Finance

The budget allocation is agreed between our school and the Local Authority at the beginning of each financial year. Detail of how this money is used to support children and young people with SEND is shown below.

As part of the school budget, there is a ‘notional’ SEN amount. This is used to support children with SEND in a number of ways, for example by giving them access to additional targeted support from teachers or teaching assistants and by providing additional resources.

The SEN notional budget for 2017-2018 is £163,539,09.

Every school in Durham receives it’s school budget from the Local Authority at the beginning of the financial year in April. All aspects of the school budget are monitored by the Governing Body every term.

The resources that we provide are allocated on an individual basis depending upon the needs of each child. We constantly evaluate and amend the provision we have in place to ensure that we are meeting the needs of all of our pupils effectively.

Schools are responsible for funding the first £6000 of support for children with SEN – after which they can request addition ‘Top Up Funds’ from the Local Authority. Generally this is for children with very high needs.

Children in receipt of an EHCP may be allocated additional funds as part of the plan. The use of these funds is discussed at the initiation of the plan, and during the review meetings to ensure best value is achieved.

The budget is used to support children and young people with SEND by:

  • Children with SEND in our school will access support additional to that normally available in the classroom. They may work with a teacher or a member of our support team in a small group or they may require some 1:1 support to meet their needs. The support they receive may take place in the classroom or they may be withdrawn from the class as part of our Provision Map support.
  • In addition we would use our SEN budget to make adjustments to our school environment as required. For example, it may be necessary to add handrails to aid mobility or specific furniture or equipment is needed. In our classrooms children may benefit from specific equipment such as weighted jackets, writing slopes or additional access to ICT.

If a child has complex special educational needs, we could also receive additional funding from the Local Authority to meet the agreed outcomes.

In order to access these funds, the school produces a costed provision map detailing the provision the child is receiving and at what cost to the school. Parents are involved in this process and are invited to review the plans and support timetables with the SENCO.

A Funding Band is allocated from Durham County Council and is dependent on need.

If you would like to discuss your SEND requirements in detail please contact the school to arrange an appointment.

More information about SEND finances is available within the Local Authority Local Offer Website