Parent and carer guide to SEN support

Schools are allocated funding for every pupil in the school (this varies with age). Schools are also allocated SEN funding (£6,000) per annum in their budget to pay for additional support that a child or young person may require. Schools would not receive this for every child at the school as the amount allocated to schools is decided through a funding formula.

In some instances, some children and young people with SEN support need more resource than the budget allocated (£6,000 SEN funding) will pay for to support them. In Stockton-on-Tees, schools and settings are able to apply to the Local Authority for additional funding to support a child, without the requirement of an EHC Needs Assessment.

To do this the school would make an application to the One Point Panel. The One Point Panel also offers schools and settings access to outreach and in reach support from our Enhanced Mainstream Schools (EMS), Higher Level Teaching Assistant (HLTA) support and advice from Local authority advisers and officers.

To make an application the school would need to include the following:

• comprehensive information about your child's additional needs (i.e.what they have done to assess the needs of your child)
• evidence over time of meaningful and purposeful action through the assess, plan, do and review cycle (for example, what have they done, has it worked, what have they adapted, has that worked) and including a costed provision map which details all the provision and support in place and the costs of this.
• signed consent from yourself.

The Local Authority expects schools and settings to monitor the impact of any agreed top up funding, through the assess, plan, do and review cycle.