FAQs
The new descriptors do not just focus on describing the need of the child, the new descriptors describe and focus on the impact that the child/young person’s need have on their life and learning
The new descriptors increase the breadth of financial support available to mainstream schools to support children and young people with special educational needs and disability
Maintained (kept without changes) because the needs and provision requirements remained the same,
Amended (changed) because the child or young person’s needs and provision requirements had changed, or
Ceased (stopped) because the child or young person no longer required provision to be secured through an EHCP and can have any continuing needs met through SEN support.
Following Full Council approval, the new banding values and revised descriptors would be applied to all new Education, Health and Care Plans finalised on or after this date.
For all existing Education, Health and Care Plans that were agreed before this point, they would be amended in a phased way through the annual review process.
How are new descriptors different from the previous descriptors?
My child attends a special school or a school with additional specialist resource provision - will this proposal affect them?
No. This change applies to mainstream schools only. Special schools and schools with specialist resource provision have separate funding arrangements which are not part of this consultation.
What about children in the SEN support stage?
Schools are provided with an amount of money to meet the needs of children with special educational needs through their notional SEN budget - up to £6,000 per child identified as having SEN. This remains unchanged under the banding proposals.
Will there be any changes to my child’s Education, Health and Care Plan?
No. Children would retain their Education, Health and Care Plans. EHC Plans would only be updated through the annual review process as usual. The banding framework is the criteria by which we would assess the value of top up funding and this would not influence what is recorded in an EHC Plan.
The outcome of the annual EHCP review would remain the same as it is now, that the EHCP would either be:
What happens if my child/young person moves to a different school?
If a child or young person with an EHCP moves educational setting the funding follows the pupil; it is based on the numbers of days the pupil is in in the school/ setting and is paid to the school by the local authority where the pupil lives.
When would the new banding values and descriptors be applied?
Implementation of the new proposed banding values and revised descriptors would commence following Full Council approval for all new Education, Health and Care Plans. The current funding arrangements would remain in place for children with an existing EHC Plan until the child's next annual review, at which point the new banding values and revised descriptors would be applied.
How does BCP Council SEN propose to manage the transition between the current banding and descriptors and the new banding and descriptors. Can you clarify the timeline?
This is how the proposed new banding values and revised descriptors would be implemented:
We have been told that the banding values awarded will be based on agreed criteria (descriptors) - who will agree this criteria?
The Banding Framework would be available publicly if the proposed Banding Framework is adopted. The framework would be agreed by the Director of Children’s Services if the proposal is agreed. The amount top-up funding attached to an EHCP (e.g. how the banding framework is applied) is a matter for BCP Council to determine through the EHC Needs Assessment process.
The present consultation, including consideration by Schools Forum, will determine the final proposal. This will need to be agreed by full Council in October.
Has BCP Council consulted with schools about whether more money would help to better support children and young people with an EHC Plan?
Yes. BCP Council has worked with parent and carer representatives, schools, educational psychologists, health professional and council colleagues to develop the descriptors and has undertaken a pilot study. The council worked with nine schools (primary and secondary) during the pilot in May 2022, with council SEND officers working with the school’s SEND Coordinators to review current EHCPs against the proposed new descriptors. As a result of the pilot, changes were made to the descriptors that we are now consulting more widely on. Feedback from the pilot has helped inform the financial figures that the council has assigned to each of the descriptors. These proposals were also informed by the results of consultation with headteachers in December 2021. The proposals will be considered in June 2022 by Schools Forum.
How will parents understand what is being delivered in the new Education, Health and Care Plans?
This consultation is not about changes to EHC Plans but the amount of top up funding that is allocated to schools based on the level of the impact of the need of the child/young person. We would always encourage parents to discuss what is being delivered in their child’s Education, Health and Care Plan with the schools directly if they have any questions.
We know more children are getting EHC Plans - how does that affect the funding?
We have a statutory duty to assess and meet needs through Education, Health and Care Plans and are required to provide funding for this regardless of how many children have EHC Plans. The new proposed bands will enable mainstream schools with the resource to better support and meet the needs of children and young people with an EHC Plan, hopefully avoiding the escalation of needs.
How will these proposed changes reduce the deficit in the High Needs Block?
BCP Council believes by that with the right funding in place, more children and young people with an EHCP will be able to have their needs met within local mainstream schools. This would reduce pressure on places for BCP special schools and would reduce the amount we need to spend on independent and non-maintained special schools. This approach would not only enable more children to access local schools, but reduce the current significant overspend on ‘High Needs Block’ budget.
Why are you increasing the banding values?
BCP Council is committed to supporting inclusion within our schools so wherever possible children and young people can be educated as part of their local community. By supporting children to attend their local schools this will reduce pressure on places for special schools. This in turn will have the impact of reducing the need for more expensive places outside the local area.
What additional monitoring are you putting in place to ensure timely implementation of the proposed descriptors and bandings? Are you requiring parents to monitor this?
Additional investment has been made to increase capacity in the SEND Service. Whilst delays can be the result of delays in provision of advice for EHC assessments or paperwork from annual reviews, every attempt will be made with our partner agencies to improve the timeliness of processing EHCPs.