Please note:
- All non-statutory funding can only be applied for by education professionals.
- For non-statutory funding for early years settings only (pre-school children), see SENIF.
- For non-statutory funding (schools and post-16), see ESF and SENDEX.
Early Years SEN Inclusion Funding (SENIF)
Early Years SENIF funding supports eligible children to access early education and promotes inclusive practice by meeting individual needs. It can be used flexibly for staff training, specialist resources, or additional staffing.
The SENIF framework, descriptors, and application and evaluation forms are aligned with the DfE Early Years Assessment Tool for the four areas of SEND, which has been adapted to include a comment section to aid settings in its use.
Find out more in our Early Years SEN Inclusion Funding (SENIF) Framework (PDF, 715 KB).
Education settings can refer into our services via our Education Portal.
Read our SENIF application portal guidance (PDF, 502 KB) to learn how to make a referral.
Early Support Funding (ESF)
Hillingdon uses the ESF process to allocate short-term high needs block funding to schools for pupils without an EHCP who have significant additional needs beyond the SEND notional budget.
Find out more in our Early Support Funding Guidance (PDF, 554 KB).
Education settings can refer into our services via our Education Portal.
Read our ESF application portal guidance (PDF, 538 KB) to learn how to make a referral.
SEND Exceptional Funding (SENDEX)
Exceptional funding can support a pupil who is not the subject of an EHCP but is likely to meet the threshold for needs assessment or those whose Educational Health Care Needs Assessment has been just initiated.
Educational settings may ask the local authority to provide urgent and immediate financial assistance to help educate a pupil who requires immediate support for the short to medium term for accessing the curriculum, and where such access is likely to be at additional cost to the school's budget.
This assistance may be needed due to exceptional circumstances in which the setting cannot access support through regular pathways, such as Early Support Funding or special educational needs provision through the Education Health and Care Plan (usually where there is no specific evidence of Assess, Plan, Do, Review).
SENDEX is allocated to the setting on the short-term basis and does not move with the pupils when they change setting.
Apply for SEND Exceptional Funding