High Needs Learners Funding

This is a Freedom of Information request regarding the funding of High Needs learners in your region.

Please provide the following information:

1) Does the Council fund High Needs learners at Further Education Colleges in its region? A High Needs Learner is a learner with an Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP).

Yes.

2) If so, please list the Further Education Colleges whose high needs learners it is funding for the 2024/25 academic year.

Please note, cells marked with an ‘X’ indicate this information exempt from disclosure under Section 40(2) of the Freedom of Information Act 2000 (Personal Data). The Council cannot disclose personal information if releasing it would contravene any of the provisions in the UK General Data Protection Regulation. In this instance, release of this information would contravene the first data protection principle and therefore the information is withheld.

3) Please provide the number of High Needs Learners at each college for the 2024/25 academic year.

Please refer to the response to Question 2.

4) Please briefly state how the total funded cost (i.e. elements 2 and 3) for each learner is agreed with each college (e.g. is there a detailed costing template, or are a learner’s costs allocated in a banding system?)

This is agreed via consult related to their individual EHCP and is not banded.

5) If the Council uses a banding system to manage the value of element 3, please list the values of the bands (e.g. £1,000, £2,000 etc).

We do not use a banding system, but there are indicative levels of support which are like banding.

6) Does the Council prescribe the costing methodology (i.e. what costs are eligible for funding, and which are not), or are these set by the college?

Costings relate to Section F of the EHCP.

7) Does the Council provide a specific costing template, or is the costing format at the discretion of the college?

There is no set format for this.

8) In determining the High Needs learners costs, do you prescribe / set elements of the costs (e.g. hourly rate for learning support assistants), or are they provided at the discretion of the college?

This is provided by the college and considered by the Local Authority in relation to the EHCP.

9) If the Council does set / prescribe the cost elements, which elements do you prescribe (e.g. hourly rate for Learning Support Assistants, hourly rate for tuition, administration fees etc)?

Not applicable.

10) If the Council does prescribe / set some or all of the costing elements, please set out the prescribed rates in £ for 2023/24 and 2024/25 (e.g. Hourly rate for Learning Support Assistants is £15, hourly rate for tuition is £50 etc). Please include the hourly rate for Learning Support Assistants.

Not applicable.

11) If the Council does prescribe / set some or all of the costing elements, please set out the planned prescribed rates in £ for 2025/26 if available (e.g. Hourly rate for Learning Support Assistants is £15, hourly rate for tuition is £50 etc). Please include the hourly rate for Learning Support Assistants.

Not applicable.