Statements - Where do schools get the funding from??

[Anna85]

If a child is granted a statement - where does the funding come from for that support.

My DS school has said they get no additional funding if he is awarded a statement?

Depends on what statement contains I guess? I saw an email from LEA with ds's statement costed out. LEA are billed what's on this email by school and therapists.

I think the school is expected to fund the first fifteen hours out of their delegated budget, the LEA funds any additional provision.

Aww I see - the school have requested a statement as I kept on at them and the LEA's 6 weeks is up Thursday but me and the school are expecting it to be turned down first time as they are reluctantly given statements now (GGGRRRR) and when asked if they would appeal they didn't seem to keen 2! Now its school holidays I wont be able to get anything appealed!!

In DD's statement LA said they would fund 25 hours per week. Not sure if it depends on which area you live in it shouldn't do. I can't see how you DS's school would get no additional funding - a statement is all about the LA providing additional support along with the cost or so I thought?

In my LEA money is diveded between schools using a set formula inc free school meals, school size, boys and girls etc the the LEA hold back a sum of money for top up, independent etc. Again in my LEA statement are divided into two type. this is a cut and paste

"For children who have a high incidence statement
(moderate learning difficulty; specific learning
difficulty (dyslexia); behaviour, emotional and social
difficulty; and mild/moderate autistic spectrum
disorders), funding is already allocated to schools
and the school is responsible for providing the
additional help specified in the statement.

Where children have a low incidence statement
(severe learning difficulty; visual impairment; physical
disability; speech, language and communication
needs; and severe and complex communication
difficulties/severe and complex autism), funding is
retained centrally and then allocated to schools as a
top-up to ensure that the full cost of the statement
and, more importantly, the needs of the individual
child can be met."

which expains why school are reluctant to support statements.

Every area is different, some delegate more funding to schools than others
Here its 20 hours.
But of course provision can be things other than hours.
Sometimes the Council top up anything over the eg 20 hours
In other areas if you go over 20 hours they pay the lot
Whichever way it comes from the council - it just depends if they hold it centrally or if the school have the money already

If the school say they won't get more funding they probably wont push that hard for the statement as it may state more hours than they want to provide - and divert funds as they see it from elsewhere in school. So i would appeal yourself and keep control of the appeal. It sounds like your interests and that of the school may conflict

It's changed recently here so that any statement with less than 20 hours a week of 1-1 is now funded by the schools, out of the SEN budget allocation they get from the Local Authority (never very much and it's dependant on a county formula). And what we're seeing is more and more Statements of 18 or 19 hours, not because that's what the child needs but because that way the LA doesn't have to find the money.

Our LEA still entirely funds the hours on the statement but I think they are becoming a rarity. Schools around here welcome statemented children in the most part because of the extra funding they bring with them. There are of course always schools who value more their SATs results though.

So a child with a statement technically gives the school some funding?? The school told me this wasnt the case!!

No it would depend where you live, by the sounds of it the school have their SEN budget from the LEA to be used in SEN, having a statement to them would mean they had to honour the agreement and fund the provision stated, children with sen without statement the school has a duty to provide support but there is no legal authority. Which causes the conflict of interest. Just remember the funding no matter who provides it is not your problem but theirs you just get the best statement you can

Probably why they r not keen for the statement to be appealed!!!

Ds's statement is an expensive statement because he gets 1 to 1 support by an appropriately trained and qualified TA at all times so in our LEA the statement is worth about £15000 pa which the school gets to fund his support.
If we were in a neighbouring LEA Ds would still get the support on his statement but the school would have to fund it out of their SEN budget. So ds's support would be provided but the school might not then have the resources to provide support to other children on school action say.

In my LA the primary school has to fund the first 10 hours of 1:1 on a statement and a secondary school funds the first 20 hours. This is from the schools own budget, which is supposed to include an amount for SEN support. The LA funds the balance. It definitely varies from LA to LA as I have found out on MN.