SCHOOL CENSUS – TOP-UP FUNDING
For the information of:
School head teacher
Finance officer
School SENCO
Staff completing the DFE School Census
Introduction:
Schools will recall that the January 2014 Department for Education (DFE) School Census included a new topup funding indicator to identify those pupils for whom the school receives top-up funding from the local
authority’s high needs SEN budget. The data collected is a simple true/false indicator to show which pupils
attract top-up funding. This circular provides a summary of the top-up funding mechanism to help schools
complete future Census returns and avoid under-reporting.
Background:
Essentially the first £6000 of costs incurred to support a child’s SEN is now provided by the school through
element 2 funding. This is in addition to element 1 which is essentially the Age Weighted Pupil Unit (AWPU).
Schools apply for High Needs Element 3 funding to the local authority to meet the costs of actions taken by the
school that are additional to the provision made by the school under Elements 1 and 2 (ie support which is
over and above the £6000). It is pupils that attract this additional ‘top-up’ funding that schools need to identify
on the Census return. ‘Top-up’ funds ‘follow’ the pupil if he/she transfers to another school.
DFE have stated that this data will be used for funding allocation purposes and to inform the development of
the high needs funding system in the future. For schools and the LA to receive the appropriate budget share it
is therefore important that this is reported correctly to the DFE.
Somerset LA provides top-up funding for the following SEN need types
PROVISION CHARGE CODE
HIGH NEEDS DESCRIPTION
HNASD2
HNASD3
HNBES2
HNLGD2
HNLLC2
HNMED
HNOTH
HNPI2
HNPI3
HNSH2
HNSH3
HNSV2
HNSV3
Learning: Autistic Spectrum Disorder – Level 2
Learning: Autistic Spectrum Disorder – Level 3
Behavioural, Emotional & Social Difficulties – Level 2
Learning: General Development Delay – Level 2
Learning: Language & Communication – Level 2
Medical
Other
Physical Impairment – Level 2
Physical Impairment – Level 3
Sensory Hearing - Level 2
Sensory Hearing – Level 3
Sensory – Visual Impairment Level 2
Sensory – Visual Impairment Level 3
When completing the Census return each school will need to ensure that all pupils currently in receipt of
funding are correctly identified. Where you have children on roll in receipt of Element 3 High Needs ‘top-up’
funding, the Somerset LA High Needs Funding Team will have sent you a High Needs ‘Top-Up’ Funding
Statement to confirm your allocation. Please refer to your latest copy of this document when completing your
return. This provides a list of pupils in receipt of funding and the dates for which the funding applies. In all
cases it is the date that the funding starts/ends that determines whether a pupil should be included in the
Census return as being in receipt of top-up funding (not the date of the notification).
In addition to funding from Somerset LA, some schools may also receive top-up funding from another LA (eg
where a pupil is not a Somerset resident).
Although there is no automatic link many of the pupils who are in receipt of top-up funding will also have a
statement of SEN or an Education, Health and Care Plan (SEN provision codes of E or S), whilst others will
have a recorded SEN provision of SEN Support (code K). Pupils without an identified SEN (provision code N)
would not be expected to be shown as in receipt of top-up funding.
Pupils not in receipt of top-up funding:
Schools should not record pupils as in receipt of top-up funding where their SEN provision is met from within
the delegated School Budget.
In addition, schools should only record a pupil as in receipt of top-up funding where it is current at the time of
the Census. This means that where a notification has been received that a pupil will be funded in the future
then the pupil should not be flagged on the Census until after the start date of the funding.
Where funding is not directly linked to an individual pupil this is not considered to be top-up funding.
PRUs and Special Schools:
Since all PRU places (including medical places) are funded from the High Needs funding block all pupils
placed on the roll of a PRU are in receipt of top-up funding. (This applies to dual and single registered pupils).
All pupils at special schools will be high needs funded and in receipt of top-up funding.
Local Authority Funded Resourced Provision:
DFE have confirmed that where there is a local authority designated specialist resourced provision
attached to a mainstream school or academy, the establishment receives £10,000 per place which is
intended to cover not only a proportion of the pupil’s additional support costs, but also their core
education as well. For any such specialist resourced provision the top-up funding will be held by the LA
who pay for the costs related to the provision. Any pupils who regularly receive their educational provision
within the specialist resourced provision should also be recorded as High Needs in receipt of top-up
funding.
Action Required:
No specific action is required as a result of this circular, however, schools are advised to put in place internal
procedures to ensure that all pupils are properly recorded each term in the School Census (eg by ensuring
that information from the latest High Needs ‘Top-Up’ Funding Statement is included).
Tony Verrier
Performance Management & Information Team
(updated) 3 December 2014
Tel: 01823 355961
email: [email protected]
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