School Action Plus funding amount?

[cardboardcactus]

Hi, does anyone know how much money a school gets for a child on School Action Plus? Or does it vary from borough to borough?

www.ipsea.org.uk/AssetLibrary/News/SEN%20FUNDING%20AFTER%20APRIL%202013%20Public%20briefing.pdf

This explains the funding changes. It is somewhat misleading to think that the school gets a ring-fenced SEN budget or receives x amount of money for each pupil on the register. They don't. The HT at DS2's primary school has said that they can't 'afford' any more statemented DC clearly indicating a lack of intention to provide individual funding up to the 'top-up' level for unstatemented DC on the register.

School doesn't get any money for a child on School Action Plus. They get funding for the general category of SEN which they need to spend on all their children with SEN (though if they can find ways to avoid it, they can keep the money for a staff jolly or vegetable garden as it isn't ring-fenced).

Now, should a child's needs require more money then they have been allocated there are a few options open to them. They can apply to the LA for additional funds. This is usually available through cluster groups (a group of schools who manage the budget for their 'cluster' and award it based on application), but if not, they can plead with the LA, since it is the LA's statutory obligation, not the schools, to made adequate educational provision for each child.

Another option open to them is to apply (or the parents can apply) for a statutory assessment which will bring in additional funds if they are deemed necessary to provide a child with an adequate education. The school will normally be expected to use some of their SEN money up to around £10k per child before a Local Authority tops it up, but that is really between the LA and the school and needn't be your concern.

Your child is not entitled to money, or to funding. They are entitled to an adequate education. That can be resourced any way the school sees fit provided they can demonstrate that needs are being met (in theory).

Vigorous and targetted googling or other searching can sometimes unearth the funding formula for your individual LEA. Our council's website has an unintentionally fabulous search engine attached to its search box, which can access quite a lot of documents on the "shared" areas of the council servers. Not private stuff, obv, but it includes the spreadsheet sent to schools to fill out to calculate their funding under the new NFF. You may be able to find something similar for your LEA.

The theory behind the funding changes has been that the NFF will bring a more fair and transparent approach to SN spending, so schools are forced to give better "value" because the same type of pupil will attract the same funding wherever they go, or if there is a difference it is for "fair" reasons. In theory it stops school A spending the SN budget on carpets because it's easier to see they have the same funds as school B so ought to get the same SN results.

However, each council's own SN funding arrangements have been so complex and opaque that if they just switched to a single formula across the board the change would be massive and some schools would be awash with money while others would be deep in the red. So the govt have fudged it (imo) by giving councils a set of broad rules and letting them keep their own formulae as long as they are in line with the rules. So we have the worst of both worlds (again imo) ie funding is still opaque and complex, but there's a fair bit of change and schools are struggling to balance the budget. This year (April 2013 to April 2014) is a transition year & there's some funding available to help schools with the biggest drop, so even if you can a) get hold of the formula for this year and b) understand it, it won't necessarily be the same figure for next year anyway.

Thanks for all the info folks. Need to read properly and digest! Yes, I knew SA+ money wasn't ring fenced but I'm pretty concerned that DS's school is spending sod all on supporting him and wondered how much money a school might get for their SEN children. The IPSEA doc seems to indicate (again will read more thoroughly later) a rough sum of £6000 per child with SEN, on top of roughly £4000 per child (with or without SEN). I know it's not ring fenced but it's a useful indicator. Think I've taken the school's protests of not being able to afford stuff at face value - I need to push far more. Eg an ed psych recommended sensory breaks but the school never implemented them as they had 'no-one to supervise'. This is but one of countless examples.....

Try not to get bogged down by budgets, if the school cannot meet your child's needs on SA+ then you need to be asking why the have not spoken to the la or requested your child to be statemented. If your child needs support lack of funds is for them to sort out not your problem

The word 'afford' needs to be read as 'prioritise'.

If a school says they can't afford any 1:1 for your child, they mean they can't 'prioritise' it over other demands on their resources.

Of course they could afford it. If they are really low on funds the HT could take a pay cut or work for free. They could sell one of their IWBs or not buy glue for a couple of years. The HT could even write rude letters to the LA and demand more money.

But, your child may just not be enough of a priority.

I fear you paint an accurate image Starlight. All very depressing... I really do want to have an amicable relationship with the school, but I no longer feel they have DS's best interests at heart. God I feel depressed before the school year has even started!

By the way, I assume that schools have to account for how they've spent money intended for SEN. Does anyone know how you access that information?
I possibly am getting hung up on budgets here...

Might be useful chuck
www.cafamily.org.uk/media/690094/education_top_school_sen_funding_myths.pdf

Brilliant thanks sazale!

I like to focus more on my child's needs being met rather than funding.
His old school ht told me they had never had such a severe child at their school and he was going to be expensive, my response was "" your telling the wrong person dear, ring the LA and tell them my son is here to learn and your here to make that happen . Have a nice day"".
Funding was never mentioned ever again, DS did amazing at that school and ht and myself got on great.

Yep. If they raise the issue of funding tell them to see their accountant and feign surprise that they are willing to share what must be confidential information about their financial viability with a mere parent.