Funding to support children and young people with SEND
Pre-school and early years settings
A small number of children in pre-school settings may need a little extra help, which is the responsibility of the setting to provide. Herefordshire Council recognise the challenges faced by pre-school and early years settings when meeting the requirements of children with significant or complex needs.
Read more about funding available in early years settings including the Disability Access Fund (DAF) and Early Years Inclusion Funding.
Mainstream schools
Mainstream schools already have some funding (up to £6,000 per pupil) built into their budgets to meet a wide variety of less complex special educational needs.
If individual children and young people need a higher level of funding to meet their needs, Herefordshire Council uses its High Needs Matrix to decide how much additional funding is necessary (sometimes called top-up funding).
For children and young people with an Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP), the level of funding is determined as part of the assessment process, so there's no need for schools to apply separately. However, if there's no EHCP in place, the school will need to make an application for funding.
If you feel your child or young person requires additional support and funding to meet their needs, speak to their class teacher or the school SENCO. To find out more about the matrix and funding, you can visit the High Needs Matrix page.
Specialist schools and provision
Specialist schools and other specialist provision will receive £10,000 per school place, at the start of each financial year. Each pupil entering a specialist school or provision will have an EHCP, along with the appropriate level of top-up funding.
Special Provision Capital Fund
The Special Provision Capital Fund is a government grant allocated to improve special education settings to ensure children with SEND have good quality educational facilities.