Education, Health and Care needs assessment (EHCNA) and additional funding

Request and get funding for additional support.

Schools may request an EHC needs assessment. This is usually made by the setting that the child attends, often with the support of a professional. It can also be made by a parent in which case the setting will be asked to provide the information needed for the assessment. All applications for an EHC needs assessment must be made electronically through the Children’s Portal.

Start your request for an EHC needs assessment

Supporting documents 

Additional funding resources may be available from the local authority for some children. 

Applications for additional funding for children or young people with SEN: Guidance for settings and schools revised 2018.   

Additional top-up funding may be applied for from the local authority where a child attends an early years setting or primary school and has high level educational needs that require support costing in excess of the notional SEN budget (or inclusion funding in settings) but does not require an EHC Needs Assessment to secure the best possible outcomes across education, health and social care. These needs can usually be met by the setting or school working with educational support services and are short term.  

N.B. Applications for additional funding for children in Year 5 and 6 will not usually be considered, as in most cases, it is more appropriate to consider an EHC assessment to identify longer term needs and to support transition into secondary provision.  

  • Funding shall only be agreed for a maximum of 1 academic year.
  • Any requests for further funding beyond that time will only be agreed for a maximum of an additional 6 months. During this time the school or setting will be required to submit an EHC assessment request if further access to element 3 funding is required.
  • N.B. Year 6 only: Any extension of an additional funding request in Year 6 will last for a maximum of 20 weeks. If further element 3 funding is required then an EHC assessment request should be submitted at the point of request for renewal. If the request is declined the funding will cease automatically on that date.  

What is required?  

  • Clear evidence that the child/young person’s and family’s views have been considered
  • Detailed evidence that the child/young person has significant special educational needs
  • Detailed evidence of the action that the setting, school or college has taken to meet those needs and remove barriers to learning
  • The impact of action to meet needs and why it has not been effective in improving the child/young person’s outcomes or is no longer sufficient.
  • Information about how element 2 funding (£6000) in schools or inclusion funding in early years or additional funding support in colleges has been used to achieve the child’s outcomes over the last 12 months.
  • A description of the outcomes that will be supported by the additional funding requested and how it will be used to achieve these.
  • Reports, assessments and records to support the above as detailed in Part 3 of the application form.  

Expectations  

  • Learning experiences, teaching and interventions to date are of a high quality.
  • There has been effective deployment of staff to give the additional support required.
  • There is a clear, accessible "story" of the child/young person's support and progress from the point of identification through to the point at which this application is being made. This is evidenced in an Individual Provision Tracker and Support and Outcomes plans (templates here)
  • Information presented in the application is detailed and coherent but succinct; copious pages of emails/minutes are not required
  • There is clear evidence of the use of data in the monitoring, reviewing and tweaking of strategies
  • The advice of professionals has been acted on and the impact is clear.  

Application forms:

SEND Transition Top Up Funding for Children with Special Educational Needs starting school in reception classes.

Most children can be successfully provided for through SEN support. In some cases, for children with high-level special educational needs who don’t have an EHCP or where a complete understanding of the child’s long-term needs may still be emerging, additional resources may be required on top of element 1 and 2 funding to support their transition to school.

Transition funding can be agreed up to a maximum of 10 hours per week as a top up to the support given by the school for the child’s first 2 terms in a reception class. 

The aim of SEND transition funding is to enable schools to provide effective support so that the child is able to settle successfully and there is time for the school to get to know the child and their family and assess their needs within the school context. 

If the school then considers that ongoing high levels of support are required they will have the opportunity to link with their SEN casework officer and consider a further request for top up funding and/or an application for an Education Health and Care Needs Assessment. 

When to apply

Applications should be made during the transition planning phase (usually the summer term) before the child starts school so that the funding is in place for the start of the child's first term. It is not possible to apply retrospectively. 

Applications must be made collaboratively by the child’s current setting and the receiving school. 

Application form 

If there are any questions about access to this funding, email the EYSEN team – EYSEN.Funding@oxfordshire.gov.uk