8 March 2016 weekly update

Funding for High Needs Pupils

Dear Colleagues

Just over a year ago we introduced a new system for high needs funding as part of the National Funding Reforms. This introduced a requirement that every pupil with special educational needs in receipt of £6,000 or more support in mainstream schools would receive top up funding.  The eligible pupils include those with a statement or Education, Health and Care Plan, and those in receipt of school support.

Senior school leaders worked with KCC to develop a fair and transparent approach to implementing the funding reform. We set out to:

• resource Kent schools to be able to intervene earlier and improve outcomes for children and young people
• increase the number of Kent funded high needs pupils and increase high needs funding to £19.0m from £9.0m.
• ensure the most inclusive schools no longer carried a disproportionate share of the cost
• and reduce the need for lengthy statutory processes (and the related bureaucracy) in order to access support for pupils.

At the same time we saw this as an opportunity to achieve better targeting of our resources and clearer link between cost and the actual interventions. We aimed to ensure the process was timely so that early applications were agreed within two weeks but we recognise that at times this stretched to six weeks. We also aimed to ensure there were prompt payments, which were backdated.

To improve the process of making a successful application we appointed four Area High Needs Funding Coordinators, to provide guidance and feedback to schools on applications. The Coordinators have worked with staff in schools to help improve the process and ensure it is less time consuming. The Coordinators are:

North Kent - debra.whitewood@kent.gov.uk

South Kent - alison.sandford@kent.gov.uk

East Kent - tina.button@kent.gov.uk

West Kent - nikki.twiner@kent.gov.uk or nicola.hockney@kent.gov.uk

We also developed an ICT based application and eligibility system, with inbuilt rates to validate and calculate costs.  The system has had a number of improvements in response to feedback from schools.

Progress to Date

In the past three years the number of high needs pupils has increased by around 5% a year, increasing from 5,183 in 2014 to 5,688 in 2016. If this rate of increases continues, the numbers of high needs pupils will be 7,300 by 2019-20.

At the same time the total amount of money spent on SEN continues to increase, from £110m in 2014 to £119m in 2016 and to a projected £148m by 2019-20. This represents a very significant increase in funding, from 14% of the schools’ budget in 2014 to a possible 17% in 2019.

While this means more pupils are being supported by additional funding, and this should achieve good outcomes, the rate of increase is not sustainable.

The strategy around earlier intervention should impact over time on reducing the number of pupils in a mainstream setting who need an Education, Health and Care Plan. We are also continuing to develop more SEN Resourced provision in mainstream schools, while expanding Special School places. To realise the benefits of these developments there also needs to be higher impact from the investment of high needs funding in mainstream schools.

In 2014-15, we reduced the reliance on independent and non-maintained Special schools from 526 placements to 395 by April 2015.  In support of this reduction we have commissioned places for Primary and Secondary aged pupils with ASD and Speech, Language and Communication Needs (SLCN). Six new Primary schools, from September 2015 now provide for ASD, BESN and SLCN.  We have achieved a total of 3,576 Special school places which is an increase of 250 additional places since October 2014. A further 100 places are planned.

To give an illustration of the costs, the allocation for an average high needs funded pupil with ASD in mainstream is £15,000; in SEN Resourced provision it is £17,500; in a KCC Special school it is £19,000; and in an independent school it is £41,000. In other words it is in all our interests to see more impact in mainstream schools.

In order to achieve the best value and improved outcomes for pupils with special educational needs supported by high needs funding I would ask us all to continue to:

• Make effective use of the LIFT process and focus on early intervention
• Ensure high needs funding is used effectively to improve educational needs, attainment and progress, and attempt to avoid the need for a statutory EHC plan unless there are more complex social and health needs also
• Ensure key staff in schools are trained and become more skilled in addressing ASD, speech and language and emotional and behavioural needs
• Use local expertise in Special schools (outreach funding) and in schools with Resourced Provision.

For further information, advice and support on the allocation and use of high needs funding please contact your local Coordinator, or Louise.Langley@kent.gov.uk.

Patrick Leeson
Corporate Director of Education and Young People's Services