies as necessary and external advice sought as appropriate
As above plus initial plan to implement statement, targeted use of support relating to IEPs and review, specialist advice sought as appropriate
As above plus additional individualised educational and targeted support. / Key Stage Funding
Key Stage Funding
Key Stage Funding and delegated LA SEN Additional Needs Allocation
Key Stage Funding, delegated LA SEN Additional Needs Allocation
Key Stage Funding, delegated LA SEN budget and individual allocations from LA

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Ref: SM1/6.1

First issue: April 2003