Have your say on funding for Special Educational Needs and Disabilities

09 May 2024

Local families of children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities, as well as schools and academic colleagues are being encouraged to have their say on recommendations to change the way those with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) are funded as part of a consultation. 

The proposed new funding framework will enable West Northants Council (WNC) to allocate funds to schools, colleges, resource units and early years settings in a fairer, more consistent, timely and transparent way which is based on the needs of children and young people.

It has been developed with the help of a SEND Funding Steering Group, made up of representatives from schools, Special Educational Needs Coordinators (SENCOs) and parent/carer forum groups. This final set of recommendations were also shaped by a public consultation held last autumn.

The recommendations include improving application forms to making the process easier and faster, to ensure that support is available as early as possible. 

Funding processes, criteria and levels have also been reviewed, and it is recommended that an extra £2.8m is provided to support children and young people with SEND in early years setting and mainstream schools via the updated application processes. 

People across West Northamptonshire now have a final opportunity to have a say on them in a public consultation which will run until 2 June.

Feedback from this consultation will be considered, summarised and presented at West Northamptonshire Schools Forum on 2 July, with any further adjustments to funding arrangements made ahead of implementation on 1 September.

Cllr Fiona Baker, Cabinet Member for Children, Families, Education and Skills at WNC said: “This is the final stage of the consultation and is important we hear the views of our parents, carers, schools and academic colleagues to really understand the impact of these changes. The proposals set out in the consultation have been developed following feedback and responses received during the first phase of the consultation last Autumn. 

“This new funding framework is important to enable us to allocate funds to schools, colleges, resource units and early years settings in a fairer, more consistent, timely and transparent way which is based on the needs of children and young people, therefore I do encourage all to complete this survey and feedback.”