Special Educational Needs (SEN) Inclusion Fund
The SEN Inclusion Fund is funding available to early years providers to support children with special educational needs and/or disability (SEND). The funding is for use in the setting that the child attends and will be given to the provider to be used to support the needs of individual children with SEN.
Eligibility
- All 2 year olds and 3 & 4 year olds identified with a level of SEND
- Attending an early years setting in the London Borough of Hounslow that provides government funded places
- Presenting with additional needs in the moderate to profound delay range
Value of the fund
In this financial year, 2024/2025, there is a maximum fund of £1.3 million available.
How funding will be allocated
SEN Inclusion Fund will be allocated as a top up grant on a case by case basis in the form of termly lump sum payments to the setting based on a level of need banding system.
The top up rate will be allocated up to a maximum of 570 hours per year / 15 hours per week (term time only) in line with government entitlement funds.
The top up grant for children with additional needs eligible for the 30 hours of entitlement will be considered on a case by case assessment.
How the funding can be used
The funding is to support the inclusion of a child with SEND, promote early intervention and improve outcomes for the child.
Examples of how early years providers can use the SEN Inclusion Fund include:
- Building capacity within the setting with additional staffing to support specific interventions/strategies for the child with SEND
- Specialist or one-off training to upskill whole team or staff member(s) linked to individual child’s needs
- Purchase of resources/equipment to support specific interventions/strategies
Process for allocating SEN Inclusion Fund
Before considering making a request for SEN Inclusion Funding, early years providers should refer to the SEN Inclusion Fund Terms & Conditions for further information.
Parents/carers should agree to the request and should give consent to share information with the local authority.
The early years provider will need to complete a SEN Inclusion Fund Request Form for each child they are requesting funding for. The request will include detail of the child’s level of need along with supporting evidence from outside agencies, as well as information on how the funding will be used.
Decisions about whether to allocate funding and the amount of top up grant are made by a SEN Inclusion Fund Panel. They will assess the information provided in the request and make a decision against level of need descriptors as referenced in the SEN Inclusion Fund Eligibility Criteria
There are three SEN Inclusion Fund panels that take place each term with an additional panel in Summer Term. Please see below for information on SEN Inclusion Fund panel meeting dates and deadlines for submission requests.
A SEN Inclusion Fund Review Document must be completed and returned at the end of each academic year to evidence how the funding has been used and provide update on the child’s progress. Early years providers will need to sign in to the provider portal via Synergy - Enquiry (hounslow.gov.uk) and follow the process for completing and returning the SEN Inclusion Fund Review Document.
Early years providers will also be required to provide a Provision Map for each term that funding is accessed.
Contact us
If you have any questions about the SEN Inclusion Fund:
email: seninclusionfunding@hounslow.gov.uk