Schools receive funding based on a number of different criteria. Some criteria are more relevant to children with special educational needs.
Personalised learning
It is now recognised that many children need a more personalised curriculum so that they can learn. There is funding that goes to schools to support this approach.
Additional educational needs (AEN)
Money is allocated to mainstream schools to support children with additional educational needs. This is the main source of funding for children who have special educational needs but who do not have a ‘statement of special eucational needs’. This enables a school to provide extra support, such as extra adult help, work in small groups or special materials or equipment.
Devolved funding
Groups of schools (collaborative groups) now have a sum of money allocated each year to support pupils with special educational needs. These are children who need more help than the individual school can provide from their AEN or other individual school resources. Devolved funding is meant to support pupils who might previously have had a low level of support through a statement of special educational needs.
Children with a statement of special educational needs
Schools will receive extra funding to enable them to deliver additional provision set out in a child’s statement of special educational needs. Schools often use this for extra adult help for a child. The school may also use funding from its general budget to support pupils with special educational needs.