High Needs FundingUpdate

Peter Mucklow

Director for Young PeopleEducation Funding Agency

Reflection on 2013/14

Outturn for 2013/14

20k places in post schools provision 3,250 of these places were at ISPs Compares to 3,200 places in 2012/2013 Total programme costs, element 2 funding and bursary funding

for these places was £35.9m

Transitional Protection

Reduction in LA-commissioned HNS placements compared to 2012/2013 academic year funded at 100% of the institution’s 2012/13 EFA average funding rate

Paid in two instalments in September 2013 and February 2014 Will review full year recruitment data and inform ISPs of any

adjustments/recoveries to be made between July and November 2014

Transitional Protection

Protected 260 places in 28 ISPs costing £12.7m

34 ISPs did not receive transitional protection

30 ISPs increased their places between 2012/13 and 2013/14 and in total this equated to 310 places.

Places at 4 ISPs remained the same

Key Issues

Understanding and communication between LAs and

institutions

Large variation in LA readiness and approaches – limited use

of national contracts or of cross-LA approaches

Delays with commissioning and contracting for places

Some LAs bore down on course duration, content and costs

What we did in-year Improved communications with the sector and LAs

– Improved information on the EFA high needs funding page

– Created high needs funding – additional information document

Adopted a national monitoring approach

– Focussed on local intelligence

– LA risk rating re contracting and commitment to funding places

Intervened

– Territorial and national involvement with LAs

– Brokering relationships between LAs and institutions

Lessons for 14/15

Set clearer expectations earlier to LAs

Clear timetables for contracting and payments

Need to continue national monitoring

Some LAs will not comply and if unreasonable we should use powers available to intervene

Discussion /Questions

Academic year 2014/15 and

onwards

Academic year 2014/15 Places for 2014/2015

– Allocated 22 000 post-16 places to non-schools institutions – Allocated 3100 places to ISPs for the academic year

2014/15. Exceptional submissions

– Received 21 exceptional submissions from institutions– In the moderation, 67 additional places agreed and 29

places removed – In total 38 additional places at cost of £439k additional

funding for element 1 and 2

Academic year 2014 to 2015

Top up funding– Much closer match between agreed LA student numbers

post-schools and high needs DSG– Higher proportion of total high needs funding paid to

institutions through place funding as numbers now more real

Transitional Protection– For 2014/15, Transitional Protection will be paid at 80% for

each place not commissioned by LAs compared 12/13

Setting expectations

Published expectations for LA decisions:– Decision on placement by 31 May; – Contract signed with institution by 30 June; – Student starts by 30 Sept; – First payment by 31 Oct (where monthly payment agreed).

We will keep the position under review and consider whether any further conditions of DSG grant should be made regarding timings for 2015 to 2016

Academic year 2015/16

Children and Families Act

Royal Assent to Children and Families Act

The Children and Families Act means, from September 2014, new regulations and a revised 0-25 SEN Code of Practice will be phased in

New rights for young people and their parents

Education Health and Care plan from September 2014 can name an institution

Funding approach

Intention is a lagged system for most places based on data collected from 2013/14 and 2014/15.

– Flags already included in ILR but clarification needed– Flags will be included in the school census from 2014

Discussion around simplification of the system for ISPs Opportunity for LAs and institutions to change pattern of

places for expected substantial changes to provision Transitional protection will not be paid for 2015/16

Discussion /Questions