1. New SEN Funding Arrangements 13/14
Brian Gale
Director Policy and Campaigns

2. Important to note:
DfE guidance School Funding reform: Arrangements for 2013/4 was issued in late June 2012
BUT
The decision on funding for SEN Support Services was not made until later and announced in Sept 2012
Therefore:

3. Therefore:
The guidance issued in June 2012 is not clear on arrangements for SEN support services
Decisions LAs make about funding and charging for SEN Support Services should not be based on this guidance

4. Objective
“A place plus approach to high needs will ensure that all providers, mainstream and specialist, will be funded on an equivalent basis. This approach as been designed to be straightforward and transparent, so as to encourage flexibility and where appropriate, improve choice”

5. The Dedicated School Grant remains (but includes post 16 SEN)

6. The DSG
Schools block
High needs block
Early Years block

7. Schools Block
Funds schools
Includes a notional SEN allocation

8. Notional SEN budget
“Whichever way LAs choose to allocate funding for low cost, high incidence SEN, they will still be required to give mainstream schools a notional SEN budget from the Schools Block

9. Notional SEN budget
“ It is from this notional budget that mainstream schools will be expected to:
Meet the needs of pupils with low cost high incidence needs
Contribute up to a certain level set by the LA, towards to cost of provision for pupils with high needs (including those with high cost, low incidence SEN

10. Important Note
The DfE guidance does not require schools contribute to the cost of specialist SI services for their pupils as the DfE has enabled LAs to hold centrally in the High Needs Block all current funding for these services.

11. Important note continued
There is no requirement to disaggregate the budget for specialist support services and delegate to schools that element of funding for those pupils without statements or are low cost. Therefore schools should not be required to pay for support for such pupils.

12. Question
What should be the level set by the LA for pupils with SI given that funding is delegated for high incidence needs but not low incidence needs. Is there a case for a differentiated approach?

13. DfE recommendation
DfE strongly recommends that a school’s notional budget contribute the first £6,000 to the cost of a statement (FE colleges make the same contribution for students with a LD assessment)
BUT

14. Transition
Transitional arrangements will be considered to reflect that some LAs have higher levels of delegation and set much higher levels for a school’s contribution and some have low or even no delegation

15. Question
Will an un-intend consequence of the school’s contribution increase demand for places in specialist provision (mainstream resourced provision or special schools) funded from the High Needs Block?

16. High Needs Block A commissioning budget for C&YP with High Level Needs
ie those who require provision costing more than about £10,000

17. HNB pays for: Specialist SEN support services
Additional support in mainstream EY settings, schools, FE (but schools and FE pay first £6,000)
Top up for resourced provision in mainstream and special school provision

18. HNB pays for:
Top up funding for pupils with high needs in mainstream schools
SEN Transport
Personal SEN budget / direct payments
Early Years SEN

19. A little flexibility:
LAs will be able to use the High Needs Block to help schools whose formula funding does not adequately reflect the number and/or needs of pupils with SEN in the school.

20. How will the HN Block be calculated
DfE to confirm each LA’s notional High Needs Block in December 12. It will be based on spend, possibly updated with population projections.
Will this disadvantage high delegators?

21. Funding in mainstream
3 elements
Core education funding eg standard pupil funding as awpu (approx £4,000)
2 Additional Support Funding – eg notional SEN budget that funds up to £6,000
3. Top up funding for high needs

22. Specialist provision
Currently funded by the number of purchased places whether occupied or not
In 2013/4 the place funded element will be reduced to £10,000 per place plus top up based on the number of actual pupils on roll

23. NMSS
Non maintained special schools will receive directly from the government £10,000 per place and LAs will pay the top up fee from the HNB

24. Top Up Funding
Provided on a per pupil/student basis based on assessed needs and the cost of provision received in the setting they are placed
To be agreed between provider and LA
No inter-authority recoupment
Close to real time movement of the pupil (no block or advanced purchases)

25. Top up funding LAs could develop a banded model
LAs could work at regional level to adopt a consistent approach
Top up funding can take account of the fact that some specialist settings will not be full at times

26. Funding of SEN Support Services
DfE announcement at School Funding Implementation Group September 2012

27. Ministerial decision
Ministers decided to remove the current double funding for specialist SEN support services.
From the academic year, Academies will no longer receive a separate SEN Local Authority Central Spend Equivalent Grant payment for SEN support services.

28. LAs will be required to provide specialist SEN support services to all state funded schools on the same basis as maintained schools.
In relation to non-recoupment Academies and Free Schools, an appropriate amount will be added to the local authority’s DSG allocation.

29. All of the current funding for support services can be retained centrally in the HNB irrespective of whether pupils have statement or not and irrespective of whether they are high needs or not. This:.....

30. Enables LAs to work preventatively
Reduces perverse incentive to go for statutory assessment
Recognises that for low incidence needs that delegation using a funding formula cannot reflect the true distribution of need between schools

31. By Sept 2012 LAs must
Confirm with the EFA the number of places in specialist SEN settings that will be funded in

32. By Oct 12 LAs must
Decide on the level up to which mainstream schools will contribute to the needs of high needs pupils (DfE recommends £6,000)

33. By Oct 12 LAs must
Identify the notional SEN budget mainstream schools will receive for meeting high-incidence SEN and for contributing to the provision of pre-16 high needs pupils

34. By Oct 2012 LAs must
“Define the financial contribution that mainstream providers will make for high needs pupils and students in terms of the provision that they will offer – this will be an important aspect of the preparation of the local offer”

35. By April 2013
Local authorities must work with providers and confirm the rates of per-pupil top-up funding that will be used in

36. Implementation in Nottingham ..........