Funding for pupils with SEN

Understand how provision for pupils with special educational needs (SEN) is funded in your school.

Last reviewed on 15 January 2024
See updates
School types: All · School phases: All
Ref: 4735
Contents
  1. Mainstream schools: you'll receive funding in 2 main ways
  2. Funding for pupils in SEN units and resourced provision
  3. Special schools and alternative provision (AP): how you'll receive funding
  4. Personal budgets for pupils with EHC plans

Mainstream schools: you'll receive funding in 2 main ways

1. Your budget or core funding

As a mainstream maintained school, academy or free school, your school will receive resources to support its pupils with special educational needs (SEN) through its main budget, or core funding - this is known as your 'notional SEN budget'. 

Read more about how your school's budget is calculated through the national funding formula (NFF)

Your school’s budget is calculated through the national funding formula (NFF). From 2023-24, the DfE will require:

  • Local authorities (LAs) to use only NFF factors (and all of them) in their local formulae 
  • All local formulae factors to move at least 10% closer to the NFF (unless a local formula is already mirroring the NFF)

This means LAs may need to review how they calculate notional SEN budgets. See section 3 of guidance for the notional SEN budget in mainstream schools.

Meet the needs