3. Applying for The Special Educational Needs Fund
Oldham Local Authority has an allocated amount of a non-statutory fund for children accessing their Free Early Education Entitlement at a PVI setting (Children already in receipt of additional funding, e.g. through an EHC Plan are not eligible).
Who is eligible
All PVI providers delivering Free Early Education.
Before submitting an application for this fund we would expect all providers to have implemented all relevant aspects of high quality teaching (HQT), an effective assess, plan, do, review system which incorporates Oldham’s Inclusion Framework and Graduated Response Toolkit and demonstrate use of the other funding streams, where appropriate.
Who is it for
A 2, 3 or 4 year old who is a resident of Oldham, in receipt of free early education entitlement (accessing an Oldham PVI provision) who:
- have a SEN support plan, and require more specialist support; or
- has more complex needs and requires an EHCP
What can be applied for
SEN Support Fund
This fund is to support the provision for children who have an identified high-level need and a SEN support plan in place. These children may be making little or no progress despite repeated cycles of assess, plan, do, review and differentiated and adapted provision. These children may also be undergoing an EHC needs assessment.
Health and Specialist Equipment Fund
Some children join early years settings with specific health or equipment needs. They may be awaiting specialist seating or will require long term support with specific health needs for example, NG tube feeding. This funding should be requested if the health or limited access to specialist equipment could negatively impact on a child’s access to the EYFS curriculum. Children with continued care plans are not included as they are to be funded by health. These applications will be assessed and awarded based on the information provided from the specialists involved (i.e. specialist advice, child’s individual plan, equipment cost etc).
|
Child Need |
Funding |
Amount to be awarded |
|---|---|---|
| Lower level, high incidence need | SENIF | Amount based on children recorded with SEND, at the EY census taken each January. |
|
Higher level of need, requires some specialist provision. |
SEND Support Fund |
Amount to be determined on assessment of each application |
|
High level of need, requires specialist provision or equipment |
Health and Specialist equipment fund |
Amount to be determined on assessment of each application |
How to apply
Summer Term 2024
| Applications open | Applications close |
|---|---|
| 15 April 2024 | 3 May 2024 |
Autumn Term 2024
| Applications open | Applications close |
|---|---|
| 7 October 2024 | 1 November 2024 |
Spring Term 2025
| Applications open | Applications close |
|---|---|
| 27 January 2025 | 14 February 2025 |
We will aim to respond to applications within 28 days of the closing date.