Management Information Sheet
SEN Strategy: Fair funding; High Needs Block
Cluster SEN
Proposal 13
It was proposed as part of the fair funding consultation to amend the cluster SEN funding criteria to include an allocation of £6000 per pupil with Autistic Spectrum Disorder (ASD) based on statement of primary need.
The feedback received from schools during the consultation was that this was not supported as a way to allocate SEN cluster funding based on a variety of factors. Those mentioned were that other terms are often used by professionals other than ASD on statements, ASD is often not diagnosed until pupils are in the later stages of Key Stage 2 and this would again encourage the practice of gaining a statement to generate funding. Based on this feedback the Local Authority has decided not to include ASD as a separate factor.
The consultation process did highlight concerns over the use of the proxy indicators and if they accurately reflect the needs within the clusters. There was also recognition that as this was the first year of a new system it was best to avoid wholesale change. The decision as to whether to amend the proxy indicators was also influenced by the discussion regarding an ASD indicator and the identified risk of causing imbalance in the funding allocation. It was felt that keeping the same overall proxy indicators would support consistency as the methodology becomes embedded.
The consultation responses did show a high level of support for the cluster approach and its aim to improve collaborative working and reduce the dependency on statements in preparation for implementing changes required by the Children and Families Bill in September 2014. This feedback helped to shape the revised approach to proposal 14 as explained below.
Proposal 14
It was proposed to protect clusters that have lost funding under the new arrangements to 100% of their 2012/13 funding level (a minimum funding guarantee), and to remove the cap on cluster allocations so that funding increases are received in full.
Based on the consultation feedback the Local Authority has decided to remove the minimum funding guarantee protection and the funding cap on clusters so that funding allocation is based on the proxy indicators. The paragraphs below explain the rationale and revised approach.
The amount of SEN funding in the system being distributed through clusters remains the same in total. The rationale for these changes is to address the anomalies reported in year one of operation of this new system and ensure funding meets the needs of individual learners across the County. It is recognised that there needs to be more flexibility in the system to enable cluster funding to be topped up where it is demonstrated that specific needs cannot be met from existing school and cluster allocations.
The majority of the cluster funding will continue to be allocated using the existing proxy indicators. However, to enable the flexibility described above an increased proportion of the total cluster funding, a new 'additional identified needs' fund will be created. To address identified need should this be above that generated through the proxy indicator methodology. It is planned that this will be implemented from September 2014, although the details of this have not yet been finalised. In practice this will mean each cluster will get a slightly lower direct allocation but the total available funding can be deployed more flexibly to meet specific identified need. An appropriate, transparent process will be implemented with minimum bureaucracy to facilitate this approach, and schools will be notified of this process as soon as is practicable.
The aim is to support effective ways of working in clusters that embrace the culture change being enacted whereby statements are not seen as the main mechanism for meeting individual needs and the aspiration of Children and Families Bill are embraced putting the child at the centre of the process.
Other responses
In addition to this there were a number of responses received through the consultation events that highlighted that the presentation of the cluster SEN budgets did not assist with the aim to ensure clusters worked together to meet the needs of the cluster as a whole by presenting the proxy indicators at an individual school level. As such the presentation of the SEN cluster budgets will ensure that the information is broken down by proxy indicator at a cluster level and not at a school level.