Key announcements

Due to maintenance, some of our online forms and systems will be unavailable from 6:00am on Saturday 30 March to 7:00am on Monday 1 April. We are sorry for any inconvenience. To find out more about the section 114 notice, visit our section 114 page

Other school funding streams

Element 1 – Basic Entitlement – Average Pupil Weighting Unit (AWPU)

This is the amount funded per pupil. This funding supports all learning and will be used for staff salaries – including the SENCO role, buildings, resources etc..

A percentage of this should be spent on supporting pupils with additional or special educational needs (this would relate to children in care).

This funding is in the schools block and is allocated directly to schools.

Birmingham would expect to see schools using at least 5% of AWPU funding in their SEN Budget and this sits within the ‘Notional SEN budget.

Element 2 - Additional Education Needs AEN

For pupils aged 5-15 years in mainstream schools a notional SEN amount will be shown in the school's budget share. This is an indicative amount that schools may set aside for pupils with SEND and is funded from the schools block.

 Notional SEN budget is based on the following factors:

  • Free school meals 
  • Looked-after children 
  • Prior attainment 
  • English as an additional language (an element of this)

 It is not based on the number of pupils a school has identified as having a SEN. 

 The Notional SEN budget should fund:

  • Meet the needs of pupils with low cost, high incidence SEN (also referred to as additional educational need)
  • Contribute to the first £6,000 of the costs of provision for pupils with high needs (not all pupils with SEN will require this amount) 
  • From this, schools must provide a standard offer of teaching and learning for all pupils, including those with ‘predictable’ high needs, to enable them to access the school’s teaching and learning offer.

Deprivation funding

This is part of the AEN funding but does not form part of the Notional SEN budget.

There is an expectation that deprivation funding would be used to contribute towards actual free school meals, together with the Universal FSM funding primary schools receive.

Low cost high incidence (LCHI) 

The LCHI SEN part of element 2 within the school budget share will be paid to schools within their school budget share regardless of actual statemented pupils.

There is an expectation that each school shall have at least £5,000 available for LCHI SEN. For those schools where the formula does not deliver the £5,000 within their school budget share, the Local Authority will top up the schools funding out of the high needs block to achieve the minimum of £5,000. 

Individual Assigned Resource (IAR)

The IAR within the school budget share will be paid to schools regardless of actual pupils with Education, Health and Care Plans (EHCP). 

There is an expectation that each school shall have at least £6,000 available for IAR SEN.

Element 2 shortfalls

Where the recognised demand from EHCPs on the IAR funding exceeds funding available, this will be addressed from the High Needs block, without the need for application.  

This is allocated to individual names children with an EHCP comes from the High Needs Block and the level of funding attached to EHCPs’ based on SEND Provision descriptors.

Further information on Birmingham's Local Offer (SEND).

Funding is calculated and paid monthly.

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