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
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