Special Educational Needs: Finance

This government’s ambition is that all children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) or in alternative provision receive the right support to succeed in their education and as they move into adult life.

Special schools for children with SEND are not funded using the same funding formula as mainstream schools. The extra costs of operating a special school across more than one site can be covered through the combination of place funding at £10,000 per place and top-up funding in respect of individual pupils attending the special school.

Our guidance, ‘High needs funding arrangements’, explains that the top-up funding determined by local authorities for a special school should not only reflect the costs of additional support to meet the individual pupil’s needs, but can also reflect costs that relate to the facilities required to support all the pupils at the school, including factors such as the school being on a split site. The guidance can be accessed here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/high-needs-funding-arrangements-2025-to-2026.