Funding to support pupils 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, which is why it offers an Early Years Inclusion Grant, which provides a contribution towards additional support for children.  To find out more about the grant, visit the council’s website.

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 severe special educational needs.

If individual pupils need a higher level of funding to meet their needs, Herefordshire Council uses its High Needs Matrix to determine how much will be available (also called top-up funding).  To find out more about the matrix and funding, visit the council’s website.

For pupils with an Education, Health and Care (EHC) Plan, 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 EHC Plan in place, the school will need to make an application for funding.
 

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 EHC Plan, 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. 

To find out more about the funding, visit the Government’s website.